Green speed question

RC · December 29, 2008

What green speed is your favorite speed? There are many pros and cons of stimp meter readings, but that is the only green speed comparison generally known. I am also familiar with the general movement toward reducing maintenance and chemical/energy costs and keeping healthy grass.

So just to get things started, I know what a very quick green is like, greens during a PGA tour event, for example. Seldom does a green reach 13+, but I've played many rounds on greens running 12 to 13 and I know at least one day on greens running 14 (I know because I watched the guy measuring and asked him -- he measured 14, 14.5 and 14 on the green.) That day, the greens were triple hand mowed and rolled. A green running at 14 is pretty much like linoleum. I think most here would agree 12 to 13 is very, very fast and my guess is the majority of golfers may never have played on greens that fast (just a guess, since most courses don't like to subject their grasses to prolonged periods of super fast conditions, and super fast greens make for slower play.)

So what speed do you like? I like 10 to 11 the best (sort of senior/champions tour speed,) and below 9 is not nearly as much fun unless the course has so much slope that faster speeds are not playable. Would like to hear your opinions.

**PiKapp23** · December 29, 2008

Not sure about an actual stimpmeter number (surprisingly, I do not have one to test greens before I play). There are a couple courses I have played in the last year that posted the stimpmeter speed daily. The one course said it was running 9.5 and I liked those greens pretty well (they were pretty flat). I have always been a very agressive putter and make lots of putts on slow greens and 3 putt a lot on fast greens. The other course posted an 11, although the greens were sloped so much that downhill putts were way too fast for me (I think I had about 40 putts that day). I play a in winter on slow greens that probably would be less than 9 and usually like putting those. Slow is good.

**klaymon** · December 29, 2008

I don't know about a specific stimp reading, but I like fast greens. My default miss on a putt is usually short, so faster greens tend to suit my putting better.

**shortgrass lover** · December 29, 2008

I like anywhere from nine to ten if i'm playing in a tournament or something. But i've played on 10.5 and it was still fun, just makes it tough not to be tentative on a downhill three-footer.

***iacas*** · December 29, 2008

The faster the better. I'm a good putter so it only increases my advantage. Plus I read break better on fast greens.

By the way, in my experience most people over-estimate green speed by about two feet. I own a stimpmeter and have measured several times myself. If you think it's 12, it's probably 10. Most courses don't go above 10 because the maintenance required above 10 or 11 goes up exponentially.

RC · December 29, 2008

I agree with you Eric, most greens never really get much above 10 -- at least in my experience. And then, it is usually only for tournaments of some sort. Really quick greens that roll true are a huge advantage for many good putters that read breaks well, so it does not surprise me that you would like fast greeens. When the ball is rolling out well, it seems to drop more often.

When traveling to some areas, a lot of the courses run about 8-9, and I find putting much harder and don't make many outside 10 feet -- it is frustrating to leave one dead in the mouth and short. I think people adapt their putting to what they play the most so the strokes they use are different. By that I mean some guys can putt lights out charging the hole, something I cannot do at all.

**Pinseeker81** · December 29, 2008

I like just a bit faster than whatever it is I play on now. I always leave it short even with what feels like a firm stroke, and they do NOT break at all. Sucker could be tilted like a left turn at Talladega and the put would run dead straight. I just can't wrap my head around putting less break and miss quite a few high cause of it.

**Fourputt** · December 29, 2008

I hate slow greens. I usually play on medium to medium fast greens. I've never seen a stimpmeter reading on any course I've ever played, so I can't quantify it better than that. From what I've seen I prefer them faster... I've never yet played on a green so fast that I couldn't adjust to it, and I've played on some pretty fast greens on a few occasions.

What can give me fits is inconsistent speed, like you get from some types of Bermuda. Lightning fast downhill, downgrain, but dead slow going the other way. I just don't have enough experience on those types of surfaces.

**Laxplayer201092** · December 29, 2008

I play down at the air force academy, and those greens are pretty fast, Which i like, its just getting used to it really.. plus just before the big open at Murphy creek, the greens were rolling pretty fast, They rolled em a bit, dont remember exactly, but i know one of the greens was way faster than the other, that one was probobly close to 14, where as the rest were in the 13 range if i remember correctly.

Fast greens really just seperate the good putters from the bad.

**goblue107501** · December 29, 2008

The faster the better. For me there is too much variance reading and putting slow greens. Then you have to hit the ball harder which always increases the chance of an error. If you read a fast green properly, all you have to do is get the ball started on the correct line and usually the green will do the rest.

**walk18** · December 30, 2008

Fast is fine, but I look for consistency in speeds, which unfortunately can be hard to find sometimes.

**microcrayfish** · December 30, 2008

How does a stimp meter reading work anyway? I've never heard of it before.

I putt worse on fast greens probably because of learning to play on quite slow greens so I've developed an aggressive approach to putting that can hurt me on fast greens when it just runs on by. I enjoy the challenge of fast greens though and my home course has some of the faster greens around my area so I'm getting better.

**Fourputt** · December 30, 2008

How does a stimp meter reading work anyway? I've never heard of it before.

Read this article on the USGA website to learn all you ever wanted to know about it. Stimpmeter article

**bogeyhitter25** · December 30, 2008

It's weird but I putt better when I'm on fast, sloped greens than on slow, almost-flat greens. I think this might be because I don't have to bring my putter far back on my backswing so I have a straight stroke.

**FortAsel** · December 30, 2008

Anything above 11 is a good speed for me. I just make every put on those greens

**mirv** · December 30, 2008

this is the first i've ever heard of this stimpmeter thingy. based on what you guys have said, i'm going to say i'd probably operate best on something that's around an 11 on this scale.

a couple of years ago, i was a member of a local course, and during the summer their greens were just ridiculously fast - i'm guessing they were at the top of the scale. it was like putting on ice - you looked at the ball wrong and it'd start rolling. that was definitely too fast for my taste.

on the other side of the coin, a public course here has greens that are probably the slowest on the scale. it's not as bad as putting on shag carpeting, but it's not much better. you have to rear back and wham the ball to even make it go 15 feet. it's a shame, too, because i really like the actual layout of the course. it's real tight and you have to make some good, precision shots, but once you get on the green... man. game over.

**sonicblue** · December 31, 2008

In my limited experience, slow greens are also bumpy and unpredictable. I like faster greens b/c they're usually more true. Regardless, consistency from one green to the next is mandatory; it's very frustrating when you can't get a read as you play.

**Golfer71** · December 31, 2008

Back in the summer I played at a private members club where the greens were way faster than I was accustomed to, my caddie said these greens were reading 9 on the stimpmeter. To my great embarrassment I needed 40-42 putts that day.

The green speeds on my regular, public course are not published and must be quite a bit slower. I don't mind slower greens at all but if I visit a course with fast greens (9 is fast for me) i'll really struggle to make putts. On balance I prefer to play on greens slower than 9 - I putt better! and if it helps reduce the maintenance cost and preserve the environment so much the better!

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