How much does "grain" matter to you?

[AmenCorner]

Recently I started playing with an individual who seems to place an extraordinary amount of emphasis on grain direction when reading a putt, seemingly even more so than where the hills are. I know this is hard to quantify, but my question to you is:

How much does grain matter to you when assessing break?

[Fourputt]

Not at all really. Here in Colorado the turf grasses used for greens (mostly bent grass on the better courses) just don't have enough grain to worry about it. Playing on Bermuda it's a different story.... that stuff has a significant effect on the ball, but we just don't see it here.

[billm408]

Depends on the grass. Huge difference on Bermuda, not so much on bent.

[David in FL]

Depends where you're playing, the type of grass, and the time of day.

Playing on bermuda in the late afternoon, the grain can be a pretty big factor. Bent grass or a hybrid like Tift Eagle and/or early morning, not so much.

[AmenCorner]

Mostly Bermuda down here in FloriDUH!

[case31]

How much does grain matter to you when assessing break?

I rarely give it much thought here on the courses in Indiana.

The one time it was a factore was when I played one of the Kaanapali courses in Maui a few years ago. I was paired with a local member of the course, and he insisted on helping me read the greens. After the first hole, I understood why. Depending on how the grain, putts could break uphill, downhill putts could stop in their tracks, uphill putts could race by the hole. All I needed was a windmill or a clown's mouth. My playing partner's ability to read the greens saved me countless strokes on my round.

[mruseless]

I live in Colorado, and as Fourputt said, the bent grass greens don't have much grain. This might be a big "duh", but where I pay a lot of attention to grain is when chipping greenside from the rough.

[Chief Broom]

I have to pay attention to the grain on most of the courses I play (bermuda). It's not a deciding factor but it definitely is an influence that has to be factored in when putting.

[whip_it_out]

not much, and i play on Bermuda. Our greens just suck too much for grain to matter.

[sp33d]

It matters if your playing for $1,000,000 and you must absolutely make that shot. I've never looked at the grain, UNLESS the green is a bit shaggy but any properly maintained green your talking fractions of inches.

Edit, ok it wont matter on 6' putts, but if your trying to hole a 30' for eagle it will come into play a bit more...

[AmenCorner]

It matters if your playing for $1,000,000 and you must absolutely make that shot. I've never looked at the grain, UNLESS the green is a bit shaggy but any properly maintained green your talking fractions of inches.

#1) Even if I'm not playing for money I want to make the putt, so if the grain affects the putt, why wouldn't I consider it?

#2) Same can be said for undulation or wind or anything. The shorter the putt, the less factors that can affect the ball. Nothing real revolutionary here.

[M2daRizzle]

I live in the south. all of the greens are bermuda here. Grain plays a huge part in reading putts if you want to have a chance at making a putt.

[buttuh]

I always check the grains first as I walk from the ball mark to the hole. Once past the hole I'll look back at my marker to read the slope. I then walk back past my ball and double check the slope toward the hole, pick my line and go. For me the grain does not determine the direction of the break, but it will determine how much/little the ball will break and how fast/slow the ball will roll.

[Fourputt]

It matters if your playing for $1,000,000 and you must absolutely make that shot. I've never looked at the grain, UNLESS the green is a bit shaggy but any properly maintained green your talking fractions of inches.

If you'd ever played on grainy Bermuda you wouldn't make such a sweeping statement. It matters even on a 3 foot putt. It can make an apparent 2" break dead straight, or a seemingly straight putt break 2". There are some newer strains of Bermuda which aren't quite as grainy, but the plain old fashioned stuff can be downright nasty.

[DavidFehertysBike]

It depends on the condition of the greens, i suppose. Its more of an issue with firm, smooth greens, than the slow and bumpy ones that probably 90% of us play on.

[sp33d]

I'd say in upwards of 80% of the courses I play are bermuda grass, hmm, maybe I'm just used to it, who knows. It hasnt affected me I might 3 putt once in 18 holes (normally, there are exceptions) But the courses I play are really well maintained as well, so maybe thats why I dont notice as much either.

[shortstop20]

anybody know of a link that has close up pictures and a description of the differences between all the different types of grass? Always been curious about that.

[mdvaldosta]

anybody know of a link that has close up pictures and a description of the differences between all the different types of grass? Always been curious about that.

Ditto......