Do most greens really break to the west?

[colin007]

you know, ive been thinking about this putts breaking west thing...there may be some validity to it...remember the earths rotation.  so if a putt is towards the west, you have to add the speed of your putt to the speed of the earths rotation which will make it a faster putt than if you were putting with the direction of the earths rotation, or towards the east, so the earth is turning with your ball and making it roll slower...got it?

[iacas]

Originally Posted by colin007

you know, ive been thinking about this putts breaking west thing...there may be some validity to it...remember the earths rotation.  so if a putt is towards the west, you have to add the speed of your putt to the speed of the earths rotation which will make it a faster putt than if you were putting with the direction of the earths rotation, or towards the east, so the earth is turning with your ball and making it roll slower...got it?

Nope. That doesn't work either. If the earth is moving 15 MPH straight east, and you move your putter 20 MPH straight west at impact, then you're really only striking the golf ball at 5 MPH, plus the 15 MPH the earth is moving beneath the golf ball, so it's still 20 MPH in the end. :)

[Ernest Jones]

What if your putting inside an airplane that's on a conveyor belt...

[David in FL]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

What if your putting inside an airplane that's on a conveyor belt...

Depends completely on the direction the belt is traveling!

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by iacas

Nope. That doesn't work either. If the earth is moving 15 MPH straight east, and you move your putter 20 MPH straight west at impact, then you're really only striking the golf ball at 5 MPH, plus the 15 MPH the earth is moving beneath the golf ball, so it's still 20 MPH in the end. :)

I once dated a very ditzy girl when I was 19 who said "Like, how come if you hold something in your hand in your car on the highway and let go, it doesn't like.... fly backwards? I mean, you can like throw something out your window at like 80 and it will still go forward... blows my mind"

I had a lot of fun that night and made a final phone call the next morning, long story short.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Spyder

I once dated a very ditzy girl when I was 19 who said "Like, how come if you hold something in your hand in your car on the highway and let go, it doesn't like.... fly backwards? I mean, you can like throw something out your window at like 80 and it will still go forward... blows my mind"

I had a lot of fun that night and made a final phone call the next morning, long story short.

That reminds me of this:

[jamo]

What if your putting inside an airplane that's on a conveyor belt...

Is it a stick or automatic?

[David in FL]

Alright y'all .... Knock it off. Don't harsh my gig. I'm trying to arrange a little match here....! :-)

[NuclearMike]

In the south we have primarily Bermuda greens.  Bermuda grass growth will follow the sun, so there may be a little more break to the west in the late afternoon/ early evening.  Bent grass doesn't have the same issue.

http://www.shark.com/sharkwatch/instruction/tip58.php  is one such citation.

[uttexas]

It's true, all putts break toward Lake Merced.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by uttexas

It's true, all putts break toward Lake Merced.

But then what happens on courses in Japan?  I mean, west is technically, well, west, however, Lake Merced is a lot closer to Japan (and for that matter all of east Asia) if you go east.  So, then I guess the question is, do the putts know where the international date line is, and do they try to avoid crossing it, or do they break "as the crow flies" towards Lake Merced?

[bjwestner]

Originally Posted by NuclearMike

In the south we have primarily Bermuda greens.  Bermuda grass growth will follow the sun, so there may be a little more break to the west in the late afternoon/ early evening.  Bent grass doesn't have the same issue.

http://www.shark.com/sharkwatch/instruction/tip58.php  is one such citation.

This is 100% correct.  The problem is that there is no more "true" bermuda grass anymore.  It's all hybrids and such.  It may be a mostly bermuda blend but it will still have other stuff in it.  The more a green has true bermuda as it's blend, then the more the grass will grow towards the setting sun which is to the West.

This will also depend on what course you are playing on and how well the greens are taken care of.  I'd imagine that the faster the greens are (like PGA tour greens), then the more the grain will affect a putt potentially versus a muni green that only stimps at 10.

[uttexas]

But then what happens on courses in Japan?  I mean, west is technically, well, west, however, Lake Merced is a lot closer to Japan (and for that matter all of east Asia) if you go east.  So, then I guess the question is, do the putts know where the international date line is, and do they try to avoid crossing it, or do they break "as the crow flies" towards Lake Merced?

In Japan, putts still break west toward Lake Merced, but only by half; because, as you noted, Merced is closer if you go east.

[ldkk]

The only reason that this might be true is that grass leafs follow the suns path  until sunsets in the west. As the sun sets the grass rests thru the night facing west. In the morning as the sun rises in the east. The grass has little chance to redirect its leafs to the east and remains in positioned to the west.Iit all starts over again and finishes facing the sun in the west.  With that considered as well as all the other components of a green...putting for the back of the cup straightens can straighten the path to the hole or leave you 3ft past. LOL.

[MS256]

I hadn't read this thread before. Good stuff!!! ;-)