North Carolina Golf Blog »   Can you tell if the putting greens are fast or slow... if so, how?

Putting greens, Fast or Slow?

To get a "feel" for speed beforehand, golfers putt on the practice green, which gives a fair indication of the speed on the greens on the course.

Incidentally, the Stimp Meter number for a course is an average of all 18 holes on flat surfaces. This means that rarely do all 18 holes "feel" the same. And that's because of the climatological and human influences out there. One green might be tucked into a bowl of shady trees while another might be on a hill in the sun all day and thereby dry out faster. Plus, if different mowers are used to cut greens on the same course, even the slightest height measurement difference will affect speed.

Grain, or the direction in which grass grows, also has a major effect. Putting WITH the grain is like rubbing your hand DOWN the back of the head of someone who just got a buzzcut. There's little resistance and it's smooth, thus the ball will seem to move faster. Putting AGAINST the grain is like rubbing UP the back of the same head. More resistance and friction - the ball will not travel as far if struck with the same force as with the grain. Incidentally, grain itself is also influenced by a number of factors such as geographic location, exposure to the sun, how often it's mowed, etc.

Also, world class golfers are known to practice three speeds to make a putt: 1) most break where the ball dies in the hole; 2) fewest break where the ball is hit the hardest but still drops in; and 3) the median of 1 and 2 whereby the golfer finds a safe break and speed to avoid a three-putt.