Green speed and the Stimpmeter

The Stroke Play Championship was this past weekend and everyone wanted the greens to be firm and fast for the event. Everyone enjoys firm and fast greens that are within a reasonable speed. Making greens too fast can make for a frustrating round for many golfers and in the heat of the summer can lead to thin and possibly dead turf. There is a delicate balance that must be achieved.

For the tournament, green speeds were gradually raised throughout the week. To do this we used both mowing and rolling to our advantage. We also very carefully managed the water that the greens received. This is a tournament setup and maintenance routine, not a daily routine. It is important to understand the difference. Daily setup has to take in to account the stress of summer and other golfer ability levels. If too fast of green speeds are maintained daily, turf loss is especially likely and the enjoyment for the majority of golfers is lessened.

To check the speed of the greens we use a tool called a Stimpmeter. The Stimpmeter is a simple tool made of metal three feet in length with a dimple at one end in which a golf ball can rest. On a green, the ball is placed in the dimple; the Stimpmeter is slowly raised until gravity causes the ball to roll down the length of the shaft and onto the green. By measuring from where the ball started on the green to where it ended, a number in feet is determined. A second ball is rolled and must come within six inches of the first for the measurement to be used. Then two balls are also rolled back from where the initial roll ended to where the initial roll started. Again, the two attempts must be within six inches of one another to be accurate. The two final measurements are added together and averaged to give a green speed reading.

Now that the measurement has been made, we must make sense of the number. Ten to ten and a half feet is a very suitable speed for most golfers and for maintaining turf on greens through the heat of summer. The useful aspect of this number for us is to try and make every green on the course the same speed. This ensures that each green is consistent throughout the course. By measuring multiple greens, we can make maintenance adjustments to increase or decrease a certain green’s speed to make it putt similar to the rest.

The unwanted aspect of the green speed number is when it is used to compare one course to another. Simply saying “course X has greens that roll twelve feet. Why don’t ours?” is taking in to account only one small aspect of all the agronomic decisions that are being made. Turf type, weather, location, soil, membership, undulations on greens, and many other factors influence daily green speeds. Measuring green speed is an objective measurement but not translatable from course to course. One must be careful not to rely too heavily on this Stimpmeter number. The smoothness of the ball roll and fairness of the greens are far more important to the playability of the course.

The tournament went well this weekend and the greens held their own. As we continue into summer we will make adjustments to keep the greens as healthy as possible and to keep the green speeds consistent across the course.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org