Stimpmeter: Just How Fast is the Green?

In the game of golf, most people assume that long distance shots are what matter. However, in reality the best players are good at medium to short distances. This is when they are the most accurate and can reduce their total number of strokes. The key to achieving these objectives: requires skills and identifying critical weaknesses. These areas ensure that the individual will become a more effective golfer. This is the point where they can combine their game with effective strategies and improve. (Rotella, 2012)

The Stimpmeter and its Importance to Golfers

Edward Stimpson first developed the Stimpmeter in 1935. He wanted to create a way of objectively measuring the speed the ball rolls on different greens. It is a long metal device that is three feet in length. To test the greens, a golf ball is placed at the top of the device (as it is held at a 22 degree angle). The further the distance the ball rolls, the faster the green. In general, most golf courses will use this tool to measure the way their greens are cut and maintained. This information is important to golfers, as it helps them to determine what clubs / putters to use and the type of swing. (Kelly, 2014) (Rotella, 2012)

Fast versus Slow

When the green is faster, golfers do not need to use as much power on their swing. Instead, they will need to gently nudge the ball enough to reach the hole. This requires understanding the speed the ball is moving on different courses. In these situations, the grass is shorter and the weather conditions are drier. However, this can change throughout the year. This is because as the greens grow, it will respond differently to sunlight, humidity, rain, people and the way it is cut. These factors will vary over the course of time. This means that everyone must be continually adjusting his or her strokes for the shifting conditions. (Rotella, 2012)

When the ball is slower, there is more grass and the weather conditions are making it thicker. This causes the ball to require more power to reach the hole. For golfers, they will have to adjust their swing to decrease the total number of strokes. These readings will vary from one course to the next. (Rotella, 2012)

In case of slower courses, Holylake (in Great Britain) is considered to be one of the most popular in the world. This is the site where the last British Open was held and many European golfers prefer the slower greens. In many cases, they claim that slower greens require more skill and patience. This tests the ability of the golfer to deal with challenging conditions in order to reach their primary objectives.

For instance, Daiz (2014) observed this about Hoylake by stating, "The constant heavy wind, on links courses have to keep their green speeds at more than 10 (to include for majors). It is no accident that the greatest putting exhibitions are at the British Open. More specifically, Seve Ballesteros in 1988 at Royal Lytham and Ian Baker-Finch in 1991. At Hoylake, Fowler delightfully kept stepping into medium-length putts with the same brisk and confidence that makes him appealing. All of these individuals excelled by using slower greens to their advantage.” (Daiz, 2014) These insights are showing how slower greens require greater amounts of physical and mental skill. Those who can master them are more able to adjust to changing conditions and have greater amounts of flexibility with their game.

At these courses is where Rory McIlroy became a better golfer. This is in spite of the fact that he is not known for being a strong putter. Instead, the challenges he faced turned one of his greatest weaknesses into strength. Once he began playing at courses with faster greens is the point he was able to make these adjustments and take his game to the next level. In many ways, one could argue that this helped McIlroy to become such a formidable winner like Tiger Woods. This is something Tiger did not learn early on and is one of the reasons why he is continuing to struggle. McIlroy was able to learn from his weaknesses and incorporate them into his skills. Over the course of time, this improved his short game. (Diaz, 2014) (Rotella, 2012)

For the most part, the US is known for having some of the fastest greens. Some good examples of this include: the Augusta National (in Savannah, Georgia) and the Oakmont Golf Course (in Santa Rosa, California). In the case of the Augusta National, the greens are considered to go beyond the traditional 11-foot reading (i.e. 15 and above). When the stimpmeter is showing this, it means that the greens are considered to be very slick and will influence the slightest movement of the ball. Augusta National goes beyond this number in order to make it considerably harder to judge the slickness of the green. This causes many professionals to become frustrated as they can easily miss a 2-foot putt. (“World’s Fastest Putting Greens,” 2014) (Rotella, 2012)

During the last US Open, Oakmont had to reduce the speed on their greens to be in compliance with USGA standards. This is because it has a reputation for its fast greens and the kind of game that is played. It dates back to 1935, when Edward Stimpson developed the Stimpmeter on this course. Since this time, it goes beyond the traditional 11 feet, as it wants to be known for having the slickest greens in the world. The result is that they will vie with other courses (i.e. Augusta National) to maintain this title. (“World’s Fastest Putting Greens,” 2014) (Rotella, 2012)

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References

World’s Fastest Putting Greens. (2014). Pro Putt Systems. Retrieved from: http://proputtsystems.com/worlds-fastest-putting-greens

Diaz, J. (2014). The Beauty of Slower Greens. Golf Digest. Retrieved from: http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/2014-07/gwar-jaime-diaz-final-say-0728

Kelly, B. (2014). Stimpmeter. About.com. Retrieved from: http://golf.about.com/cs/golfterms/g/bldef_stimpmete.htm

Rotella, B. (2012). The Unstoppable Golfer. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

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