Pete Finch – PGA Teaching Pro
How are green speeds measured? Now green speeds are measured using device called the stimpmeter. Now the stimpmeter was developed by a chap called Edward S Stimpson Sr., at the US open in 1935. The winning score that year was 11 over par, and he witnessed Gene Sarazen actually roll a putt off a green, and actually thought the greens were reasonably fast to play. So he came up with what is now known as the stimpmeter. And it’s just a device which is used to roll balls along the surface of the green at a certain velocity and then measure how far in feet that ball actually travels. And from that you can get a reading on the stimpmeter of anywhere from a very very slow green from about five up to an exceptionally quick green at about twelve.
Now on some courses a stimpmeter is also used to measure on slopes. So some slopes you say the masters notoriously flat stimps, you can actually get up to 13 for a team and on that type of stimp reading, it’s almost impossible for the ball to actually stay still. So if you popped a ball on a stimp meter green of a slope of about 13 to 14, it’s very hard for that ball to stay still. It would actually roll off and roll down. Now it would be a mistake to think that the stimpmeter and stimp readings don’t actually matter, because you can actually play on a course with a green of a stimpmeter reading of about eight, and the very next day play on a course with a stimpmeter reading of about nine, and you could have totally different feelings of the putter in that green. So it’s well worth knowing how to judge a green based on the stimpmeter reading. Now, a lot of courses do kind of undertake stimpmeter readings on a daily or weekly basis, and is aware what kind of device just to have a word with the club professional or the club secretary, before you go play a course and actually get a good reading of the green. So like I said a very slow green would be anywhere down a five and exceptionally quick green anywhere in to those of 12. But it’s always worth having a little bit of asking of questions to get a stimpmeter reading off the green; and it will certainly help you judge your putt length and help you judge your putt weight much much better. 2014-05-27How are green speeds measured? Now green speeds are measured using device called the stimpmeter. Now the stimpmeter was developed by a chap called Edward S Stimpson Sr., at the US open in 1935. The winning score that year was 11 over par, and he witnessed Gene Sarazen actually roll a putt off a green, and actually thought the greens were reasonably fast to play. So he came up with what is now known as the stimpmeter. And it’s just a device which is used to roll balls along the surface of the green at a certain velocity and then measure how far in feet that ball actually travels. And from that you can get a reading on the stimpmeter of anywhere from a very very slow green from about five up to an exceptionally quick green at about twelve.
Now on some courses a stimpmeter is also used to measure on slopes. So some slopes you say the masters notoriously flat stimps, you can actually get up to 13 for a team and on that type of stimp reading, it’s almost impossible for the ball to actually stay still. So if you popped a ball on a stimp meter green of a slope of about 13 to 14, it’s very hard for that ball to stay still. It would actually roll off and roll down. Now it would be a mistake to think that the stimpmeter and stimp readings don’t actually matter, because you can actually play on a course with a green of a stimpmeter reading of about eight, and the very next day play on a course with a stimpmeter reading of about nine, and you could have totally different feelings of the putter in that green. So it’s well worth knowing how to judge a green based on the stimpmeter reading.
Now, a lot of courses do kind of undertake stimpmeter readings on a daily or weekly basis, and is aware what kind of device just to have a word with the club professional or the club secretary, before you go play a course and actually get a good reading of the green. So like I said a very slow green would be anywhere down a five and exceptionally quick green anywhere in to those of 12. But it’s always worth having a little bit of asking of questions to get a stimpmeter reading off the green; and it will certainly help you judge your putt length and help you judge your putt weight much much better.
