years but are consistently fast greens achievable?
objective for the past 30
the speed of greens has been an
Increasing
INCREASING the speed of greens has been an objective that has been pursued for the last 30 years or so. Originally it was recognised that fine textured grasses produced faster greens than the broader leaved weed grasses such as annual meadow grass, but speed was not really a priority.
THE STIMPMETER
In the search for faster greens, some objective rather than subjective measure was needed, and the Stimpmeter was adopted. This simple tool was invented in 1935 by the US golfer E.G. Stimpson, to achieve "accurate, objective, statistically valid measurements", but it was not introduced into the UK until the 1980s.
The standard measurements, shown below, have now been adopted for regular and
tournament play.
CONSISTENCY
Without taking these measurements as “set in stone”, it is possible to use them to assess the speed of each green on the course, and work towards a consistent standard. The key to achieving good green speed is consistency from green to green, rather than individual measurements. By paying attention to the factors that affect green speed and taking changing weather patterns into account it is quite possible to improve the consistency of play around the course.
FACTORS AFFECTING GREEN SPEED
The most important factors affecting green speed are:
• Mowing height • Frequency of mowing • Verticutting and grooming • Scarifying • Fertiliser use • Irrigation • Topdressing • Rolling
THE OBJECTIVE
The main aim is to produce greens with a firm, dry, even surface. To achieve this, drainage, the weather, and openness to light and air movement are important factors. Greens are always faster in dry years, and are generally faster from July to September i.e. in the summer months. It is very difficult to have fast greens in the spring when growth is inconsistent.
MOWING HEIGHT
Lowering mowing height is the technique most often used to increase green speed. Indeed, reducing the height of cut from 7 mm
to 5 mm will generally improve green speed, but reducing the height of cut further to say 3 mm creates excessive stress and kills the greens. The turf grasses just cannot survive, as they do not have enough leaf area to provide the energy to keep the turf alive. Tests at Pennsylvania State University which is famed for its turf research have showed that cutting at 3 mm gave no worthwhile improvement in green speed over mowing at 5 mm.
FREQUENCY OF MOWING
Frequency, not severity of cut is most important in establishing really good playing surfaces. This does not mean that more clippings are removed, but that the more often the greens are cut, the more polished the surface becomes. This polished surface offers less rolling resistance to the ball and so speed increased.
VERTICUTTING AND GROOMING
Verticutting and grooming take out coarse and uneven growth and reduce the thickness of clumps. They also eliminate the nap on greens and so help to improve green speed. Verticutting can be carried out weekly in periods of good growth, and the greens can be groomed 2 or 3 times a week.
SCARIFYING
If greens have a layer of soft spongy thatch just beneath the surface then they will be slow. The thatch layer holds on to moisture and is a result of poorly drained acidic greens. Regular scarifying will reduce the amount of thatch and improve the firmness of greens.
SPEED Fast
REGULAR PLAY TOURNAMENT PLAY 8 feet 6 inches 10 feet 6 inches
Medium Fast 7 feet 6 inches 9 feet 6 inches Medium
6 feet 6 inches 8 feet 6 inches
Medium Slow 5 feet 6 inches 7 feet 6 inches Slow
4 feet 6 inches 6 feet 6 inches
F TRast
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