50
September 2010
www.insidegolf.com.auONCOURSEINSTRUCTION...........................................................................................................................................................
KurtStegbauer
Reading a green
Part 2: Speed
IN the last issue, I spoke about the two
keys to becoming a great putter which
are: 1) Putting the ball on a correct line,
and 2) hitting it at the correct speed.
Now that you know how to read the
green to get the correct line, we can
move on to speed.
There are a number of factors that
make a putting green faster or slower.
Knowing these things before you play
a round will help you know what to
look for when you are heading out
onto the course.
The first factor that influences the
speed of a green is the type of grass.
Golf courses use different types of
grass based on the different types of
climates or weather conditions. As
an example, golf courses in Victoria
– where the climate is generally cool
— tend to use more bent grass greens,
as bent grass grows better in cooler
conditions. As the bent grass has a
finer leaf, it is naturally easier to get
up to a faster speed.
In Queensland, however, where the
climate is warmer, they tend to use
more couch-based greens, as couch’s
broader leaf can better handle the heat,
but it is, however, harder to keep at a
fast speed like bent greens.
So knowing what type of grass you
are putting on will allow you to gain
an understanding if it will be faster or
slower. Next time you are about to play
ask your local pro what type of grass is
on the greens to help you get a better
gauge of the speed.
The next factor that we are going to
look at is what type of “look” the grass
has. By this, I mean is it shiny or is it
a bit dull? If you have ever watched a
Golf tournament played in Victoria the
commentators often talk about how
the grass is starting to look shiny; the
shiny look on the green comes from
the greens being cut low and they are
also starting to dry out — and when
it is dry it tends to be faster.
The classic example of shiny dry
greens was during the 2002 Australian
Open at Victoria Golf Club won
by Steve Allen. The first round was
cancelled due to the greens being too
fast. Remembering the footage from
that day the greens looked shiny, brown
and dry, some of the golfers were unable
to keep the ball on the green due to the
conditions.
When the greens are a bit slower they
will tend to be duller which is due to
the grass leaf being longer. Also, if there
has been a lot of rain, the greens will
generally be slower as they are holding
a lot of water (and because the greens
are often not cut when it is raining.)
Dryer conditions, however, do allow
the greens to be faster.
Conversely, public courses have more
traffic and have to keep the grass longer
to sustain the amount of wear and tear
from having so many players. So the
height of the grass definitely does affect
the speed on the greens.
The final factor that we need to look
for is whether you have an uphill or
downhill putt on a green. Most greens
slope from the back to the front. A
technique that I use when I have a
downhill putt is that I will putt the ball
from the toe of the putter (pictured
here). Putting the ball from the toe of
the putter deadens the putt and makes
it come out a lot slower and softer.
Enjoy a round of golf in a friendly relaxed environment.
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