There are two factors that involve the Green.
The first is Green Target which involves the length of shot and size of green. The other is Green Surface.
Let’s start with a definition: Green Surface is the evaluation of chipping and putting on each hole.
Green Surface ratings are based on:
-Green speed as measured by the Stimpmeter
You may have heard about green speed. That is measured by using A Stimpmeter, which is a 3 foot long device, with a notch in the upper end. It was developed by Edward S. Stimpson in 1935. It was quite innovative at the time and even though the design has recently been updated, the principle of the Stimpmeter still stands true today. A ball is placed in the notch, and the stick is slowly raised until gravity causes the ball to roll onto the green. The distance of the roll is measured in feet uphill, downhill and flat areas to give an overall speed for the green. Here is a video if you’d like to check out how a Stimpmeter is used.
We ask the Superintendent of each course to provide the average in-season speed to the Course Rating Team. We might be rating either early in the season or right after aeration which could alter the speed. For courses who don’t have their own Stimpmeter, we can assess green speed whilst we are rating.
While rating a course, we use the Stimpmeter a bit differently. We use it to look at whether a ball rolled in multiple directions on each green is rolling approximately equally (1:1), moderately (2:1) or if the green is steeply sloped (3:1).
Here are some examples of Relatively Flat, Moderately Contoured and Highly Contoured greens. If you have ever played Emerald Valley in Creswell, the green on #4 is a great example of a Highly Contoured and very fast green.
Greens that are relatively flat and fairly slow (6’-8’ on the Stimpmeter) are considered less difficult. Greens that are highly contoured and very fast (11’-12’ on the Stimpeter) are considerably more difficult. A growing trend in the golf industry is that many courses are slightly slowing down the green speed and it is helping with pace of play.
Please note that the green speeds reported in major tournaments, such the US Open, are pretty much off the charts at 12-14+ feet! 2025 US Open at Oakmont reported green speeds of 14’5” and 14’9”. They would be incredibly difficult to maintain for the average golf course and fairly unpleasant to play for the average golfer.
If a green fits the USGA Course Rating status of Tiered, at least 2 feet of rise between 2 plateaus, across a significant portion of the green, the Green Surface also gets an added point added for Bogey Golfers. The tier is already factored in Green Target for both the Scratch and Bogey Player.
Next month, we’ll cover the final obstacle: Psychological. Did you know that golf is a mental game???