The greens were so fast....

[Bravo]

I played yesterday morning and our greens were like freaking glass. This is common in the fall when they cut them way way down.

On one hole, my ball stopped about six feet from the hole. I spotted my ball with my marker and waited for the rest of the guys to putt.

So when my turn comes, I put the ball right in front of the marker and cannot, absolutely cannot get the ball to stay still. It took about 8 placements until I could get the ball to stay in place so I could remove the ball marker...I was kind of trying to rush the putt because I would be penalized if the ball moved after addressing the ball by placing my putter behind it. So I had to kind of hover the putter and strike it...

Made it though. Avoided a four putt from only 25 feet. Glad to have the three putt - honestly.

This would be one thing you guys would experience if we decided to play down here in the Fall...the fastest damn greens you have ever seen....I like them that way but it usually takes a few rounds to adjust.

One of my playing partners yesterday (shot a 79 with three birdies) told me he had 42 putts the day before. I had the same during the first round of our President's Cup last month with five three putts and one four putt.

One thing you can say for the greens, if you can adjust to the speed, they putt as true as anything you can putt on. Not one bit of grain...the ball never takes a sudden lurch to the side because it hits something...so I really like them this way after I get used to it...

[Rockford35]

When I was down in TX, they had really mowed (or what I thought, anyways) the putting green low. My first 6 or 7 putts I was 12-15 feet long. Just insane. Byt about the 27th hole of the week, I started figuring out the Texas greens.

The rough there is strange too. You either get a perfect lie, or one that's 4" down or sitting up 4" off the ground. Either way, you gotta make good contact.

R35

[JEFF4i]

Playing in cold weather conditions I think they treat the greens different, Rock.

Anyway, speed can make things so very hard, but if it's putting true, you won't hear a peep out of me. I'll just try to adjust, it's the ones that don't putt true that are killer for me.

[ezra76]

Opposite for me last round. They must be letting them grow in because they were super-slow. I had a tough time, 18putts on the front then settled down to 15 on the back. I had to get very agressive with my chipping. That's what hurt my score the most. Had a bunch of bogies on the front not getting up and down.

[VtDivot]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

When I was down in TX, they had really mowed (or what I thought, anyways) the putting green low. My first 6 or 7 putts I was 12-15 feet long. Just insane. Byt about the 27th hole of the week, I started figuring out the Texas greens.

The rough there is strange too. You either get a perfect lie, or one that's 4" down or sitting up 4" off the ground. Either way, you gotta make good contact.

R35

That's the kinda golf I love! The faster the better in my opinion.

[Fourputt]

Give me a fast green over a slow one anytime. My putting stroke just seems to adjust better to the extra speed. I played 18 holes both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, and the greens are about at their normal firmness, but significantly faster than they are in midsummer, but rolling true. It only took a couple of putts to get the feel for it. Had a couple of downhill 20-25 footers... just stroked it smoothly with about the power I'd normally have used for an 8 foot putt.... both cozied up no more than 6 inches from the hole.

Just call me speed demon....

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by VtDivot

That's the kinda golf I love! The faster the better in my opinion.

I didn't say I wasn't a fan. It's just tough when you come from a place where they cut the greens every day almost because they'll grow 1/2" in a day. You can start a round at 10am and by 1, the greens are 1/4" longer and playing slow. It's pretty interesting some days.

If you get a decent rain and some 25*+ days, the rough grows 2" a day, easy.

I liked the speed of the greens, once I got used to it.

R35

[Farquod]

Ooooh, dunno boys. I finally played Jasna Polana about 3 weeks back (I'll post pics when I have a chance. It was spectacular). They had a huge practice green, probably 50 yards long and 20 wide, with everything from flat runs, to wicked downhills, to undulations from hell. They had it running at least a 12 on the stimp. My favorite was a slight downhill, left to right. From about 14 ft away, I gave it a stroke that I would normally reserve for a 3 footer, and unless you dunked it, that bad boy slipped 6 feet by, through the first cut, and had picked up so much speed that it ran 6' down the hill!

Luckily the greens on the course were better, with most somewhere between a 10 and 11. Still mighty quick, but not like that practice green. Talk about a psych!

Nice to see you back, JB.

[emc]

I love fast greens in the summer. You make more putts because you're hitting the ball with less of a stroke so there's less to go wrong

[big mike]

The greens where I play are so fast, you'd swear they're were Astroturf. It's really annoying, especially because I have a crappy putter.