A popular question we get is, “how fast are your synthetic greens?”.
The simple answer is we can get the speed of your green to suit your needs. If you want something really quick we can get your green running at around a 12 (really quick) or maybe you’re just after a more gentlemanly speed of around 9.5 to 10. Whatever you want you can pretty much have.
We can alter the speed of your green by the amount of Profill we use. Use a lot and the speed of your green will be fast. Use a smaller amount and your green speed will be in the “normal” range. Bruce has a really good feel for this and it’s best to let us know your thoughts before any construction takes place. Obviously, the more Profill you use, the more costs are involved.
A word of warning about the speed of your green
I wanted my green to be fast because I wanted it to mimic the greens of the Melbourne Sandbelt I grew up on. I estimated that the green was running at around 11 to 11.5. It’s a pretty quick speed and it will certainly separate the men from the boys.
But my strong advice is not to go that quick. I have since slowed my green down and I am enjoying it more. Here’s why.
Unless you’ve got a huge budget, the size of your golf green is going to be quite small compared to the normal greens we play on. If you have a really fast, but small, green it doesn’t take much to hit from one side to the other. Slow it down a little and you’ll get more variety with your putts.
The faster greens also are a tad firmer. I have noticed this with my green. When I removed some Profill, the overall performance of the green improved. I was better able to stop the ball, and the ball reacted much better on the Helix yarn. I have since found that I can back the ball up with perfectly struck pitch shots – when the green was faster this just wasn’t possible.
In my mind, the slightly slower green gives a more realistic experience and allows far more enjoyment. You can stop putts, chips and bunker shots more readily. Don’t go too fast unless you’ve got a really large green or you simply have your heart set on matching the green speeds at a professional event. The choice is yours.
Final point about the speed of these greens: I you’re not happy with your green speed then it’s not too hard to change. Part of our install process is a 3 month check up and this is the time we can alter the green speed to something you’re going to be really happy with. There’s always a little bit of playing around, but don’t let the speed thing stop you from making a decision – with a Supreme Green you can pretty much get whatever you want.