Feature:
On the Stimp
On the Stimp
On the Stimp
Superintendents and officials measure green speed, oddly enough, by a unit of distance. A Stimpmeter is an 36-inch trough with a notch in one end to hold a ball. While one end is placed on the flattest part of a green, the other end, the one with the ball, is slowly lifted to 20 degrees, which is when gravity releases the ball down the ramp and across the putting surface. The standard practice involves rolling three balls and determining the average distance rolled—say 10 feet. The process is repeated in the opposite direction, and the green speed is the overall average.
The device was invented by Edward Stimpson, who noticed how quick the greens were at the 1935
U.S. Open at Oakmont. Stimpson never wanted his invention to be used as a gauge for courses to compare green speeds. Rather, he wanted to measure not only the greens’ speed, but also their consistency from hole to hole.
Related Article: Speed Trap
