Green on the Golf Course

What is the green in golf?

Each hole ends with a green: an area of fine grass, mowed much shorter than the fairway, with the hole—marked by the flag—in the center. The grass here is short and even enough for the ball to roll; only putts are played here.

According to the Rules of Golf, the green of the hole being played (in English putting green) is one of the five areas of the course, with its own rules (Rule 13). A ball is on the green as soon as any part of it touches the green.

Green or putting green: What's the difference?

• The green the hole played: the one where you finish the hole.
• The putting green, in golf terminology: the practice green, often located near the clubhouse or the first tee, with several holes and small flags. Golfers warm up there before teeing off to get a feel for the speed of the day’s greens.

Please note: During a round, the practice greens are generally “bad greens”, just like the greens on the other holes. If your ball comes to rest there, you cannot play it as it lies: you must relieve yourself without penalty by dropping within one club-length of the nearest point where the green no longer interferes (Rule 13.1f), unless a local rule provides otherwise.

What are you allowed to do on the green according to the Rules?

• Mark, lift, and clean his ball, provided he marks its position before picking it up and placing it back in the same spot.
• Repair the damage: bullet holes, shoe marks (including cleats, which have been permitted since 2019), old holes, and animal tracks. However, core drilling holes and other marks resulting from normal maintenance do not need to be repaired.
• Remove the sand and dirt on the line of play, without a penalty.
• Accidentally Moving Your Ball does not result in a penalty: it is put back in place.
• Leave the flag in the hole: Since 2019, there is no longer a penalty if the putted ball touches it.

The following are prohibited during the race: test the surface by rubbing it or rolling a ball over it. The penalty is the general penalty (two strokes in stroke play; loss of the hole in match play).

How do you improve a pitch?

The pitch is the small indentation left by a ball when it lands on the green. If not repaired properly, a bump or a hole remains for days. The correct method using a pitch mark repair tool:

1. Place the tool at the edge of the mark, not in the center.
2. Gently pull the grass from the edge toward the center, all around the mark.
3. Do not lift the bottom: you would pull up the roots.
4. Smooth it out by tapping with the sole of the putter.

It's customary for everyone to pick up their own pitch—and someone else's as well, if they happen to see one.

How do you read a green?

Reading a green means predicting the ball's trajectory based on the slope and the speed.

• Pay attention to the overall slope as you walk toward the green: you can see it better from a distance than when you're bent over your ball.
• Look at the line from behind the ball, then from the low side of the putt.
• Feel the slope with your feet as you walk along the line.
• Choose an entry point into the hole and the speed at which the ball should reach it: the slower the putt, the more the slope causes it to curve.

What is the speed of a green?

A green is said to be fast when the ball rolls far on a given shot, slow In the opposite case, the speed depends mainly on the cutting height, moisture content, and firmness of the soil.

She measures herself against the stimpmeter (Stimpmeter), a ramp from which a ball is released in the same way every time: the distance traveled on the green, measured in feet, indicates the speed. The higher the number, the faster the green. The tool was invented in 1935 by American amateur Edward Stimpson, and the United States Golf Association (USGA) has been using its own version since 1976.