Green Slopes for Putting - Part 2

By: Jeffrey D. Brauer


The maximum green slope chart presented in http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/green_slopes_for_maintenance_part_2 is a good start in determining just how to design your greens, but many details must also be considered.

And, many details must be continuously monitored in the field by a talented, passionate and committed team of superintendent, contractor and architect, along with input from the club pro and Green Committee to get the best greens prior to seeding.

One tool you will use is probably a digital level, which you will place in several directions at any proposed cup location. Make sure the digital level is set to measure percentage of slope. You can also work, and it can measure, in degrees if you prefer. 1 percent of slope equals about 0.45 degrees, and we have occasionally panicked at a reading of 4 or 5 degrees, until realizing it was in the wrong units, and the slopes were an acceptable 1.8-2.25 percent, so double-check.

To get an accurate slope reading, you need to measure each cup area in at least two directions, about 90 degrees difference, and average those readings to determine the slope. Most areas will be part of a swale, which has both downhill and cross-slopes. If the swale bottom goes downhill at 2 percent, and has side slopes to its middle of 2 percent, then, as geometry students know, the hypotenuse (which is the actual maximum grade) is 1.414 times the legs of a triangle, or about 2.83 percent, which may be greater than the recommended maximum of your green speeds.

At many PGA Tour stops, they use a maximum combined reading of 5-5.5 to determine if a location is suitable for cupping. Locations with readings of 2 and 3, 1 and 4, or 2.5 and 2.5 would all be acceptable for cupping, as they total 5. As mentioned, the fronts of greens are generally better if flatter, but the consensus is that the back portions of greens can be measured up to 5.5, since there will be fewer downhill putts.

By the way, a common-sense method to determine acceptable slopes is to use the digital level on a wide cross-section of your existing greens under actual playing conditions, rather than rely on a formula, even mine. By measuring areas that give you trouble, and others that are "fair," your target for any new greens should not exceed those slopes in the "fair" zones.

Of course, new greens - with some combination of contemporary turf varieties, soils material, and irrigation and drainage parameters - may perform differently, especially if one of your goals in rebuilding greens was to get them faster. Thus, you will be back to guessing somewhat as to how much to reduce proposed slopes. The above chart will help.

And you must consider whether green speeds in general, or at your course specifically, may increase in the future. Will your membership gravitate to younger, better golfers who may want that, or as they age over time prefer a slightly easier test? Faster greens have been an ongoing trend for decades, as discussed earlier. While it may seem we are right on the edge of having maximum green speeds, it might be wise to stay a notch below the maximum possible slopes, just to avoid another renovation project in the near future.

Jeffrey D. Brauer began his career as an apprentice in the Chicago area in 1977. His first project was Kemper Lakes, which shortly after hosted the 1989 PGA Championship. He formed GolfScapes in Arlington, Texas, in 1984. In the last 29 years he has designed and consulted on a wide spectrum of projects, ranging from partial renovations to international resorts. His recent work includes teaming with the design team of Pascuzzo and Pate on a remodel of the world-famous La Costa Resort & Spa in California, and renovations at Superior National Golf Course in Lutsen, Minn., and Mesquite Municipal Golf Course in Mesquite, Texas.

He has been a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects since 1981, serving as President during its 50th Anniversary year in 1995-96. Jeff still studies the classic works - both old and new, and has played more than 75 of the best courses in the world.

Jeff gives many presentations and is a regular architecture columnist for many publications and websites, including Golf Course Industry and Cybergolf.com. He has also been a strong advocate for the "Tee it Forward" campaign and strives to make his courses fit the description of "fun to play every day."

Jeff's work has been spotlighted in most of the world's major golf magazines. Golf World ranked him as one of the top-20 golf course architects and Golf Inc. ranked him as the world's fourth-best value in golf architecture in 2010. Jeff's portfolio and reputation keep him at the forefront of desired designers for new courses, reconstruction and renovation projects. For more about Jeff, visit http://www.jeffreydbrauer.com/sites/courses/layout.asp?id=859&page=48451.