· A Stimpmeter works on the principle of applying a measured force on the golf ball and then measuring the distance the ball traveled. The ball travels at a known velocity every time on the ramp. Once it rolls on the putting green, the distance traveled by the ball is considered the speed of the putting green or it’s Stimp Rating.
Full Answer
What is a stimpmeter and how is it used?
Apr 09, 2018 · The person using the Stimpmeter slowly raises that end (by hand) until, when the device reaches an angle of 22 degrees, gravity causes the golf ball to release from the notch. There is a groove, or channel, down the center of the Stimpmeter, which keeps the ball on track as it …
What is a stimpmeter and how does it work?
Feb 02, 2021 · How do you use a Stimpmeter? Place a tee in the green and use that as the start spot for the stimpmeter. Roll 3 balls in the same direction. They should be no more than 8 inches ... Take the average from those rolls and mark with another tee. Now roll 3 balls back in the opposite direction. Take the ...
What are typical PGA Tour green speeds?
Dec 23, 2021 · A stimpmeter is a device used to measure the speed of putting surfaces. It was originally invented by Edward S. Stimpson in the 1930s. His version was made of wood and was in effect simply a chute down which a golf ball would roll onto the putting surface. The design has been updated and modern stimpmeters are made of aluminium.
How to measure green speed?
Jan 06, 2022 · It is a three feet ‘stick’, with a notch on one of the ends. After selecting a flat area of the green, the stimpmeter is laid flat on the ground and the ball is placed in the notch. Slowly, one end of the device is lifted to form a ramp, until the angle …
Dimensions of a Stimpmeter
It’s a 36-inch long aluminum bar shaped in a v-wedge on both sides. Each side has a notch to place the golf ball and measure the roll distance, and therefore the speed of the green. The USGA introduced the stimpmeter in 1978, and the design has pretty much stayed the same ever since.
How do you use a Stimpmeter?
Place a tee in the green and use that as the start spot for the stimpmeter. Roll 3 balls in the same direction. They should be no more than 8 inches apart when they stop.
Why Is The Stimpmeter Important?
Consistency is key in any golf course. Each golf course shares similar themes throughout. Even though there are 18 different holes, each hole is connected in the ways of design.
The Most Important Part of Any Course is the Green
To the grounds crew and the golfer, the green is arguably the most important part of the course. Caring for the green is meticulous work. It falls on both the grounds crew and the golfer. You would never walk in someone else’s putting line. But, why? Because even the slightest indents on the green can affect how the ball rolls.
What are some of the ways we, as golfers, can help care for the course while we play?
Every golfer needs to have a divot repair tool in their bag. This accessory is simple and cheap. It takes seconds to repair your divots on the green. This is simple course etiquette but will also keep the greens nice and uniform. This will allow everyone to play evenly, without disruption of divots.
Green Speed And Putting Training
Knowing the green speed is important for every golfer. Some simple putting exercises will use muscle memory to improve your distance.
Lower Your Score by Eliminating 3 Putts
As discussed earlier, distance control is a crucial part of never 3-putting. This is often overlooked by amateur golfers. We like to go out and hammer drives and long irons. Getting off the green without 3 putting is low hanging fruit. Think about how many strokes you can cut off a round by just limiting your putts.
What is a stimpmeter?
A stimpmeter offers greenkeepers a way of monitoring the pace of their putting surfaces. For any venue hosting the world’s best players like Augusta National, this is a vital piece of kit both in the build up and during the tournament itself. A stimpmeter is a relatively primitive contraption – a long narrow metal tray with a hole in one end, ...
Why do greenkeepers use stimpmeters?
A stimpmeter is useful for greenkeepers to be able to check the pace of their greens. This is particularly important at links venues where strong winds can occasionally make overly fast greens unplayable. Being able to test and then adjust the green speed is a way of ensuring the greens are playable everyday.
What is the use of a stimpmeter in golf?
Have you ever felt that on particular days and on particular greens, you simply can’t putt? Well, there’s nothing wrong with that because greens change their speed very frequently. To understand these changes, Edward Stimpson got the idea for this device at the 1935 U.S. Open, when he felt the need to prove that the greens were unreasonably fast.
How is it used?
It is a three feet ‘stick’, with a notch on one of the ends. After selecting a flat area of the green, the stimpmeter is laid flat on the ground and the ball is placed in the notch. Slowly, one end of the device is lifted to form a ramp, until the angle is right and gravity propels the ball to slide down.
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Ishita Bhargava is a Golf content writer at Essentially Sports. Currently pursuing her undergraduate degree from the Shri Ram College of Commerce, she has a keen interest in sports and fitness. When not playing or watching a sports event, Ishita can be seen spending time with her pets or binge-watching.
What Is a Stimpmeter?
A Stimpmeter is a simple device used to measure the speed of a putting green. It is a three-foot (36 inches) long extruded aluminum bar with a V-shaped groove extending its entire length. At one end of the bar is a little notch for placing the ball, positioned approximately 30 inches from the end that rests on the ground.
How Does a Stimpmeter Work?
You start by finding a flat piece of green and placing a golf ball in the notch of the Stimpmeter. Then, keeping the other end to the ground, you slowly raise the ball end.
What is Considered a Good Stimpmeter Reading?
A typical golf club usually aims for a Stimpmeter reading of 9 or 10. This is generally considered to be the goldilocks zone of green speeds; not too fast, not too slow.
How Fast are the Masters Greens?
At Augusta National, the beautiful, uniquely challenging home of the Masters, things work a little differently. Quite simply, Augusta National authorities don’t publish or reveal Stimpmeter readings, and they don’t let anyone take a formal stimp reading.
Who Invented the Stimpmeter?
The Stimpmeter is named after Edward S. Stimpson, an accomplished amateur golfer who created a simple but lasting legacy of green speed reading.
Final Thoughts
Other than that, the design of the stimpmeter remains more or less unchanged. Thanks to Stimpson, ground keepers everywhere have a reliable way of monitoring green speeds, allowing a more regulated and balanced playing field across the world of golf.
How many rolls of stimps are required for a golf course?
The USGA governs the rules of official stimp readings. In order for a reading to be official the test must be done on a flat part of a green and at least 3 rolls or stimp tests in either direction must be performed. The average of the tests is the official stimpmeter reading of that particular golf course, for that particular cut, on that day.
How far apart do you have to rest golf balls for a stimpmeter?
The three balls tested in either direction must come to rest within 8 inches of each other for the result to be official.
What is the name of the device that measures the speed of a putting green?
The Official Name is Actually “Stimpmeter”. A stimpmeter is a device that is used to detect the speed of a putting green. The device gets its name from its inventor, a gentleman named Edward Stimpson. Stimpson was a ranked amateur golfer from my home State of Massachusetts.
How long is a golf ball track?
The track is a total of 36 inches long and the notch for the golf ball is exactly 30 inches from the lower end of the track. The angle of the track and the distance from the notch where the golf ball rests prior to release create a known velocity and the resulting distance the ball rolls is a precise measurement.
How many degrees does a golf ball roll down a track?
A metal “track” would hold the golf ball and the golf ball would rest in a notch in the track until the device reached an angle of 20 degrees. Once 20 degrees was reached the golf ball would come out of the small notch and roll down the track.
When was the stimpmeter invented?
USGA Acceptance of The Stimpmeter. Although the device was invented in 1938 , the USGA adopted the stimpmeter in 1976 when it was first used for The US Open at Atlanta Athletic Club. The official United States Golf Association stimpmeters are not sold to the general public.
Who was the golfer who watched Gene Sarazen putt a ball off the green?
Legend has it Mr. Stimpson attended the US Open at Oakmont where he watched Gene Sarazen putt a ball off the green. Mr. Stimpson felt as though the green was far too fast. So he decided he would invent a device to officially calculate the speed of greens.
What Are Green Speeds?
It’s all fine and well saying that this is a device that measures the green speed, however, if you’re still scratching your head, going into more detail about the stimpmeter isn’t going to clear anything up.
The History of Stimpmeters
The original stimpmeter was designed by Edward Stimpson SR, a golfer in 1935. He was an amateur state golfer in Massachusetts and used to be the Harvard team captain.
How Does A Stimpmeter Work?
Stimpmeters themselves are very non-technical. They look very similar to a yardstick, except with a V-shaped track down the middle measuring about 3 yards.
Changing Green Speeds
Generally, over time, stimp ratings have been getting a lot higher. This means that there has been a drastic change in green speeds and how fast your game of golf is going to be able to go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Honestly the easiest answer is no, not really. They don’t really sell any official stimpmeters, typically because a good course is going to have its own, and very few people have their own at-home golf courses.
Bottom Line
There’s not really much more to report on stomping, but now you have the information you’ll be able to share it with your friends next time you’re watching the gold.
How has the stimp rating changed in golf?
Stimp Ratings Have Changed in Golf Over the Years. In general, stimp rating s have gotten higher, meaning the green speeds have gotten faster over the years since the Stimpmeter was invented in the 1930s and since the United States Golf Association adopted the tool for measuring green speeds in the 1970s. For example, in 1978 the greens ...
What does a putting green's stimp mean?
The "stimp" or "stimp rating" of a putting green is a numerical value that represents how fast the golf ball rolls on the putting surface. Golfers call this rating the green speed.
What does the higher the stimp mean?
The Higher the Stimp Rating, the Faster the Greens. The stimp rating of green is given in the form of a number, which can be a single digit or reach into the lower teens. The key concept is this: The lower the stimp, the slower the greens. The higher the stimp, the faster the greens.
How low can a green stimp?
Today it is almost unheard of for major championship greens to stimp lower than 11 or 10, unless weather conditions, such as high winds in the British Open, make such speeds unfair or even unplayable.
How to Measure Green Speed – Golf Tip
There's an app for that. It's called a Stimpmeter. It's an ingeniously simple device – basically, a notched, V-shaped metal rail. The USGA sells its official Stimpmeter only to golf course superintendents or managers, so you'll have to obta in one through other means (such as an online auction site or retailer). More ›
Make your own stimpmeter, and the science behind it
A Stimpmeter is an inclined ramp that can be any length, with a starting point for the golf ball 30 inches from the bottom end. The key specific is that ramp must be set to a precise 20.5 degree angle. For the math nerds, the golf ball is 10.5" abouve the ground at release, 30" * sine (20.5 degrees) = 10.5". More ›
What is a Stimpmeter? - The Left Rough
It measures three feet in length and has a singular track to roll the golf ball from a top notch. Of all the golf gadgets and golf accessories out there, the stimpmeter is arguably the most “old school” of the bunch. How a Stimpmeter Works A stimpmeter helps measure the … More ›
