Your guide to understanding how roll works on artificial turf.
The Physics of Golf
Physics. It touches everything around us, including the popular game of golf.
Physics, the nature and properties of matter and energy: how the ball is hit, the ball’s trajectory in the air, its initial bounce, and its concluding roll out.
In a perfect world, the ground in the direction of the shot would be perfectly flat, perfectly uphill, or perfectly downhill would be perfectly flat, perfectly uphill, or perfectly downhill in the direction of the shot. This would make hitting the ball into the hole an easy act by hitting it straight.
However, at times, you’ll find that the ground is sloped. In this case, the ball trajectory can’t be a straight line to get in the hole, making it a more challenging task. In this case, the ball has to follow a precise curved path to make it into the hole. The amount the ball is required to curve is contingent on the amount of the putting green’s slope and undulation.
Whether synthetic grass or natural grass is selected to construct your ideal backyard putting green, the physical attributes of the putting surface factor into the performance. We utilize a blend of common golf course tests and proprietary playability testing.
One common test to test ball roll is the stimpmeter test. Stimp testing calculates the distance a ball rolls on artificial turf in meters when released from a one-meter height. The ball-to-surface interaction of the grass is directly correlated to the distance of the ball roll.
The proprietary playability testing for roll provides an analysis of the consistency of outputs from a standard putting stroke. Our test analyzes the initial bounce of the club face and the spin to roll transition.
Let’s take a deeper look into the elements that impact how a golf ball reacts and rolls on a turf.
Green Characteristics
Product Construction: Plastics that are extruded and recycled and come in an assortment of constructions, colors, and lengths. Proper construction is vital to allow key putting green installation practices; construction allows turf to be infilled and rolled. Properly rolled fibers will look and play like natural greens.
Pile Height: How thick and tall the grass blades are will provide differences in friction; affecting the velocity and smoothness of the putt.
Fiber: The fiber composition will have a sizeable effect on how a golf ball rolls throughout the putt. Fiber composition will affect friction and pile lay. How the turf lays will affect how the ball interacts with the surface.
Infill: Integral to the turf system, infill is comprised of rounded washed silica. Infill gives ballast and aids drainage. Infill shape is critical to performance; angles and edges disrupt roll.
Aggregate Base: Compacted stone creates challenging slopes and undulations; the result performs and drains like a championship golf course.
The recipe to creating a Backyard Putting Green that performs like a Championship Golf Green utilizes the ideal raw materials with elite-proven-tested installation techniques. This is especially important when you’re on the putting green aiming to gently hit the ball into the hole.
The Southwest Greens Difference
Southwest Greens have been able to quantify key performance indicators. Because we understand which variables impact performance, we’re able to replicate natural greens.
With Golden Bear Turf, you will have smoother rolls comparable to playing on your favorite championship course. Scientifically developed and tested to mimic natural grass, from the initial bounce off the clubface... to the spin transition… to the smooth ball roll into the cup...
Golden Bear give you only the best! It’s the best backyard practice putting green and offers the most realistic putting surfaces you can find on the market.