Speed Demons

What is "green speed" and how is it measured?  What affects it?  What's the right green speed for you?  They're simple questions for sure, but they play a big part in understanding why greens can be variable from month to month as well as from course to course.  The USGA and GCSAA (Golf Course Superintendents Association of America) have written extensively on the subject.  I'll try to condense what I know about it here and share how I apply that knowledge to our greens at Tuscarora. 

Superintendents measure green speed with a device called a  'stimp meter'.  It allows for the precise and repeatable rolling of a ball across a green.  The distance is measured in opposite directions, averaged, and is the green's 'stimp reading' that you might hear mentioned on television during golf tournaments.
With this number the Superintendent can compare greens on the course for consistency and monitor the effect his management programs have on ball roll.
 While I won't get into a debate over what's a good green speed, I will list what increases ball roll distance as well as it's corresponding down-side:

Cause and Effect - What Speeds Them Up                              
Not watering/No rainfall = Greens are hard, shots don't hold, grass wilts and dies in heat
Low mowing = Scalps/wounds the green, increases disease, shortens roots
Low fertility = weak grass, weeds/disease moves in, inefficient respiration, traffic and wear problems
Sand topdressing = No observable downside besides cost of sand
Rolling = No observable downside

...And What Slows Them Down
Rain
High humidity
High fertility, fast growth
Dull mower blades
High height
No weekly topdressing or rolling program

What the latest studies show us is that most golfers can't determine a 12 inch difference in ball roll.  This means that for the average player, a 10.5 foot reading may as well be 11.5, and vice-versa.  The speeds we aim for at Tuscarora, for daily play, are in the 10 foot range.  These are speeds I'm comfortable providing, given our conditions, and are speeds that are comparable with other clubs in the area.  I believe green speeds higher than 11 at Tuscarora would be penal and would be a major contributor to slow play and frustrated golfers.  It's not that you never see 11 feet here, you do, but that with the slope on our greens, it's a speed that causes more frustration than good times.

There's a Superintendent's saying that: "Greens are their fastest just before they die"  This is something we endeavor not to test.  There's a fun green speed out there for everyone without letting things get ridiculous.  Nobody likes to 3-putt because the greens are too fast.  It's unfair and can ruin a beautiful day of golf.
We'll keep on aiming toward what the USGA describes as 'fast' greens for U.S. Open tournament play -- excerpted from above wikipedia link:

The USGA stimpmetered putting greens across the country to produce the following recommendations:^[1]

• Slow greens: 4.5 feet
• Medium greens: 6.5 feet
• Fast greens: 8.5 feet

For the U.S. Open, they recommend:^[1]

• Slow greens: 6.5 feet
• Medium greens: 8.5 feet
• Fast greens: 10.5 feet