The Largest Green

[Wade Whitehead]

Please excuse if this has been posted before.  I searched and did not find it.

In square feet, where is the largest green in the United States?  The world?

Double greens don't count.  Practice (putting) greens don't, either.

The 18th green at Ballyhack is well over 20,000 square feet.  It takes over an hour to mow.

Is there a larger green anywhere?

Wade

[Jeff_Brauer]

The 18th at the old course at Indianwood in Lake Orion has to be a contender, although I don't know how big it actually is.

At Wild Wing in Myrtle Beach, I did a putting green meant to serve all 4 (then, mine is the only one left now) and from memory, it was 50,000 SF, if practice greens count.

[Jason Topp]

Even though it is a double green, just the 5th hole half of the 5th/13th green at the Old Course has to be the biggest.  I hit a 7-iron from 40 yards from the front edge and it was the right club.

[Andrew Summerell]

I hit a 7-iron from 40 yards from the front edge and it was the right club.

Yes, it's sad when you get to that age & lose all your distance. 

[K. Krahenbuhl]

Maybe not the largest, but two of the deepest greens I've seen are the 8th at Beverly and the 7th at Champions - Cypress Creek.  They are both multiple clubs long.

[Matt Bosela]

Sagebrush (Nicola Lake, British Columbia) has two greens that are over 20,000 square feet - the par five 7th and the par five 16th.

The 16th is 70 yards deep and the largest green Rod Whitman has ever built.

[Tim Gavrich]

The 18th at the old course at Indianwood in Lake Orion has to be a contender, although I don't know how big it actually is.

At Wild Wing in Myrtle Beach, I did a putting green meant to serve all 4 (then, mine is the only one left now) and from memory, it was 50,000 SF, if practice greens count.

Jeff--

It was quite a thing to behold.  I am really sad that it was eliminated when Wild Wing downsized, but I guess it makes sense.  The putting green they have now is tiny and pretty boring.

I used Google Earth to measure that putting green from end to end once and recall something over 100 yards.  The ideal place for epic putting contests if ever there was one.

[Kyle Henderson]

Old MacDonald has some contenders.

[Michael Robin]

Kyle, especially since there is no demarcation as to fairway or green. Standing behind the 1st green, Double Plateau, and looking to the tee one could argue that the green is 330 yards long.

[Bryan Izatt]

I have the 18th green at the Gailes Course at Lakewood Shores in Michigan at 22,000 sq. ft.

Jason,

The 5th13th at TOC is around 38,000 sq. ft. combined.  You must have had a north wind that day.  I know you're not that short.

[Jeffrey Stein]

I have spent a few mornings mowing the 8th green (biarritz) at Old Mac and I believe the figure was about 20,000 square feet.  Edge to edge that mow takes over an hour.  Collectively the greens at Old Mac may be the largest anywhere.

[Sean_A]

The 18th at Beau Desert is something like 19,000 sq feet.  Someone said that cutting it by hand is equivalent to walking the entire course. 

Ciao

[Ronald Montesano]

Postage Stamp?  13 at Merion?  Small is the new big...

[Tom_Doak]

Old Macdonald has the biggest greens collectively, but I don't think any one of them is a contender for the single biggest ... although I never heard how big #18 turned out to be.  I think Old Macdonald has the 4 or 5 biggest greens I've ever built, all in one place, except maybe for the 13th green at Barnbougle.

If I recall correctly, the 18th at Indianwood (Old) is 22,000 or 24,000 sf, with a lot of humps and bumps in the middle.  Once you get above 15,000 sf you are probably going to have to have a sprinkler head or two within the perimeter of the green ... that is the practical consideration which keeps most greens from going over a certain norm ... that, and mowing costs!

[Emil Weber]

The European Club in Ireland has a green thatīs a 100 and something metres long I think?

[Sean_A]

The European Club in Ireland has a green thatīs a 100 and something metres long I think?

Emil

Yes, the par 5 legging right along the water - #12?.  I walked that green and it is indeed something very close to 100 yards long.  I have never seen anything like it.

Ciao

[Jerry Kluger]

The 18th green at Secession in Beaufort, SC incorporates the practice putting green as part of its surface - I played there last month and my partner "thinned" his approach shot and wound up at the far end of the practice putting green - I would guess that his putt to the pin was 80 feet.

[JLahrman]

The 18th green at Lassing Pointe in Union, Kentucky is 101 yards deep, not sure about the square footage.

The 18th green at The Bridges in San Ramon, CA is 85 yards deep, not sure about the square footage on that one either but it does seem wider than Lassing Pointe's 18th.

[Wade Whitehead]

The 18th green at Secession in Beaufort, SC incorporates the practice putting green as part of its surface - I played there last month and my partner "thinned" his approach shot and wound up at the far end of the practice putting green - I would guess that his putt to the pin was 80 feet.

How does Rule 7-1b impact play at Secession?  In stroke play, no practice is permitted on any green (on the course) on the day of play before the start of a round.

Incidentally, the 12th green at Royal New Kent is ~85 yards deep as I recall, but it isn't very wide.

WW

[Mike Cirba]

At Wild Wing in Myrtle Beach, I did a putting green meant to serve all 4 (then, mine is the only one left now) and from memory, it was 50,000 SF, if practice greens count.

Jeff,

That was YOU?!? 

One evening with dusk approaching my brother and I had just the best time having a putting contest which quickly accellerated to both of us just suggesting the most absurdly long putts, eventually going from one end to the other with backswings over hip-high.  

[Chip Gaskins]

The will be a par 3 green on the back nine at The Prairie Club - Lehman course that will certainly be in the running...

[Ian Larson]

The 18th at the old course at Indianwood in Lake Orion has to be a contender, although I don't know how big it actually is.

At Wild Wing in Myrtle Beach, I did a putting green meant to serve all 4 (then, mine is the only one left now) and from memory, it was 50,000 SF, if practice greens count.

Jeff,

In college I would change cups or mow greens before I ran across the street for my 8 o'clock lecture and I remember cursing the guy out who designed that damned practice green. Especially in the winter with frost delays! I was late to class on many occasion because that was the green that all the eager golfers would hang out on and they were oblivious to the guy trying to walk mow it with putting at me or in front of me. I got to the point where I would just kick their ball if it was putted near me. Besides the obnoxious golfers and it taking 3 hours to mow some mornings it is a really cool green. Did it survive the reconstruction of the place?

[Tim Gavrich]

Besides the obnoxious golfers and it taking 3 hours to mow some mornings it is a really cool green. Did it survive the reconstruction of the place?

Ian--

Unfortunately not.  There's something like a swimming pool club over on that side now, and that putting green is NLE.  They built a small, boring one on the other side of the clubhouse.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Once you get above 15,000 sf you are probably going to have to have a sprinkler head or two within the perimeter of the green ... that is the practical consideration which keeps most greens from going over a certain norm ... that, and mowing costs!

There are sprinkler heads in the middle of no less than five greens, at Sagebrush. And, I might be missing one 

[Ian Larson]

With Jeff Brauer's 50,000 sq ft green at Wild Wing there was only 1 small sprinkler head within the greens perimeter.