Best greens(smoothest & fastest) you have ever played

[Thomas Dai]

JC+RB+RC

Atb

[Jon Wiggett]

JC+RB+RC
 
Atb

 

[Germain Pepin]

In Myrtle Beach: the Dunes

[jim_lewis]

It has been a while since I played either of the following courses, but my choices for the best (and among the fastest) greens I have played are:


Oakmont
Royal Melbourne West
Luftness New

[Tim Gallant]

Based on the title, I'd have to say Royal County Down two weeks before the Irish Open a few years back. They were very smooth and true, but also lightning fast. I do remember on the eighth green in a mild breeze that my ball was oscillating on the green. Downwind, I genuinely don't know how anyone holds the 7th green there. It's a great little hole on a magical course.

[Ian Andrew]

I have an issue with the assumption of the title...

I have played in a very popular Canadian Pro-Am event a few times. One of the years, the greens were so fast that the course became unplayable for all amateurs and most of the pros. Fastest does not equal best.

Best is when conditioning emphasizes the architecture.
Excessive speed will undermine great architecture.

[Scott Szabo]

Private - Sand Hills Golf Club
Public - Wild Horse Golf Club

Both are immaculate.

[Tim Leahy]

I have an issue with the assumption of the title...

I have played in a very popular Canadian Pro-Am event a few times. One of the years, the greens were so fast that the course became unplayable for all amateurs and most of the pros. Fastest does not equal best.

Best is when conditioning emphasizes the architecture.
Excessive speed will undermine great architecture.

The title isnt best fastest greens. Smooth greens can be slow and for my taste not the best greens. Fast greens can be too fast and not smooth therefore not the best greens for my taste. Most golfers I know consider the best greens both smooth & fast upto a point. Now best green architecture is a different subject.

[Niall C]

This thread seems to have an element of the Monty Python Yorkshireman sketch! (Sic)
Atb

I am a high end private club. My greens roll smoothly all year round and stimp at 20. I look down on both the member's club and the muni.


I am a mid level member's club. My greens roll smoothly all summer long and stimp at 10. I look up to the high end private club but look down on the muni.


I am a municipal club. I know my place. My greens bobble all year round and I do not own a stimp meter. 

 

[Tom_Doak]

I am amazed how fast some of the ultradwarf Bermuda greens get after a cold snap, when they aren't growing but they're still being rolled.  I first saw this at Indian Creek and later at Streamsong.



However the absolute fastest greens I've ever putted on were at Chicago Golf Club in the fall a few years ago.  Again, a cold snap stopped them growing while they were super tight, and they kept rolling them; they were so fast the greenkeeper couldn't get a decent stimp reading.  It was easy to chip back and forth across the green pads and off the other side.


I would not want to play in conditions like that very often, but just once, it was fun.

[V. Kmetz]

With the fortunate experiences I've had with golf courses, I don't think I can recall one set of fabulous greens as "smoother, truer" than another; it's no great feat for greens that are rolling in the 12+ to also be smooth and true. Show me greens that roll at 6.5 - 8.5 that are ALSO smooth and true...that's rare.


In any event, I can only take this question, as most have, to be about the frightening extremely fast variety you remember for a long time...


Winged Foot East (ca. 2011-12). The Anderson Memorial... had to be pushing 14 in places and were still low 12s much later in the day... What a remarkable brutality; every chip and putt had to be measured like a heart surgeon.  Putts took 20 and 30 and 35 seconds to come to rest...and as usual the most difficult pins on such greens are right in the middle of the surface, where 7 or 8 of them were stationed. With winds spiking to 10-12 and perfect summer championship conditions, that course (played a whisper under 7000) would've produced every bit the keen woe the West does during Open time.


Siwanoy: For the 3-day M/G and the Ol' Buddy calcutta in the fall, Siwanoy under different regimes and improving conditions was maintained at the very edge of ridiculous... sometimes with that direct intention stated upfront...the most ringing example I recall of this was the signature uphill par 3 13th, a thin deck, sloped back to the tee, with a wicked thumbprint interior contours... Like Olympic's 18th some years ago...right back past your feet if you missed an uphill putt...to almost any pin, and being past the pin had the effect of being in a hazard.


Stanwich: In so many ways, this course (which I never hear boo about these days though it was celebrated and adored in local and national reputation into the 90s and had a mid-am in 04-05) was the local king of fast greens... used to be if an approach ball stayed in the fringe, and didn't tumble out, you were screwed.  Though I have played it many times since, when the club renovated/refurbished to USGA greens in the early 00s, they "lost' something on that title...even at over 12 they are no longer out n out demonic to play... but there was a time...

[Tim Martin]

With the fortunate experiences I've had with golf courses, I don't think I can recall one set of fabulous greens as "smoother, truer" than another; it's no great feat for greens that are rolling in the 12+ to also be smooth and true. Show me greens that roll at 6.5 - 8.5 that are ALSO smooth and true...that's rare.


In any event, I can only take this question, as most have, to be about the frightening extremely fast variety you remember for a long time...


Winged Foot East (ca. 2011-12). The Anderson Memorial... had to be pushing 14 in places and were still low 12s much later in the day... What a remarkable brutality; every chip and putt had to be measured like a heart surgeon.  Putts took 20 and 30 and 35 seconds to come to rest...and as usual the most difficult pins on such greens are right in the middle of the surface, where 7 or 8 of them were stationed. With winds spiking to 10-12 and perfect summer championship conditions, that course (played a whisper under 7000) would've produced every bit the keen woe the West does during Open time.


Siwanoy: For the 3-day M/G and the Ol' Buddy calcutta in the fall, Siwanoy under different regimes and improving conditions was maintained at the very edge of ridiculous... sometimes with that direct intention stated upfront...the most ringing example I recall of this was the signature uphill par 3 13th, a thin deck, sloped back to the tee, with a wicked thumbprint interior contours... Like Olympic's 18th some years ago...right back past your feet if you missed an uphill putt...to almost any pin, and being past the pin had the effect of being in a hazard.


Stanwich: In so many ways, this course (which I never hear boo about these days though it was celebrated and adored in local and national reputation into the 90s and had a mid-am in 04-05) was the local king of fast greens... used to be if an approach ball stayed in the fringe, and didn't tumble out, you were screwed.  Though I have played it many times since, when the club renovated/refurbished to USGA greens in the early 00s, they "lost' something on that title...even at over 12 they are no longer out n out demonic to play... but there was a time...

VK-It’s been a while since I played Stanwich but the greens as you mentioned back in the day were insanely fast. Too fast!!!!!

[Brad Tufts]

LACC and The Preserve for me.  I played Calusa last year and they were also 13-14 on the stimp (I was told).  Personally I think it's barely golf when it gets that fast.


Day in and day out, Tedesco has unreal smooth and fast greens...but even topping them out at 11-11.5 for the 2013 Mass Amateur was borderline, as we have a couple of greens that have like 3% pinnable area when that fast.

[Brian Bowman]

Oakmont for the obvious choice


Next Choices were:
Trump International in West Palm Beach
&
Tradition Golf Club in Palm Desert


All were nearly immaculate

[Jim Franklin]

Oakmont day in day out.

Deepdale was something too.

Grandfather was impressive too. The caddy was telling me those greens are the fastest in the country 51 out of 52 weeks a year.

[Kalen Braley]

Oakmont day in day out.

Deepdale was something too.

Grandfather was impressive too. The caddy was telling me those greens are the fastest in the country 51 out of 52 weeks a year.

Let me guess the other week is when the pros play those scorching fast greens at Pebble in February! 

[Nicolas Joakimides]

I was very surprised    to see the best greens ever at Mazagan golf club in Morocco 🇲🇦 on paspalum platinum grass.


But my favorite are the Old course ( St Andrews) greens because of the fescue grass texture !

[Chad Anderson (Tennessee)]

Seminole a few years ago on a January day.  And the wind wasn't blowing, thank goodness.

[Paul Rudovsky]

Skokie just north of Chicago in late June 2016...about 2 weeks after they reopened having completed a renovation.  I would figure out a line and then look for some mark or blemish to aim at...but there were none!

[Steve Lapper]

Skokie just north of Chicago in late June 2016...about 2 weeks after they reopened having completed a renovation.  I would figure out a line and then look for some mark or blemish to aim at...but there were none!

Having played with you elsewhere in 2016, I call BS. You couldn't see any mark, blemish, or much of the hole then!

[JT Taylor]

With the fortunate experiences I've had with golf courses, I don't think I can recall one set of fabulous greens as "smoother, truer" than another; it's no great feat for greens that are rolling in the 12+ to also be smooth and true. Show me greens that roll at 6.5 - 8.5 that are ALSO smooth and true...that's rare.


In any event, I can only take this question, as most have, to be about the frightening extremely fast variety you remember for a long time...


Winged Foot East (ca. 2011-12). The Anderson Memorial... had to be pushing 14 in places and were still low 12s much later in the day... What a remarkable brutality; every chip and putt had to be measured like a heart surgeon.  Putts took 20 and 30 and 35 seconds to come to rest...and as usual the most difficult pins on such greens are right in the middle of the surface, where 7 or 8 of them were stationed. With winds spiking to 10-12 and perfect summer championship conditions, that course (played a whisper under 7000) would've produced every bit the keen woe the West does during Open time.


Siwanoy: For the 3-day M/G and the Ol' Buddy calcutta in the fall, Siwanoy under different regimes and improving conditions was maintained at the very edge of ridiculous... sometimes with that direct intention stated upfront...the most ringing example I recall of this was the signature uphill par 3 13th, a thin deck, sloped back to the tee, with a wicked thumbprint interior contours... Like Olympic's 18th some years ago...right back past your feet if you missed an uphill putt...to almost any pin, and being past the pin had the effect of being in a hazard.


Stanwich: In so many ways, this course (which I never hear boo about these days though it was celebrated and adored in local and national reputation into the 90s and had a mid-am in 04-05) was the local king of fast greens... used to be if an approach ball stayed in the fringe, and didn't tumble out, you were screwed.  Though I have played it many times since, when the club renovated/refurbished to USGA greens in the early 00s, they "lost' something on that title...even at over 12 they are no longer out n out demonic to play... but there was a time...

I wasn't planning to post on this topic but instead just lurk and nod quietly in agreement at many of these posts but this one instantly jumped out to me........


I couldn't agree more with the comment about Winged Foot East during the Anderson Memorial.  I played in it a couple of times in the late 2000's and while my partner and I agreed that WFW was the harder test overall, the greens on WFE we just ferocious.....and the comment about the hole locations in the middle of the greens being the toughest is 100% correct as well.  I can remember watching what I thought were well struck shots on holes like 8 and 9 that hit close to the hole and just slowly trickled into a corner of the green, leaving you with a 40 foot putt that broke in four different directions....and that you knew before the ball was even halfway to the hole that it wasn't going to finish anywhere close to the hole.  Factoring in the overall difficulty of those two courses on any given day, then combining that with the presentation of the courses for that tournament, on top of the insane green speeds, made it easily the toughest test of golf that I have ever experienced.   

[Paul Rudovsky]

Skokie just north of Chicago in late June 2016...about 2 weeks after they reopened having completed a renovation.  I would figure out a line and then look for some mark or blemish to aim at...but there were none!

Having played with you elsewhere in 2016, I call BS. You couldn't see any mark, blemish, or much of the hole then!

Slapper---That said, it was wonderful to play with you at Bedminster New and Somerset Hills four months ago...and even more fun (and easier) to take $10 from you during our match at Somerset.  Guess you could not even beat a blind old man 

[V. Kmetz]

With the fortunate experiences I've had with golf courses, I don't think I can recall one set of fabulous greens as "smoother, truer" than another; it's no great feat for greens that are rolling in the 12+ to also be smooth and true. Show me greens that roll at 6.5 - 8.5 that are ALSO smooth and true...that's rare.


In any event, I can only take this question, as most have, to be about the frightening extremely fast variety you remember for a long time...


Winged Foot East (ca. 2011-12). The Anderson Memorial... had to be pushing 14 in places and were still low 12s much later in the day... What a remarkable brutality; every chip and putt had to be measured like a heart surgeon.  Putts took 20 and 30 and 35 seconds to come to rest...and as usual the most difficult pins on such greens are right in the middle of the surface, where 7 or 8 of them were stationed. With winds spiking to 10-12 and perfect summer championship conditions, that course (played a whisper under 7000) would've produced every bit the keen woe the West does during Open time.

I wasn't planning to post on this topic but instead just lurk and nod quietly in agreement at many of these posts but this one instantly jumped out to me........
and the comment about the hole locations in the middle of the greens being the toughest is 100% correct as well.  I can remember watching what I thought were well struck shots on holes like 8 and 9 that hit close to the hole and just slowly trickled into a corner of the green, leaving you with a 40 foot putt that broke in four different directions.... Factoring in the overall difficulty of those two courses on any given day, then combining that with the presentation of the courses for that tournament, on top of the insane green speeds, made it easily the toughest test of golf that I have ever experienced.

Toughest I've seen until Day 1 of this years USOp at Shinnecock... and I'm glad you brought up #8 with a middle pin...holy jesus, it would be hard as a 30 yard par 3...

[RichMacafee]

USA - Oakmont, Cal Club
AUS - Kingston Heath, Royal Melbourne
Links - Hoylake, Deal
Asia - Nine Bridges

[Jeff Schley]

USA - Oakmont, Cal Club
AUS - Kingston Heath, Royal Melbourne
Links - Hoylake, Deal
Asia - Nine Bridges

Just played Kingston Heath today and RM yesterday.  RM to me surpasses the greens at KH by a significant margin. I liked KH, however RM is kept in better condition and faster.