Courses · PUTTING GREENS · THE STIMPMETER

Green speed is measured with a ramp and a tape.

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A green's speed is how far a ball rolls, in feet, off a 36-inch aluminum ramp called the Stimpmeter: three balls each way on a level spot, averaged. Edward Stimpson came up with it after watching Gene Sarazen putt off a green at the 1935 U.S. Open at Oakmont.

The one to remember

Green speed is a distance: how far a ball rolls off the Stimpmeter, in feet.

Facts and sources

  • The USGA Stimpmeter is an extruded aluminum bar 36 inches long with a V-shaped groove. The ball sits in a notch about 30 inches from the tapered end and starts to roll when the bar is raised to about 20 degrees (USGA instruction booklet, 2012 edition).
  • The test: on a level spot, roll three balls one way (they should stop within 8 inches of each other), then three back from their average stopping point. The average of the two distances, in feet, is the green's speed. If the two directions differ by more than 18 inches, the USGA says to pick another spot.
  • The USGA's booklet says readings on American courses generally range from 7 to 12 feet, and that keeping greens above 10 feet every day usually causes turf problems. Championship greens are faster, but not as fast as possible.
  • Pinehurst No. 2's greens ran at roughly 13.5 at the start of the 2024 U.S. Open; for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, the USGA aimed for the mid to upper 14s (Golf Monthly, June 2025).
  • Edward S. Stimpson, the 1935 Massachusetts Amateur champion, came up with the device after the 1935 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he saw Gene Sarazen putt off a green into a bunker. The USGA rebuilt it in aluminum in the mid-1970s, used it at the 1976 U.S. Open and made it available to courses in 1978; a two-notch version followed in 2012.

Illustration: the practice green at dawn, the 10 ft 6 in readings and their ball patterns, the two balls stopping at 7 and 12 feet (two different greens shown side by side), the championship green and its gallery, and the 1935 scene at Oakmont (the green, the crowd, the putt and the bunker) are drawn to explain, not recorded; the Stimpmeter is drawn to the USGA's measurements, while the balls are drawn larger than life in the wide views and the 1935 flashback so they show.

Sources

  1. Stimpmeter Instruction Booklet · United States Golf Association (2012 edition, for the current two-notch Stimpmeter) checked 11 October 2026
  2. USGA Introduces Updated Stimpmeter · USGA, Hunki Yun (24 January 2013) checked 11 October 2026
  3. Details Matter When Measuring Green Speed · USGA Green Section Record, Vol. 62, Issue 12 (2 July 2024) checked 11 October 2026
  4. The Stimpmeter: Friend Or Foe? · USGA, Darin S. Bevard (9 November 2010) checked 11 October 2026
  5. The GS3 Ball: Understanding the Numbers · USGA Green Section Record, Vol. 62, Issue 22 (5 December 2024) checked 11 October 2026
  6. How Fast Are Oakmont's Greens On The Stimpmeter? · Golf Monthly, Jonny Leighfield (11 June 2025) checked 11 October 2026
  7. U.S. Open 2016: History of Stimpmeter starts at Oakmont · GOLF.com, Josh Sens (7 June 2016) checked 11 October 2026
  8. US Open digest: Oakmont's ‘superfast’ greens putting the stimpmeter to the test · The Irish Times, Philip Reid (10 June 2025) checked 11 October 2026

The narration is AI-generated. Sources last checked 11 October 2026.

Script

The speed of a golf green is measured with a metal ramp and a tape measure. The ramp is called a Stimpmeter. It's 36 inches long, with a groove down the middle and a notch near one end. A ball sits in the notch. The ramp is raised slowly until the ball rolls free, down the groove and out across the green. How far it rolls, in feet, is the green's speed. Three balls are rolled each way across a flat spot, and the results are averaged. On most American courses, greens run between 7 and 12. For a major championship, they can run 13 or faster. Edward Stimpson came up with it after the 1935 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he watched Gene Sarazen putt off a green and into a bunker. Follow Fact Caddie for more.