Tag Archives: grass

Going Against the Grain?

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Have you ever been putting on a green and hit a well struck putt online that seemed to break twice as much as you expected?  Or maybe you could have sworn it would break to the right but it stays straight?

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This could possibly be because the grass on the greens may have something called grain! Grain is the direction the grass is growing in. There can be many directions of grain on the same putting green so it can be tricky.

-One easy way to determine the grain is by looking at the cup. If one side of the cup seems a little rough and the opposite side seems relatively smooth, than it is likely the grain is growing in the direction of the rough side. For example, if the left side of the cup is smooth and the right side seems rough, the grain is going from left to right.

-Another way you can determine the grain is by looking at old cups that have been filled in. Sometimes you can see the smooth side and the rough side still on the filled in cup with tells you the direction of the grain.

-And last, another easy way to see the grain on the green is by looking at the colors of the grass. If you are standing in a spot on the green and you look to your left and the grass looks light, and you look to your right and the grass looks dark, the grain is going from right to left. The grass to your left looks lighter because the grass is growing and laying down in the direction making it appear smoother and a lighter color.

Try not to over think your putts, but if there is noticeable grain it can sometimes double the break in a putt, or eliminate the break in a putt!

Putting Against the Grain

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PuttingHere is another tip courtesy of PGA Master Professional Jerry Tucker. This Tucker tip: learning to read the grain of the grass to better your putting.

If it’s winter and you’re playing golf well south of the Mason-Dixon line, you desperately need to understand grain. Grain is the way the grass lays, the direction it is pulled due to the sun, water flow, gravity, etc. It is most prevalent in Bermuda grass, but is certainly exists in the North, as well.

The two main ways to determine the grain are to look at the hole, and to check the color and texture of the green. When you look at the hole, especially in the afternoon on a Bermuda grass green, if the brownish jagged edge of the cup is on the west side, then that’s the way the grain is growing. If you then look to the west, the grass would appear whitish and shiny. If you look behind you to the east, the grass will appear rougher and dark green. If you’re putting west, your putt will be 25-50% faster than a putt with no grain, and that much slower going east. While most grain in Florida goes with the slope, the grain will tend to be westward on a fairly level surface.

Jerry Tucker was twice named by Golf Digest as a top 100 teacher, has been a four-time South Florida player of the year, played 13 major championships and set 19 course records, as well as achieving several other accomplishments and accolades.