|
The grass of the putting green (more commonly just green) is cut very short so that a ball can roll distances of several yards. The growth direction of the blades of grass affects the ball's roll and is called the grain of the green. The slope or break of the green also affects the roll of the ball. The cup is always found within the green (at least ten feet from the edge), and must have a diameter of 108 mm (4.25 in.) and a depth of at least 100 mm (3.94 in.). Its position on the green is not fixed and may be changed from day to day. The cup usually has a flag on a pole positioned in it so that it may be seen from a distance, but not necessarily from the tee. This flag-and-pole combination is called the pin or less commonly the flagstaff. Putting greens are not all of the same quality. Generally, the finest-quality greens are well kept so that a ball will smoothly roll over the closely-mowed grass. Golfers describe a green as fast if a light stroke to the ball makes it roll a long distance; conversely, a slow green is one where a stronger stroke is required to roll the ball the required distance. The exact speed of a green can be found with a stimp meter. By collecting sample measurements, golf courses can be compared in terms of average green speed. It is, however, illegal by strict rules to test the speed of a green while playing by rolling a ball on it, feeling, or rubbing the green. source: Wikipedia |
To
putt is to play a stroke using the putter club. Usually,
this stroke is played on the green near the cup and the ball
does not leave the ground. Once on the green, the ball is putted
(struck with the eponymous flat-faced club to roll it along the
ground) towards the hole until the ball falls into the cup.
