WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER TO HAVE A REAL USGA STIMPMETER®?

First of all the USGA® will not sell to the public and who would really want one! The USGA Stimpmeter® is 36" long and made out of aluminum. This certainly is not something that you want to carry around with you all day. Also, because of it's length, the ball rolls further and measurements take longer, assuming you can find this much level area on today's rolling greens. The figure below compares the official Stimpmeter with the GRIFF-METER™

This is where the GRIFF-METER™ enters the picture. The GRIFF-METER™ is just 12" long making it easy to carry in your bag for quick use. You can do a complete reading (6-balls) in 2-3 minutes or a quick-approximate reading with one or two balls in less than 30 seconds. The GRIFF-METER™ has been thoroughly tested and "cross-calibrated" against the real Stimpmeter and is accurate within 6-inches of Stimp. Another important point is that since the rolling distances are shorter, you don't need two people to take a reading.

HOW WILL KNOWING THE VARIATIONS IN GREEN SPEED HELP LOWER MY SCORE?

Understanding the variation in speed from the early morning, when the grass is heavy with dew and the afternoon after the green has baked all day in the August sun is an important thing to know. Is it 20% faster or 120%? How do the greens at your club vary when compared against each other? How do they change after being cut, fertilized, or vericutt? Are some greens particularly slow or fast? How will the speed of your home course compare with speeds of another club you are going to play this weekend? Knowing this information can only help you better judge your putt. The more information you have can only help your chances of a lower score.

HOW FAST IS FAST?

Many people have different opinions on what is fast and what is slow. Several sources were consulted and a consensus developed:

These are marked on the GRIFF-METER™ calibration scale for reference.

HISTORY OF GREENSPEED-In the 1930's Edward S. Stimpson, the 1935 Massachusetts Amateur champion, made a crude homemade instrument to determine the rolling speed of a putting green.

In 1935 Ed Stimpson used a wooden Stimpmeter®. It took 40 years for the USGA to adopt. In 1978, this device was modified by the USGA's technical department and made available to golf course superintendents and course officials who agreed to adhere to the USGA Green Section's Turf Advisory Council. Today the Stimpmeter has become a controversial but very precise means of measuring putting green speed. His invention is simple in design and operation and consists of a 36 inch long extruded aluminum bar with a groove for restraining the ball as it rolls down the 20° inclined surface on to a level section of a putting green. It also has a machined notch which restrains the ball until the Stimpmeter® is inclined approximately 20° at which point the ball releases.

The golf ball then rolls down the track and onto the green where it rolls across the green until it stops. How far it rolls is dependent on the rolling resistance of the grass. Three balls are rolled off the track in this fashion in one direction and if the balls are within 8" of each other, the track is pointed in the opposite direction and three more balls rolled. The two distances are averaged and this is the Stimp Reading for that green. In a nutshell, how far the ball rolls in feet is the Stimp Reading. If the ball rolls 8-feet it is a Stimp Reading of 8, if it rolls 11.5-feet it is 11.5. Actually, very simple.

The GRIFF-METER™ is made out of precision machined clear acrylic and comes with a detailed instruction book and cloth storage bag.