Asian Turfgrass Center’s research facility near
Bangkok.
Ever wondered why certain putts don’t behave the way you expect? Why the pace of
some greens appear fast, yet one hole later the pace slows significantly? What
is it about putting surfaces in the tropics compared to the temperate climates
of much of Europe, North America and Australasia? And why do local caddies say
“Lohm” (down) or “Khung” (up) when there is no slope to be seen?
The answer is grass, or to be more exact, grain.
Grain refers to the direction grass grows, or more precisely, the angle at which
the blades of grass tend to lie. Grain can and does have a huge impact on the
speed of the putt, especially with the types of Bermuda grass used in tropical
climates. It will also influence direction. Some courses around Pattaya, such as
Bangpra and Emerald, are more “grain obvious” than others. Whereas courses using
thinner-bladed grasses on their putting surfaces, such as Mountain Shadow,
Crystal Bay and Khao Kheow, have grain that is less apparent to the naked eye –
but is there nonetheless.
Reading Grain: The direction of the setting sun, nearby mountains or water is
irrelevant. Over here, there is one simple way to read grain; simply walk up to
the hole you are playing and look in – it should tell you all you need know.
Look at the inside rim of the hole – the cut-line where the edge meets the
surface of the green. You will notice one-third of the hole’s circumference is
ragged. Directly opposite this point is smooth by comparison. The ragged look is
caused by the grass’s tendency to grow and fray. If your ball is on the same
side of the hole as this rough and ragged portion, you are putting into the
grain. If your ball is located opposite, on the smooth-cut side, you are putting
down-grain. The difference in putting speed between down-grain (lohm – sounds
like loom), and up-grain (khung), is massive.
When putting cross-grain, expect the ball’s route to be influenced by the
direction of the grain, especially when your ball slows as it approaches the
hole.
Tell-tale signs around the hole at some courses may not be as obvious as others.
If you can’t tell by looking at the rim of the cup – and I would be surprised –
check the fringe – the grass on the edge of the green. Sometimes this grass is
sufficiently long where you can see the direction of the grain simply by looking
at it. This method works best mid to late afternoon, whereas the rim of the cup
can tell all from early in the day.
How do you handle a downhill putt that is also down-grain?
Many courses around Pattaya will give you this very challenge. The one thing you
don’t want is to putt short as that is the worst possible outcome. The speed of
your putt should be determined by two things – the length of your back-swing and
where on the putter-face you hit the ball.
All putts, whether uphill, downhill or level, should be hit with an accelerating
putter-head. If faced with a particularly fast putt, where you simply want to
get the ball started on line, you can hit it following a short back-swing, or
instead of the sweet-spot, use the toe of your putter. Whatever method is
chosen, it is still a hit. Never use a decelerating stroke.
Now back to your 25-footer, downhill and down-grain; how do you get this ball to
stop? It’s possible that you can’t, so try not to worry about it. Just ensure
you do not leave it short by any distance greater than 18 inches. Using the toe
of your putter does have a dampening effect, but practise it first. Personally,
when faced with this type of putt, where length dominates line, I focus solely
on the feel of my right hand giving the ball a gentle tap. Normally, my hands
apply equal pressure in my putting stroke, but not when putting downhill and
down-grain. As with putting generally, it is whatever works best for you. There
is no right or wrong way regarding grip, stance or swing, so long as the ball is
struck squarely with an accelerating putter-head.
Effective putting in Pattaya is absolutely dependent on reading greens
correctly. A major part of this is to determine grain direction and the effect
it has on line and length, particularly length. Achieve this and your total
putts per round will drop.
How sure am I about all of this?
As any good caddie will tell you, “Ha sip, ha sip.”
Happy golfing,
Golfnutter.
