The Best Greens You've Ever Putted On

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By Rick V., Team Titleist Staff

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  1. Rick V., Team Titleist Staff

    Rick V., Team Titleist Staff
    Duxbury, MA

    Team Titleist Staff

    Adam Scott putting on the Ocean Course greens at the 2012 PGA Championship

    Hey, Team Titleist.

    The PGA Championship is almost underway and what a great test the players will be facing this week. The second men's major of the year takes place at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Resort, a beautiful and demanding seaside layout designed by Pete Dye. The last time the Ocean Course hosted a major was in 2012, when it hosted its first PGA Championship. The course is probably best know, however, for the 1991 Ryder Cup Matches. Nicknamed “The War by the Shore", that Ryder Cup set a new tone for the biennial event, turning it from a friendly exhibition to the highly competitive reckoning we experience today.

    In 2018, I was very fortunate to be a part of the TT Invitational, which was held at Kiawah Resort. I still have many great memories from that trip, but getting to play the Ocean Course was the cherry on top. To be honest, before the Invitational, Kiawah was never a bucket-list destination for me, but boy was I wrong. The facilities were amazing. The hospitality extended to us by PGA Head Professional Stephen Youngner and his staff was exceptional and the courses were all challenging, surrounded by natural beauty and incredibly fun to play.

    Click here for a recap of the 2018 TT Invitational at Kiawah


    The most vivid memory I have of the experience was how unique the greens were. Our caddie, Dan gave us a 101 course on the grass used on the Ocean Course greens – Seashore Paspalum. This strain of grass originated in Africa and they brought it to Kiawah because it is extremely tough. It can handle brutal heat, which you get in spades in South Carolina, and it doesn't need a great deal of watering. The biggest advantage of Paspalum , though, is the fact that it is impervious to salt. Even when big storms flood the oceanside holes with seawater, the greens bounce right back, needing only a quick sweep to get the beach sand off the surfaces.

    From a playing standpoint, the greens at the Ocean Course were simply the best I've ever putted on. Because of the wind, the greens are really firm (it's actually hard to leave a pitch mark with your approach shots) and your golf ball seems to sit up very high on the surface. When you strike a putt, the ball rolls immediately – no hopping or skidding. And unlike Bermuda, the Paspalum doesn't have any grain, so what you see is what you get as far as the reads go. It's not often that I get geeked out over putting, but it was a distinct pleasure to putt those greens on the Ocean Course. I can't wait to watch the action this week to see if the pros' putts roll as true as I recall from my visit.

    What are the best greens that you've ever putted on? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts in the comments below!

    •••

    P.S. I found a cool video that Stephen Youngner put together where he talks a bit about the greens at the Ocean Course. Enjoy!

  2. Keith M

    Keith M
    Acworth, GA

    Eastlake. Truest roll I've ever seen. Greens are very firm and your ball will "dance" a lot a more than you would typically see under your typical playing conditions.
  3. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military
    Agree, the Kiawah Ocean Course greens are awesome. Living in Mt Pleasant, which is 30-45 minutes from the course, I have played the course many times since it opened and love playing there. Greens can be real fast when the wind is nasty coming in off the ocean in the afternoon.
  4. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military

    Chuck Z said:

    Agree, the Kiawah Ocean Course greens are awesome. Living in Mt Pleasant, which is 30-45 minutes from the course, I have played the course many times since it opened and love playing there. Greens can be real fast when the wind is nasty coming in off the ocean in the afternoon.

    The renovation of our municipal course have presented us with some very interesting Seth Raynor type greens that ran 12 this past weekend during the City Amateur Championship. The previous champion shot 13 under on the old course and this years champion shot plus 6. During the tournament only one person shot under par and one shot event par over three days, with wind prevailing, just as it does at the Ocean Course. With elevated fast tiff bermuda greens we will be getting more play and much improved greens from the old course that was built in 1929. The greens are awesome except a bit hard with very little to no bite, being new. They can be as challenging was you can find anywhere during the championship tournaments when they cut them down and roll them. They are fun with all the bowls, thumbprints and elevations. One of the writers from Golf Digest did a favorable review of the course on Facebook recently. If you are in Charleston, think you might like the greens to be very challenging and to your liking.
  5. Dale V

    Dale V
    Surprise AZ

    Yep, those greens were pretty sweet but I didn't necessarily putt them very well. Matter a fact, I didn't play well at all that day except the tee shot on 17. Closest to the pin won a custom Vokey. I had them put random TT's on the face as a nice reminder. Great trip.
  6. Todd T

    Todd T
    San Diego, CA

    Military
    Shadow Creek.... Fast and not a ball mark seen!
  7. Darryl M

    Darryl M
    Wichita, KS

    Bull Creek in Columbus Ga.
    True rolling greens, no ball marks or other bumps. Typically quick but not like glass.
    Both of the courses they have are in excellent shape on the greens.

    DM
  8. No'l

    No'l
    Palmdale, CA

    Los Angeles Country Club comes to mind right away.
  9. Frank P

    Frank P
    Port St. Lucie, FL

    Military
    PGA Golf Club. Fast and true.
  10. samuel g

    samuel g
    berkeley, CA

    Pasatiempo.
    Santa Cruz CA.
    Alister MacKenzie design. Undulating and fair. Competition quality throughout.
  11. Jim C

    Jim C
    Duxbury, MA

    May River Golf Club in Bluffton, SC.
  12. GMaynard

    GMaynard

    Military
    Coin flip between Pine Needles and Pinehurst #4

    Semper Fi
  13. WKilloran

    WKilloran

    Sedgefield
  14. John T

    John T
    Youngstown, OH

    TPC Las Vegas, All of them had exactly the same speeds, so much so that it made you a better putter just by being there! Unfortunately, it makes the more "efficiently" priced courses that I can afford to play on really stand out sometimes to the guessing games that they turn out to be.
  15. Tyler H

    Tyler H
    Appleton, WI

    Toss up between Sage Valley and Calusa Pines. Fast and pure, a putting dream.
  16. John M

    John M
    Asheville, North Carolina

    Military
    Spyglass Hill in Monterey California had the best greens I’ve putted on.
  17. Rob R

    Rob R
    Chicago, IL

    TPC Sawgrass.

    A few years ago we played Sawgrass a few day after the Players. The greens were so true.
  18. David C

    David C
    Michigan

    Oakland Hills. Absolutely perfect!
  19. PRO V

    PRO V
    golf course

    Cypress Pointe. Close second. Pebble Beach.
  20. Allan

    Allan
    California

    Team Titleist Staff

    PRO V said:

    Cypress Pointe. Close second. Pebble Beach.

    I thought Spyglass was the purest of the MP greens. Though I've yet to experience Cypress and have no doubts they'd take the cake.
  21. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military
    I played Spyglass a number of years ago, based on recommendations of the pros in our area, and thought that the greens were fair and pure.
  22. Dr. Kovatchian

    Dr. Kovatchian
    Carlsbad

    Pretty much every green complex in Palm Desert is PURE in March. You Pick.

    Cheers,
    Dr. K
  23. Tom B

    Tom B
    Northborough, MA

    Weston Golf Club Massachusetts State Mid-Amateur Excellent, and true
  24. Aaron

    Aaron
    Fife

    Kingsbarns greens are the best surfaces I have putted on
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