NATURAL BOUNCE - DOES IT REALLY MATTER?

Picture this. You are working on your chip shot, and the synthetic turf you are playing on will just not receive the ball correctly. Regardless of how perfect the shot is, the ball bounces and slides off the back of the green—again. As an passionate golfer, you can already tell that this green is not high-quality.

Quality artificial golf green features should include these priority reactions:

• Lifelike golf ball bounce
• Precise reaction to aim
• True directional roll
• Predictable playability

The main purpose here is to have the synthetic grass behave as naturally as traditional turf. As soon as the ball lands, you can tell if you are playing on top-notch grass or not. If you are hitting a chip shot, you should be able to assume it will be received by the grass correctly, bounce naturaly, and roll as expected.

If these major features are lacking, how could you realistically improve your putt consistency or chipping accuracy?

THE SCIENCE BEHIND TURF BOUNCE

The difference in the bounce between natural and synthetic turf comes from the properties of the turf that absorbs the kinetic energy of the bounce.

Let’s take a look at the science.

Bounce, Aim, Roll
The Golden Bear system replicates natural greens by employing base, pad, sand, and fibers to attain like performance metrics. By studying natural green absorption, spin, and friction, Southwest Greens has been able to use a mix of these materials to absorb shots, spin on impact, and customize speed.

HOW WE TEST TURF AT SOUTHWEST GREENS

To ensure you’re getting an excellent reaction from our synthetic turf, we administer many tests, but here are the big ones you should understand.

BOUNCE TEST

Tru Firm: Calculate the displacement of the surface to see how the surface influences energy transfer.

Bounce: Proprietary device that re-creates natural pitch shot approach angle and spin. This will standardize and quantify the surface interaction so we can understand how the surface will react to a pitch shot.

Spin: Proprietary device that recreates natural spin. Create a standard and collect data of the surface interaction to take samples of how the friction of the ground varies ball spin will translate to performance.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT SOUTHWEST GREENS

We have managed to quantify key performance indicators to offer you the best golf experience. By studying what variables affect performance, we can replicate natural greens.

We created test approaches to understand what variables actually impact performance. Spin, firmness, and bounce were evaluated using a mixture of GSGA testing protocols and proprietary testing methods. These tests tries to recreate normal shot and surface interactions.

At Southwest Greens, we professionals who are experienced in the art of installation to offer the greatest playing surface available. This is how we develop our turf:

SUBGRADE

Considering where you live, the ground may be distinct from sand to clay to rock. Properly installed synthetic turf takes this into account, with a foundation developed to support proper drainage.

AGGREGATE BASE

Stone is employed on top of the subgrade (ground) to help drainage and provide a permit to a properly constructed surface. It is essential that the aggregate be constructed and compacted to valid depths. For golf uses, a second shaping aggregate is added to build undulations and breaks.

BACKING

Synthetic grass is created by sewing the fiber through multi-layer backing. The backing, in turn, is coated with high-grade polyurethane to maintain the stitches.

INFILL

Integral to the turf system, the infill is developed from rounded washed silica. Infill yields ballast, aids with drainage, and has direct impacts on the key bounce indicators.

TURF FIBER

Extruded, PP/PE/ Nylon come in a large number of constructions, colors, and lengths. Materials and product composition creates an impact on the surface interaction with the golf ball and surface aesthetics.

Check out this installation video to get a grasp how we decide the appropriate infill layers and synthetic grass surfaces for your circumstances.

FIND YOUR TURF

Are you on the hunt for a product where a chip shot will land, bounce, roll, stop, and react as naturally to a real golf green as possible?

Residential putting greens vary quite a bit from standard lawn grass. Base work, cup placement, undulations, and turf selections are all important features of an artificial golf green that adds value to your game, family, and home, all while lowering maintenance costs.

Consider one of our fan favorites: Golden Bear Turf

Golden Bear is our premium-grade synthetic grass with the look, touch, and bite of natural grass. It’s the turf favored by amateurs and expert golfers for their homes. In simple terms — it’s the most precise playing surface available on the market today. Golden Bear is an excellent pick for more consistency and better predictability. Although manufactured with golf in mind, this long-lasting, high-quality turf is also attractive and can provide garden serenity.

The alliance with Southwest Greens and Nicklaus Design started in 2004 and has matured appreciably over the years in both design and grass engineering. All customers can take advantage of custom-designed golf greens installed by authorized Southwest Greens dealers. Now everyone can take part in top-rated integration of professional design, installation, and Golden Bear exclusive turf products.

Golden Bear Turf is rated highest in quality, look, and performance for synthetic grass products. This high-level artificial grass bounces, rolls, and receives just like a championship course. Shot after shot, Golden Bear has the most precise aim of any putting surface. Game-play experience is so authentic you will feel like you’re playing out on a local Charlotte course.

Our Golden Bear Turf gives you championship-level bounce right in your own backyard. Scientifically researched and tested to have 20-25% more ball retention than other leading synthetic turf for real playability. Contact Southwest Greens Charlotte if you have more queries about the science.

LET’S SEARCH FOR YOUR BACKYARD PUTTING GREEN

We’re ready to assist you discover the right solution for your backyard putting green. Connect with us when you are ready to start your project.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2021 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.