Wildwood Golf Course uses The Stimpmeter’ to measure green speed. Our daily measurements can be viewed above the main entrance leaving the club house.

We take a Stimp reading every morning between March and October. The resulting information is analyzed and acted upon immediately by the Superintendent, who can use the readings to determine mow height, fertilization plans, and various other technical solutions that help us maintain excellent playability all year through.

The ‘Stimpmeter’ is a 36″ aluminum V-grooved bar. It has a precisely milled ball-release notch 30″ from a tapered that rests on the ground. The underside of the tapered end is milled away to reduce bounce as a rolling ball makes contact with the green. The ball-release notch is designed so that a ball will always be released and start to roll when the Stimpmeter is raised to an angle of 20 degrees. The V-shaped groove has an angle of 145 degrees, supporting the golf ball at two points ½” apart. The ball rolls down the groove with slight and stable overspin producing consistency between measurements.

Stimpmeter Readings on American golf courses range from 7 feet to 12 feet, depending on many factors including a green’s slope, contour, size, grass, weather, etc. Experience has taught us that trying to keep the speed above 10 feet on a consistent basis usually causes turf durability problems which impact playability.

Our aim is to provide consistently playable greens running at an ideal of 10.0 Spring through Fall. We believe this is an ideal green speed for play and maintenance. We hope you notice and appreciate the care and attention to detail that gives Wildwood its edge!