NATURAL BOUNCE - WHY IT MATTERS

Picture this. You are working on your chip shot, and the artificial 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 avid golfer, you can see that this green is of inferior quality.

Quality artificial golf green characteristics should consist of 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 turf react as naturally as organic turf. As soon as the ball lands, you can tell if you are playing on high-quality grass or not. If you are hitting a chip shot, you should be able to predict it will be received by the turf correctly, bounce naturaly, and roll as planned.

If these important features are lacking, how could you hope to improve your putt consistency or chipping accuracy?

THE SCIENCE OF TURF BOUNCE

The discrepancy in the bounce between natural and artificial grass comes from the properties of the grass and how it absorbs the kinetic energy of the bounce.

Let’s understand the science.

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

HOW WE EVALUATE TURF AT SOUTHWEST GREENS

To ensure you’re getting an excellent reaction from our artificial grass, we conduct many tests, but here are the major ones you should understand.

BOUNCE TEST

Tru Firm: Measure the displacement of the surface to check how the surface impact energy transfer.

Bounce: Proprietary device that mimics natural pitch shot approach angle and spin. This will standardize and quantify the surface interaction to understand how the surface will react to a pitch shot.

Spin: State of-the-art device that simulates natural spin. Standardize and quantify the surface interaction to check how the friction of the ground changes ball spin will translate to performance.

HOW IS SOUTHWEST GREEN DIFFERENT

We have managed to quantify key performance signals to offer you the best golf experience. By understanding what variables affect performance, we can recreate natural greens.

We developed test methods to learn what variables actually effect performance. Spin, firmness, and bounce were evaluated using a blend of GSGA testing protocols and proprietary testing methods. These evaluations simulate normal shot and surface interactions.

At Southwest Greens, we have honed the art of installation to provide the best playing surface available. This is how we make our grass:

SUBGRADE

Taking into account where you call home, the ground may be distinct from sand to clay to rock. Properly installed artificial turf takes this into account, with a base created to promote proper drainage.

AGGREGATE BASE

Stone is utilized on top of the subgrade (ground) to support in drainage and enable a properly constructed surface. It is imperative 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-quality polyurethane to preserve the stitches.

INFILL

Integral to the turf system, the infill is created from rounded washed silica. Infill yields ballast, helps 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 build directly impacts on the surface interaction with the golf ball and surface aesthetics.

Check out this installation video to understand how we determine the correct infill layers and artificial green surfaces for your condition.

FIND YOUR TURF

Are you on the hunt for a product where a chip shot will land, bounce, roll, stop, and react as comparably 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 essential traits 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 highest-grade synthetic grass with the look, feel, and texture of regular grass. It’s the green preferred by novices and professional golfers for their homes. In simple terms — it’s the most accurate playing surface available on the market today. Golden Bear is a great pick for more consistency and improved predictability. Although manufactured with golf in mind, this long-lasting, high-quality turf is also attractive and can provide backyard serenity.

The alliance with Southwest Greens and Nicklaus Design started in 2004 and has evolved significantly over the years in both design and turf engineering. All buyers can take advantage of custom-designed golf greens installed by endorsed Southwest Greens dealers. Now everyone can take part in best-in-class incorporating of professional design, installation, and Golden Bear exclusive turf products.

Golden Bear Turf is of the highest-quality, look, and results for artificial turf products. This high-level artificial grass bounces, rolls, and receives just like a championship course. Shot after shot, Golden Bear has the most accurate aim of any putting surface. Playability is so authentic you will feel like you’re playing out on a local Houston course.

Our Golden Bear Turf offers you championship-level bounce available in your own garden. Scientifically developed and examined to have 20-25% more ball retention than other leading synthetic grass for real playability. Connect with Southwest Greens of Houston if you have more questions about the science.

LET’S SEARCH FOR YOUR BACKYARD PUTTING GREEN

We’re available at all times to help you discover the best solution for your backyard putting green. Contact 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.