NATURAL BOUNCE - DOES IT REALLY MATTER?

Imagine this. You are working on your chip shot, and the artificial surface you are playing on will just not receive the ball smoothly. However accurate the shot is, the ball bounces and slides off the back of the green—for the fifth time. As an passionate golfer, you can see that this green is of inferior quality.

Quality artificial golf green attributes should consist of these priority reactions:

• Realistic golf ball bounce
• Accurate reaction to aim
• True directional roll
• Predictable playability

The primary objective here is to have the synthetic grass respond as naturally as organic turf. From the moment your ball lands on the green, you can tell if you’re playing on high-quality turf or not. If you’re hitting a chip shot, you should be able to expect it will be received by the turf correctly, bounce appropriately, and roll as expected.

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

THE SCIENCE OF TURF BOUNCE

The contrast in the bounce between natural and artificial grass comes from the properties of the grass that absorbs the kinetic energy of the bounce.

Let’s understand the science.

Bounce, Aim, Roll
The Golden Bear system imitates natural greens by utilizing base, pad, sand, and fibers to achieve like performance metrics. By researching 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 EVALUATE GRASS AT SOUTHWEST GREENS

To ensure you’re obtaining an optimal reaction from our artificial grass, we carry out many tests, but here are the big ones you should know about.

BOUNCE TEST

Tru Firm: Calculate the shift of the surface to spot 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 accept a pitch shot.

Spin: Proprietary device that replicates natural spin. Standardize and quantify the surface interaction to take samples of how the friction of the ground changes ball spin will translate to performance.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT SOUTHWEST GREENS

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

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

At Southwest Greens, we have honed the art of installation to offer the finest playing surface available. This is how we manufacture our turf:

SUBGRADE

Depending on where you live, the ground may be distinct from sand to clay to rock. A professional who is installing the artificial grass takes this into account, with a foundation prepared to support proper drainage.

AGGREGATE BASE

Stone is used on top of the subgrade (ground) to support in 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 turf is manufactured by stitching 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 made from rounded washed silica. Infill yields ballast, assists with drainage, and has influence 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 have direct impact on on the ground interaction with the golf ball and surface aesthetics.

Check out this installation video to understand how we determine the appropriate infill layers and synthetic grass 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 realistically to a real golf green as possible?

Residential putting greens vary quite a bit from regular 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 highest-grade synthetic grass with the appearance, feel, and bite of regular grass. It’s the green favored by beginners and experienced 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 regularity and better predictability. Although manufactured with golf in mind, this long-lasting, high-quality grass is also pretty and can provide backyard serenity.

The collaboration with Southwest Greens and Nicklaus Design started in 2004 and has improved appreciably through the years in both design and grass science. All customers can take advantage of custom-designed golf greens installed by endorsed Southwest Greens vendors. Now everyone can take part in superior integration of professional design, installation, and Golden Bear exclusive turf products.

Golden Bear Turf is the ultimate in quality, look, and performance for synthetic grass products. This high-quality 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. Game-play experience is so real you will feel like you’re playing out on a local Huntsville course.

Our Golden Bear Turf brings you championship-level bounce right in your own lawn. Scientifically developed and tested to have 20-25% more ball retention than other leading artificial turf for real playability. Contact Southwest Greens of Huntsville if you want to know more regarding the science.

LET’S FIND YOUR BACKYARD PUTTING GREEN

We’re prepared to assist you find the perfect solution for your backyard putting green. Contact us when you’re ready to start your project.

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