Putting from off the green: how hard to hit it
When you putt from the fairway or the fringe, the longer grass slows the ball down. Split the distance to the hole by grass type and this tool tells you how long a flat-green putt the stroke equals, plus a rough backswing length.
Enter a number (Stimpmeter-equivalent, ft)
Enter a number (Stimpmeter-equivalent, ft)
Hit it like a11.5 mputt on a flat green
about 1.4× the real distance to the hole (8.5 m)
Backswing about 52 cmComputed for a blade putter, 1.2 s tempo and a centred strike (the Putt Stroke Simulator defaults). People differ, so use it relative to your own feel.See this backswing in the Stroke Simulator
Landing point: about 25 cm from the ball (on the fairway)Even a putt leaves the ground briefly. The grass cannot slow the ball while it is in the air, and the calculation allows for that.
| Section | Real distance | Green equivalent | Per metre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairway | 1.5 m | 3.6 m | 2.4 m |
| Fringe (collar) | 1.0 m | 1.9 m | 1.9 m |
| Green | 6.0 m | 6.0 m | 1.0 m |
| Total | 8.5 m | 11.5 m | 1.4 m |
How to think about pace
One metre off the green = green speed ÷ that grass’s speed
How much a surface slows the ball is roughly inversely proportional to its speed (Stimpmeter reading). On a 9.5 green, a metre of fringe (about 5) is worth about 2 m of green, and a metre of fairway (about 3.5) about 3 m. Feel the green part as usual, then add the off-green part doubled or tripled — that alone keeps you close without any maths.
The faster the greens, the harder you hit through the fringe
On fast days your putting feel is softer than usual. The fringe and fairway have not sped up as much as the greens, so the same feel dies in the long grass and comes up well short. The multiplier for the off-green part grows as the greens get faster.
More off-green distance, more spread
Longer grass makes the ball hop and react to the grain, so pace errors grow with the off-green distance. If there is more than 2–3 m of it, the grass is wet, or the ball is sitting down, a chip-and-run with a wedge or hybrid may finish closer.
Check the day’s grass speed beside the practice green
Roll one ball on the green and one on the fringe with the same stroke, and see what fraction of the green distance the fringe ball travels. Multiply that fraction by the green’s Stimpmeter reading to get the fringe speed (e.g. 0.5 × 9.5 ≈ 4.8), and enter it under “Enter a number”.
Assumptions and sources
Each grass is described by how far it would roll a ball off a Stimpmeter (its Stimpmeter-equivalent speed). Using the same roll model as our calculator — rolling resistance from the Stimpmeter reading, rising slightly as the ball slows — the tool works backwards from the ball stopping just past the hole to find the starting speed.
There is very little published Stimpmeter data for fairways or fringes. Based on mowing heights (greens 4–5 mm, fairways around 13 mm), measurements that higher cuts roll less, and calculations showing rolling resistance near 0.2 even at Stimp 4 ft, we estimate the fringe at roughly half the green speed and the fairway at a little over a third. These are estimates: check them on the course and correct them as numbers.
Even with a putter the ball leaves the ground a little (20–30 cm on a firm stroke). The carry comes from the same impact calculation as the Putt Stroke Simulator (3° of loft), and the grass is assumed not to slow the ball while it is in the air.
Not included: speed lost to the grass on landing, the brief skid after landing, the ball sitting down in the grass, grain, and different slopes in different sections. The slope is taken as uniform from the ball to the hole.
About this tool
Putting from just off the green — the “Texas wedge” — keeps mistakes small and is a strong option for amateurs. The hard part is judging pace: how much the long grass will slow the ball is left to feel. This tool calculates that slowdown from the grass speed and turns it into the putting distance you already know.
Just three distances and the green speed
Split the distance from ball to hole into fairway, fringe and green. Pacing it off is accurate enough. Grass speed can be picked as fast, normal or slow.
The answer is “a putt of so many metres on a flat green”
Pace is expressed in the most familiar unit: the length of a flat-green putt. A backswing estimate is shown too, but it varies by player, so start with “what length putt to hit”.
The breakdown shows where the ball is slowed
The table and diagram show how many metres of green each section is worth, so you can build a feel for what a metre of fringe or fairway means on the green.
FAQ
From the fringe, putter or wedge?
If the fringe is narrow, short and dry and the ball is sitting up, the putter usually gets closer. With more than 2–3 m off the green, long or wet grass, or a ball sitting down, the bounce becomes unpredictable and a chip-and-run with a wedge or hybrid can be better.
What should I enter for fairway speed?
If unsure, leave it on Normal. Choose Fast for firm summer fairways and Slow after rain or when the grass is a bit long. Checking what fraction of the green distance a ball rolls beside the practice green lets you enter it as a number.
How do I handle uphill and downhill?
Uphill, gravity acts as a brake, so hit it harder; downhill, softer. The tool treats the slope as uniform from ball to hole. If only the green is sloped, enter a slightly smaller slope than the green’s.