NATURAL BOUNCE - WHY IT MATTERS

Think of it this way. You are trying to improve your chip shot, and the artificial surface you are playing on will just not receive the ball accurately. No matter how accurate the shot is, the ball bounces and rolls off the back of the green—again. As an passionate golfer, you can look and tell that this green is not high-quality.

High-Quality artificial golf green features should include these priority reactions:

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

The primary objective 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 high-quality grass or not. If you are hitting a chip shot, you should be able to assume it will be received by the grass properly, bounce appropriately, and roll as expected.

If these major elements 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 and how it 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 using base, pad, sand, and fibers to attain like performance metrics. By researching natural green absorption, spin, and friction, Southwest Greens has been able to utilize a mix 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 synthetic grass, we conduct many tests, but here are the major ones you should understand.

BOUNCE TEST

Tru Firm: Calculate the shift of the surface to spot how the surface impact energy transfer.

Bounce: Proprietary device that mimics natural pitch shot approach angle and spin. This will Create a baseline and quantify the surface interaction which allows us to understand how the surface will accept a pitch shot.

Spin: Proprietary device that simulates natural spin. Standardize and collect data of the surface interaction to check how the friction of the ground changes ball spin will translate to performance.

THE SOUTHWEST GREENS DIFFERENCE

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

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

At Southwest Greens, we are experts in the art of installation to provide the finest playing surface available. This is how we manufacture our grass:

SUBGRADE

Taking into account where you live, the earth may be distinct from sand to clay to rock. Properly installed synthetic grass takes this into account, with a foundation developed to encourage proper drainage.

AGGREGATE BASE

Stone is utilized on top of the subgrade (ground) to help drainage and enable a properly constructed surface. It is imperative that the aggregate be constructed and compacted to valid depths. Typically, for golf uses, a second shaping aggregate is added to build undulations and breaks.

BACKING

Synthetic turf is developed by stitching the fiber through multi-layer backing. The backing, in turn, is protected with high-quality polyurethane to maintain the stitches.

INFILL

Crucial to the turf system, the infill is created 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 structures, colors, and lengths. Fabrics and product build 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 correct infill layers and synthetic 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 differ quite a bit from ordinary yard grass. Base work, cup placement, undulations, and turf selections are all necessary features of a synthetic 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 turf with the look, touch, and consistency of natural grass. It’s the turf preferred by amateurs and experienced golfers for their homes. In simple terms — it’s the most accurate playing surface available on the market today. Golden Bear is an excellent pick for more regularity and better predictability. Although installed with golf in mind, this long-lasting, high-quality grass is also beautiful and can provide lawn serenity.

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

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

Our Golden Bear Turf offers you championship-level bounce available in your own garden. Scientifically developed and tested to have 20-25% more ball retention than other leading artificial grass for real playability. Contact Southwest Greens of Tucson if you have more questions regarding the science.

LET’S FIND YOUR BACKYARD PUTTING GREEN

We’re prepared to help you discover the best solution for your backyard putting green. Connect with us when you’re ready to initiate your project.

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