Golf Digest: What\u2019s the most important agronomic concept that you wish golfers would understand?<\/p>\n
\u200aAllen: There has always been a need for speed on the greens. That\u2019s the most important thing, and that\u2019s how golf courses are judged. That couldn\u2019t be further from the truth.<\/p>\n
The USGA has come out with the GS3 ball, and I used one at Chatham Hills. \u200aIt measures smoothness, trueness, firmness and then speed. We\u2019ve learned that if you can get a green that\u2019s smooth, true and firm, then speed doesn\u2019t even matter. It has no effect on it.<\/p>\n
There are guys that are hardcore speed-centric people that will say, \u201cThese are the fastest greens we\u2019ve ever played on.\u201d I\u2019ll tell them, \u201cNo, they\u2019re still 11 on the Stimpmeter, but they\u2019re the smoothest greens you\u2019ve ever played on.\u201d Agronomically, you really have to balance everything when it comes to your cultural and mechanical practices, not just focusing on speed.<\/p>\n
![\"https:\/\/www.golfdigest.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2025\/2\/GS3-ball-usga.jpg\"\/](\"https:\/\/golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2025\/2\/GS3-ball-usga.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.644.suffix\/1739378241196.jpeg\")
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Photo: Kyle LaFerriere\/USGA<\/p>\n
Golf Digest: That\u2019s really interesting how speed can sometimes be a misnomer.<\/p>\n
Allen: We have a gentleman that we worked with named John Riley, and instead of \u201cspeed,\u201d he calls it \u201cfarness.\u201d That\u2019s really what most people are measuring when they think that they\u2019re measuring speed. A Stimpmeter measures how far the ball goes, which is not necessarily how fast the greens are.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a completely different concept that we\u2019re learning with the GS3, which measures how quickly the ball stops instead of just how far it goes. There\u2019s a difference. With the GS3, it\u2019s all about how quickly the ball stops.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a concept that we\u2019re trying to change because we can\u2019t keep up with some courses. It\u2019s a budgetary thing \u2013 the shorter the grass, the more intensive you do it, the more expensive it is. Plus, not every course wants to be at a 13 on the Stimp.<\/p>\n
With greens at some Golden Age courses, they are so sloped that speed ruins them. You\u2019ll get only three pinnable locations. If we can start to change the narrative from \u201cSpeed is king,\u201d to \u201cSpeed is important, but smoothness, trueness and firmness also matter a lot.\u201d I don\u2019t know anybody that likes to play on soft greens. So, if you can balance those three factors, then speed doesn\u2019t matter. You\u2019re going to have a great time.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s counterintuitive to what we\u2019re used to because it\u2019s been so ingrained to think \u201cHow fast are the greens?\u201d The reality is it doesn\u2019t matter because I can make a fast green, and it can be as bumpy as throwing gravel down on a road. Is that what you want? Of course not. You want a harmonised green, and having all of those other factors in alignment is going to make your golfing experience much better.<\/p>\n