It seems I’m among the few who detest a speedy green.
Take May 24 for example — Los Robles Golf Course in Thousand Oaks, CA.
Los robles translates to the oaks, appropriately.
Staring down an uphill thirty footer, I know I’ll have to give it some gas to make it to the hole (so I thought).
The putt played more like a downhill ten footer. Unfortunately, I (with the help of these marble greens) sent my putt fifteen feet long. At that point, I’m beside myself.
As a regular on municipal greens that run a little fuzzy, I’ve become accustomed to really pushing the ball toward the hole if I want to get it there. My miss may frequently be short, and I’m improving, but I’ve come to terms with that type of miss.
A fast green requires much less club, but much more care. I’m not familiar with a fast green. A fast green scares me.
Perhaps my distaste for fast greens exposes something in me — a desire for a safer route, even when on the outside, I portray a laissez-faire, confident persona (both on and off the golf course). I’d rather be short and learn what the terrain is doing than run the risk of overshooting.
Again, I ask, what does this say about me?
One might suggest that a slow green presents an equally difficult challenge — finding it within yourself to be brave, to hit the ball. That may be true, but it seems with a slow green, it’s only a matter of time before you push your way to the pin. With a fast one, it seems there’s a cliff on the other side of the hole, and if you’re strong, your ball could find itself long gone.
While there may be a philosophical reason I enjoy a slow green, it’s more plausible that it’s because those are the greens I’m familiar with. That is the simple answer anyway. I’m used to slower greens, so when I find myself sending putts long on a fast one, I blame the grass. I blame the green itself for my blunders. Perhaps there’s merit to that, perhaps there’s not.
I do know this: there’s wisdom in knowing which kind of green you’re standing on.
Contrary to their adjectives, a slow green invites power, courage, and action, while a fast green encourages patience and discernment.
Know the green on which you stand, and behave accordingly — in golf and in life.
Many of life’s moments are found on a slow green, ripe for a bold stroke of courage. Many too are life’s moments lived on a fast green, where a quiet, calculated gesture might result in the outcome you desire.
Cheers,
Luke Mangan
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