Can Golfers Blame the Grass?

First posted on 01-11-2010

Golfers know that a good golf ball lie can make the difference between a birdie and a bogey. But can golfers blame the grass for a bad lie?

A recent University of Arkansas study is attempting to answer that question.

Jon Trappe, a University of Arkansas Department of Horticulture program technician, and horticulture professors Aaron Patton, Doug Karcher and Mike Richardson created a study to measure golf ball lie among bermudagrass, zoysiagrass and their cultivars - the two most common turfgrasses on Arkansas fairways.

“Determining which cultivars of these species have the best ball lie will ultimately allow superintendents to improve playing conditions on golf courses,” the study said.

Richardson, Patton and Karcher helped spearhead research last year on developing a method to accurately measure golf ball lie using digital image analysis. Their digital imaging system was used to measure golf ball lie on different grass plots.

For the study, the group maintained 12 plots of grass - five bermudagrass cultivars and seven zoysiagrass cultivars - under golf course fairway conditions. The plots were given regular applications of nitrogen and mowed to a height of a half-inch. Golf ball lie was measured twice immediately after mowing and three times on plots not mowed for four days. Three golf balls were randomly rolled onto each plot and then measured.

Golfers assume that freshly mowed grass will have a better ball lie than unmowed grass, and the data backs that up. On average, the data showed an average of 95 percent of the ball exposed on mowed plots, while unmowed plots averaged less than 90 percent of the ball exposed.

Traditionally, zoysiagrass has been said to provide a good golf ball lie due to the strength and density of its rigid leaves, which originate lower on the stem.

Despite this anecdotal evidence, the study indicated that bermudagrass - particularly hybrid bermudagrass - created better golf ball lies. When differences were observed, bermudagrass showed a 1 percent better ball lie compared to zoysiagrass on mowed plots and 1 to 6 percent better ball lie in unmowed plots.

The cultivars with the best ball lie were Patriot, Princess-77, Tifsport and Tifway bermudagrass, as well as Cavalier, Diamond, El Toro and Zorro zoysiagrass. Palisades zoysiagrass consistently had the poorest ball lie in unmown conditions.

Although these differences exist, their impact on a player’s shot is unclear, the study said. More research is needed to establish the link between golf ball lie and how difficult that lie makes a golf shot.