A full planar surface on a golf green is a slope with a single, continuous gradient, without any humps or borrows. Why is that important to understand? Let’s take a look.
Greens have planar and non-planar features.
Greens keepers are supposed to put the flag on planar surfaces.
Here is the suggestion as written
The USGA course rating system says, “The slope of a major portion of a putting green should usually not be greater than 3 percent (1.7 degrees), although some areas may exceed this for special reasons, such as difficult terrain or dramatic architectural effect. Based on current information, any slope 3% (1.7 degrees) or greater on a 10′ Stimpmeter reading is too steep for hole use.
Note: The area around a hole that is full planar would normally be a 10 to 15 foot area.
PDF: Putting Green Speeds, Slopes, and. “Non-Conforming” Hole Locations. When selecting a hole location on your greens, there are several factors to consider.
Is this the case all the time?
Probably…
Other areas are full planar, but
are more than (3%) 1.7 degrees slope
This green map is in degrees of slope.
Note: Some previous hole locations are black dots
Why do I say probably?
Here are the general guidelines from the R&A and USGA:
An area two to three feet in radius around the hole should be in good condition without any steep slopes or, if possible, any changes in the degree of slope. In other words, the green in the holing-out area should be as nearly level as possible and of uniform grade, but it need not be exactly level. In no case should holes be located in tricky places or on sharp slopes where a ball can gather speed. A player above the hole should be able to putt with a reasonable degree of boldness, and not purely defensively.
Championship greens should be fast and uniformly paced, firm but resilient. They should place a premium on well-executed shots, while exacting a penalty for less precise shots.
I play on a course with championship greens which I have mapped myself. There aren’t a lot of places on our greens with less than 3% slope in a 10 – 15 foot area.
What is 3% slope in degrees? It’s approximately 1.7 degrees which is reasonable slope. The USGA says that should be the maximum under normal conditions.
Unusual conditions would be a tournament for example. Those conditions are left up to the Tournament Committee.
Full Planar vs Non-Planar
In fact, there are places on our Championship Par 3 course where you can have a full planar hole location and if you are above the hole on another tier… you can putt right off the green.
There are also times, when the hole is not in an area where the slope is less than 3% around the hole. That’s when I have choice words for the greens keeper.
I’ve played on a U.S. Open qualifying course in Illinois.
If your approach shots aren’t great and you need a bus and a cab to get to the hole… good luck.
Is the hole location full planar? Yup, but there are hills and valleys all the way to the hole.
Conclusion
What is the purpose of this article besides knowing what full planar means?
Let’s say your putter face at impact is perfect. You start the ball on your intended start line. The speed of your putt is perfect. Everything is right on the money.
Does that mean you make the putt?
Absolutely not. If you can’t read greens, you have nothing.
So, here is a good idea. Practice reading greens.
Something I’ve learned to do more of.
As the following video suggests, I’ve been focusing on the area around the hole.
The ball slows down there and break affects the ball more as it slows down.
In fact, they and others suggest paying close attention to the area from two thirds of way thru the putt to the hole.
I’m trying to train myself to read putts with my feet and eyes.
I use apps to help me read slope and break.
I’ve changed my mind about an app that I have and would suggest using it.
It’s called Tour Read. Here is their website.
Also, here a great video by Golf Science Lab and the owner of Tour Read.