PHOENIX – When it comes to winning on the PGA Tour, the margin for error is razor-thin. A single stroke gained or lost on the greens can mean the difference between hoisting a trophy and missing a cut. And not all greens are created equal.
The surface beneath a golfer’s spikes might be just as important as their swing. Two of the most common putting surfaces in professional golf are Poa annua, commonly known as annual meadow grass, and Bermuda grass, which offer starkly different challenges for players. While some tour pros thrive on one and struggle on the other, data from strokes-gained putting and overall tournament scoring show clear trends.
Strokes-gained is a statistical measurement used on the PGA Tour to evaluate a player’s performance relative to the field. It compares a player’s performance in specific areas like putting, approach shots or driving to the average result in those categories. In putting, a player gaining strokes means they are outperforming the field on the greens, while a negative strokes-gained value indicates they are losing shots compared to their competitors.
While not all players look at strokes-gained or even care about the statistics, it is a way for players to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Jason Gore, former PGA player and executive vice president and chief player officer for the PGA, said it is an important metric for measuring the field of play.
“Absolutely, guys pay attention to strokes-gained and look at that stat to help them,” Gore said. “There’s obviously different levels of it. You get guys who don’t look at it at all, and you get guys that worship it. It’s just kind of a way to measure performance in different areas of the game, comparing everybody against somebody.”
The numbers suggest that understanding the nuances of these greens isn’t just a sidebar in a player’s game plan – it can dictate their entire strategy for a tournament, and possibly a whole season.
A pro’s strategy often starts with geography – where they live and practice shapes their comfort with different greens. Whether the player grew up as a West Coast kid playing on Poa or a Florida native playing on Bermuda, it can affect how well they can read green types.
PGA golfer Kevin Roy said there is an underlying favoritism for most golfers.
“I live in Florida. I’ve lived in Florida for over 12 years now, and Florida is very known for the Bermuda grass,” Roy said. “Playing out West in California for four years, most of the time we were on Poa. So I’ve kind of had a little bit of both. I typically prefer Bermuda now just because I’m way more used to it. I do think good Bermuda grass to putt on is awesome.”
Let’s break down how these two grasses differ and how that affects performances.
Golfers like Roy who prefer Bermuda tend to live in warm-weather climates like the Southeastern United States, where that grass is typically found. Courses like TPC Sawgrass, Bay Hill and Pinehurst are all examples of courses dominated by Bermuda greens. The grain of Bermuda greens significantly impacts putts, with the ball rolling faster or slower depending on whether it’s moving with or against the grain. Reading these greens correctly is a skill that separates a good putter from the great ones.
“If you’re looking at Bermuda green, you can actually tell the difference between (a) into-the-grain putt and a down-grain putt right off the bat,” Roy said. “A down-grain putt will typically be shinier and look more like a light green, and then if you turn around and look up the green, it’ll be more of a dark green and that’s typically into the grain.”
Players who grew up and live in the Southeast, such as Roy, Sungjae Im and Shane Lowry, often excel on Bermuda greens, giving them a leg up in experience. Strokes-gained putting data consistently shows that players who perform well on Bermuda tend to maintain a higher level of putting success across multiple events. At the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, winners have averaged 0.75 strokes-gained putting per round, nearly double the Poa annua average at Torrey Pines.
Bermuda greens also tend to produce lower overall tournament scores. In recent years, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill has seen winning scores in the range of 10- to 18-under par, whereas Poa-based events like the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach often struggle to break double digits under par.
The staggering differences in scores between Bermuda and Poa annua show the challenges that Poa brings to the table, along with the patience needed to perform well on them.
“It’s a lot based on how much play it gets, what time of the day it is and a lot of it is just bad attitude, to be honest,” Gore said. “There’s a lot of guys that just don’t like putting Poa greens and it’s really about patience. There’s multiple different types of Poa and they can all grow together and grow at different paces, different speeds.”
Poa annua, a grass notorious for its late-day bumpiness and unpredictability, is most commonly found in cool-season areas like the West Coast. Courses such as Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines and Riviera Country Club are all dominated by Poa annua greens. Players who struggle with Poa often cite its inconsistency, as the grass grows at different rates throughout the day. Kevin Casey, a researcher at Golf Channel, said making putts in the afternoon is far more difficult than those in the morning.
“The greens get so bumpy, especially later in the day,” Casey said. “And if a putt hits a bump, it can kick offline that you can’t plan for. Basically, what I am noting is on Poa, there are so many instances where you can do everything right on the putt – right line, right speed – and the ball does not go in because it happened to hit a random bump that kicks it offline.”
Statistically, Poa annua greens yield lower strokes-gained putting averages compared to other surfaces. Data from the PGA Tour shows that players typically see a decline of 0.1 to 0.3 strokes gained per round on Poa compared to Bermuda. This difference may seem marginal, but it can add up to a full stroke or more throughout a four-round tournament, often the difference between a top-10 finish and falling out of contention.
Over the past five years at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, which has Poa annua greens, winners have averaged just 0.37 strokes-gained putting per round, statistically lower than the tour average of 0.5. Even elite putters like Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have seen their putting stats dip when faced with Poa’s unpredictable rolls.
Having the ability to differentiate between the two greens can separate an average player from an elite one. The same goes for the average golfer.
On certain days, putts may hop off the face or wobble unpredictably, especially on Poa greens. These inconsistencies mirror the challenges faced by professionals who deal with them while competing for major championships. The key difference is that while PGA Tour players manage these conditions under pressure, amateurs often navigate them in casual rounds.
Even outside of professional competition, recognizing whether a putt is into or against the grain or whether the surface might influence the ball’s path can play a critical role in scoring, regardless of skill level.
“Not a lot of everyday golfers really even know the difference or anything,” Roy said. “They just go out and pack it around and guess on the reads and stuff.”
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