Extreme Green Part of Fan Experience at Simmons Bank Open

Extreme Green Part of Fan Experience at Simmons Bank Open

By Dave Allen

Aqua Greens’ guitar-shaped island green figures to be a big attraction for spectators at next week’s Simmons Bank Open, but for those who want to work on their putting and short-game touch, Aqua Greens’ owner Matt Gault has something in store for them as well.

Gault is also the owner of the Extreme Green, a versatile putting green that can be adjusted by foot to create hundreds of combinations of slope and break. With the Extreme Green, you can practice and simulate the same types of putts you’re likely to encounter on the course, from breaking putts to slick downhill putts to knee-knocking 3-foot putts. The unit is highly durable and easy to assemble and disassemble, and comes without the massive price tag that comes with many electric-powered units. With the Extreme Green, you simply kick in the adjustable side panels to increase the pitch, or slope, on the putting surface.

“I’m extremely excited about bringing the Extreme Green to the Simmons Bank Open,” said Gault. “It’s a great product that needs to be seen by serious golfers looking to improve their putting game. It spans a wide range of applications for anyone who’s interested in packing a tour-quality green into a small area.”

The guitar green will be joined by two Extreme Green units in The Sandtrap Fan Zone behind the 14th green at The Grove, host site of the Simmons Bank Open. One green is 8’ x 24’ and the other 4’ x 14’. The larger 8’ x 24’ green is a Pro Extreme Green, which has a thicker, more durable aluminum base than the 4’ x 14’ Executive Green model. The height and size of the adjustable side panels, or foot wedges, are also larger.

“The Pro model is big, bad and mean!” says Gault. “It’s made of very rugged materials, and is designed for aggressive commercial use.”

The 8’ x 24’ unit also comes with a chipping mat, which allows people to hit short chips and pitches to a true-to-life green surface with actual slope and break to it.

A third 6’ x 18’ Pro Extreme Green will be making an appearance at the Puppies & Golf Barkin’ Bash event in downtown Nashville (Plaza at Bridgestone Arena) on Tuesday evening, May 4th. The event helps celebrate CBS golf reporter Amanda Balionis’ new non-profit organization, Puppies & Golf, whose mission is to protect and connect rescue dogs with Military veterans and other people in need of canine companionship. Those who attend will get the chance to meet adoptable dogs from the Nashville Humane Association, while also enjoying live music, food, drinks and a game of putt-putt on the Extreme Green.

For those who do get to putt on one of the three Extreme Green surfaces, they’ll find that the putting turf is as good as anything they’ve ever putted on. Gault sought out the advice of several top teaching professionals and sampled a number of different carpets before settling on one he liked.

“I’m pretty stoked about the performance and quality of the carpet,” said Gault, who estimates the speed of the surface to be approximately 10-1/2-to-11 on the Stimpmeter. “It’s a multi-directional turf that doesn’t get lost in the grain from the factory. No matter where you’re putting from, the fibers won’t grab the ball and lead it in a certain direction. That’s an important component for our putting turf because we want to be able to simulate real-world conditions as much as possible.”

The Simmons Bank Open, which benefits the Brandt Snedeker Foundation, takes place May 6-9 at The Grove in College Grove, located 35 miles south of Nashville. Spectators can test out their putting stroke on the two Extreme Greens at The Sandtrap on all four days of the Korn Ferry Tour event, while watching many of the future stars of tomorrow on the PGA Tour. Snedeker, the 2012 FedExCup champion, was a two-time champion on the Korn Ferry Tour (formerly the Nationwide Tour). Will Zalatoris, who recently finished runner-up at The Masters, competed and won on the Korn Ferry Tour just last year.

For ticket information and a full schedule of events, visit www.simmonsbankopen.com.

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