The normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) is a commonly used light reflectance index in agriculture. For turfgrass research, color and herbicide phytotoxicity have historically been subjectively rated by human evaluators. Prior research has related NDVI to creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) (R² = 0.50) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb) (R² = 0.80) color, and bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers] herbicide phytotoxicity (R² = 0.37). Recent engineering advances have enabled researchers to collect NDVI data using hand-held sensors such as the GreenSeeker^TM hand-held (NTech Industries, Inc., Ukiah, CA) and the FieldScout CM1000 (Spectrum Technologies, Plainfield, IL). We hypothesized that NDVI measurements associated with turfgrass color vary based on hand-held NDVI measuring equipment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of two hand-held NDVI measuring devices for turfgrass research. This work was conducted at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. Field plots (1.5 x 1.5 m) of bermudagrass, tall fescue, and creeping bentgrass with 24 replications were evaluated in a randomized complete block design. The experiment was repeated four times during 2009 and 2010. Treatments included: 1) human evaluation; 2) GreenSeeker^TM hand-held NDVI measurement; and 3) FieldScout CM1000 NDVI measurement. Analysis of variance and mean separations were completed using the SAS statistical software GLM procedure (SAS Institute, Cary, NC) at P = 0.05. Correlation and coefficient of determination statistical analysis was completed using Microsoft Excel software at P = 0.05. There was a significant difference between NDVI ratings with the GreenSeeker^TM and FieldScout CM1000 devices. NDVI readings with the FieldScout CM1000 were consistently 0.05 to 0.10 higher than NDVI readings with the GreenSeeker^TM regardless of turfgrass species. There was a significant NDVI reading correlation between the GreenSeeker^TM and FieldScout CM 1000 devices for all species with coefficient of determinations ranging from 0.52 to 0.64 depending on turfgrass species.