Condition of your course as Spring arrives

[SS2]

For the first time in 12 years, my course Cawder, near Glasgow http://www.cawdergolfclub.co.uk/index.asp is still asking us to use mats and has still closed the 4 signature holes (which are low lying and have lots of water) so we are playing the winter layout. Normally, the winter layout ends around the end of February as does the requirement to use mats. Is this just because I am cursed/blessed to live in Scotland and play at a parkland course? Our greens, which in peak summer are as good as you can get, have been hollow-tyned and sanded and the greenkeepers haven't finished fannying around with the 3rd green.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone else playing at parkland courses in Scotland, have you got similar problems ?

 

[LegendOle]

Still using mats at my course (Balmore) but I dont think we will be for much longer. Greens still have irrigation marks but other than that, the course is looking in good nick. Confident the irrigation marks will have grown over by early summer.

 

[SS2]

It's 22 years since I played Balmore... but I drive past the wee road that leads up to it nearly every day !

 

[McCojac]

I think it's just more to do with the unbelievably wet winter that the West of Scotland has had this winter, by the way it's still God's Country but just a bit damp at the minute, you can never described it to be cursed to live there if it was the South of England thats a different matter.

 

[brendy]

Our course is back onto the full length as of last week. Each of the last two close seasons we have lifted a green and replaced the clay base for a better draining soil and installation of new drains under each.
The 18th was done last year and 8th was done this year and we are back playing on the new 8th already, parts of the green have sunk fractionally which is being worked on but its ten times better than the temp green we had to endure through the winter months. New drainage down the side of our problematic par 5 16th has also improved noticeably and now the bunkers protecting the new greens are perfectly dry too instead of the 6 inches of water they were previously holding.

 

[SS2]

Yes, this winter has been pretty incessantly wet

In general we are blessed being in the West of Scotland but the weather, the M8 and the Old Firm sectarian nonsense does take the shine off it a bit.

 

[LegendOle]

Old Firm sectarian nonsense does take the shine off it a bit.

Thats why its better to be like me and be a Jag!!!

 

[SS2]

Indeed

SS2 (Paisley Buddie)

 

[McCojac]

Or a Steelman from Motherwell!!!!!
You can be from the West of Scotland without being a bigot.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Played Royal Ascot today. Not actually as wet given all the rain and snow we have had in the last few days. No mats but some of the greens were in a bad way. They are bare in places and patch elsewhere and bobbly.

I'm hoping thats to do with the weather and amount of players this weekend. I know they had been hollow coring them over the last few weeks too. Wasn't happy with the overall state. One bunker had huge stones in.

As it is still a young and maturing course its easy to be over critical but I have to say comparing it with last year (after the really wet winter) it isn't looking as good at this time of year.

Still clocks change next Sunday so I'm sure it will improve quickly with some sun

 

[SS2]

The first two weeks of April 2007 were fantastic in Scotland and the course really bloomed. Hoping for the same this year to at least dry the place out.

 

[thecraw]

Our course (Ranfurly Castle) is the same, we have had to do another hollow core and sand again last week just because of the amount of rain that we have had in the west of Scotland. The course is still decent enough but badly needs some heat to get the place growing again.

Love Cawder and never played Balmore, we should all hook up and incidently I cant stand the Old Farm either!!!!

 

[mboy1980]

My course (Gourock) is still pretty wet and we are still using mats.

Oh and being a season ticket holder at Celtic Park I can confirm that there is nothing wrong with the Old Firm(apart from the Huns)

 

[clubchamp07]

Our course is in good shape for this time of year. The greens were a bit soft and bumpy on Saturday but hopefully that will sort itself out.

Was talking to a guy who played another course 20 miles from our course and he said it wasn't in as good a shape as our's.

 

[Boabski]

shotts is on full course, fairways opened this week and the , great nick for this time of year

 

[birdieman]

Ballater under 3" of snow since Friday but was in great nick before then, full greens in operation and no standing water.
Bloody snow!

 

[McCojac]

I've been fortunate my course(1 week left of my membership, before I move to Colchester) is Tidworth, which has been in fantastic condition, because of it's chalk base it drains nearly instantly so we get to play full course all year with no need for preferred lies.(Which I am going to miss)
My Dad visited last week from Motherwell and he couldn't believe how good the course was for this time of year considering how wet his home course,Carluke is at the moment.

 

[Dodger]

Well chaps my course has the opposite problem at the moment (Goswick G.C.).It is in fairly good nick,greens are great with the full course back in a weeks time but the 1 problem we look like having as in last year is the course is too dry!We have had next to no rain to speak of and have now had roughly 3 months worth of high winds and the course is taking on an almost brown colour which should it continue thro to May like last year is not ideal.

 

[Parmo]

The course isn't that bad, the fairways need cutting shorter but due to the rain and things it is kind of rough/fairway in parts with no outline. The greens seem pretty ok, because the course doesn't have a sprinkling system the greens suffer in the summer once the fair weather golfers start, and yesterday it seems they have started hacking away.

We are still playing on two winter greens - one is about 10 yards wide cut into a hill from about 100 yards Par 3, total nightmare if you miss it and a card wrecker, the normal green is big and on top of the slope and the right side up to it is covered with trees. The mats are starting to get on my nerves as they are not in good nick and trying to get a tee straight is a pain, other than that all is well.

Has anyone else noticed fair weather golfers hacking away again?

 

[stevelockie]

Muckhart is in excellent condition. We have been off front tees and have had to move our balls to the semi rough over the winter, the fairways are looking good. Lots of tees have been relaid and are looking fantastic.
Been on full greens for most of the winter. Have to say everything is looking pretty much perfect for the new season!