course closed!!

[pierreman]

God almighty, went to the course this morning, bit of rain last night and this morning. Sun splitting the skys. Arrive at the course, its closed. Ok there were few puddles on the course, but no too bad, greens clear. They closed it. Surely a puddle is standing water and can be played around.

getting a bit miffed, course closes nearly antime there is rain. Probably only open 7-9 months a year! Membership goes on to next april. Considering changing then.

Does anyone else have similar probs at their course if so, how do you handle the frustration and the feeling of being taken for a mug!

 

[DCB]

I understand the frustration that this causes, but, I would far rather the course was closed due to inclement weather at this time of year rather than wait for it to get itself together after having been hammered over a wet weekend in April.

Anyway summer is just round the corner so we won't have to worry about bad weather when summer comes !

 

[madandra]

I got a text at 8am this morning saying our course was closed and it was snowing.

 

[benny]

Know the feeling mate - my course gets closed quite a bit and sometimes it can really piss me off, but i just keep focused on the condition of the course when we play all our majors in summer - its going to be a beauty then. It is so hard to accept sometimes, especially if you've been grafting all week and want to play a round, but you just have to get on the range instead and keep your eyes on the bigger prize - its more or less the same wherever you go nowadays.

Someone should invent indoor golf.

 

[TonyN]

Nothing worse i know. As a sporting family, our boxing day MUST consist of sport, this year, it was golf and everywhere was shut. Find 1 place open, a muni, and it was terrible. Was so frustrated.

(benny, any chance of editing your post please mate, we have kids read through here)

 

[Basher]

Very frustrating situation.

I don't think they close courses just for a laugh. They obviously had concerns about protecting the course. Not to mention the H&S implications, remember, slips, trips and falls. Where there's blame, there's a claim. Sad but true, even on a golf course.

 

[Marko77]

So it wasn't just our course? Today's competition cancelled, course opened at 0930 albeit, 17 holes.

I wish I could take comfort in the thought that summer is coming but last years 'summer' is not giving me much to be hopeful about.

 

[StuartD]

Our course closed too.

I thought our opening day comp might have been rained of as it was wet this morning.

I was due off at 4.22 and i went up, as it has been sunny most of the day, to find the course was still closed no puddles to be seen anywhere at all.

 

[brendy]

Our course is open and ive actually managed to get a bit of a tan/burn, wind was not very strong but greens are getting faster, shot 1 over my handicap which Im not overly disgusted with as I couldnt hit my driver for love nor money in the first 7 holes then it all came together.
Best day of the year over here so far.

 

[theeaglehunter]

I've had sun shine all day in Cambridge and my course was open, not that I've had a chance to play a round though ...I've just been too busy.

Sorry to hear about you others who have got no golf either, hopefully tomoorow fairs better.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Course was open all day and to be honest looked in really good nick. They must have been out mowing the fairways yesterday as they were nice and short and you could see where they had contoured them against the light rough.

The greens are still a bit bare and bobbly in places but as our old friend on here greenkeep pointed out they haven't really had any growing weather yet. They aren't too bad at the moment so in general for the time of year I'm very happy with my course's condition

 

[geejayboy28]

As I said on a previous post........Im just starting back again after several years away from the game, and have been invited to a 'reception' for new members at my club tomorrow. Having spent this morning walking my dog, during which I failed to avoid several heavy rain showers and the odd burst of Hailstones, I dont feel overly confident that I will be joining the Captain and Committee members for a few holes............ Aye, all part of living in the NE Scotland, but hey there is always May, June, July........

 

[Greenkeeper]

What a horrible time us green keepers are having at the moment, Augusta on the telly with the pristine manicuring and us in the UK are getting absolutely no growth, snow, hailstone and frost..... and then comes the heaviest rainfall I have seen in a long time.

We have managed to stay open most of the year, closing only for snow. What a shock I got at 6.00am this morning when I arrived to work to see the course was under water. I admit I was embarrassed to close the course but as someone already pointed out, the sad world of H&S and ambulance chasers made it the sensible approach.

We got to work removing puddles and unblocking drains and managed to open at 9:30. After the hard and frantic work we sadly got greeted with abuse from the awaiting golfers????? Can we ever win!

I am not having a moan but today was a low point, and one of those days you feel somewhat unappreciated.

On the plus side, I am enjoying my favourite bottle of Red, watching the golf and dreaming of the summer sunshine.

Kindest Regards

Miserable Greenkeeper!!

 

[TonyN]

chin up greenkeeper, the more sensible amoungst us golfing lot appreciate you to no end. I have the deepest respect and praise for the green keepers at my local course because they do a fantastic job, and if they close the course or part of it, yeah its a bit cack but its worth it in the long run.

The same people who moaned at your would no doubt be the same ones moaning in the summer when the greens are playing cack or the fairways aint green.

At the end of the day, your the Greenkeeper for a reason, you didnt just get there by chance.

Hope you enjoyed the wine!

 

[DCB]

I played a spring comp on Saturday afternoon and to be honest. the course should have been closed. We had some very very heavy rain showers whilst we played and the ground could not cope with all the extra rainfall. It was already saturated from Friday evening/nights rainfall.
The damage done by all the footfall going on to certain Tees and by trollies atcertain bottleneck areas just turned the ground into a quagmire. Not nice at all.

Still managed to get another reasonable round under my belt, suffered with the cold as the afternoon went on but good to get out.

 

[viscount17]

my course is prone to flooding but considering that it's surrounded by water and built on a flood plain that should come as no surprise; consequently it does have to close from time to time. that doesn't stop some of the idiots complaining though.

we've also had some major work going on through the winter, which was inevitably delayed by the flooding earlier in the year. as a result we are still off a temporay tee on one hole. personally I'd rather we stayed on the temp and let the new tees establish than open them early and finish up on mud come the end of summer.

I also think that tee-pegs should be compulsory on all tees given how quickly some of the tees cut up.

 

[SammmeBee]

as our old friend on here greenkeep pointed out they haven't really had any growing weather yet.

Was he on holiday in February then??