Hard, fast and difficult!

[delc]

Following a long dry spell of weather with plenty of sunshine (is this really the UK) our course has become really hard and fast. Our head green keeper does not believe in watering greens, as the grass then has to search deep for water and you get a better root structure and less chance of diseases. As a result the greens have gone from being a bit slow and soft to lightning fast and rock hard in the course of only a few weeks. This presents a number of difficulties, in that even perfectly struck short iron shots tend to bounce off the greens like ping pong balls, and downhill chips and putts just keep rolling, often right off the green. I played about as well as I can the other day and only scored 29 points! How are other people's courses faring in the dry weather?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

The courses in the majority will be the same around the south - about 3 weeks behind in growth and needing rain over the next couple of weeks

Not watering greens over a consistent dry spell won't be good for the greens - whilst it may stop disease it could encourage the ground to break up and cracks in the green if not careful.

 

[Spuddy]

No problems here with hard greens but then it is raining........

 

[patricks148]

I suppose that is one of the things about golf, you have to play the conditions as well as the course.

Tain about 5 years ago was like concrete, you were hitting sand wedge in from 150 yards and still struggled to hold the green.

 

[Imurg]

The only fairway woods I hit today were 2 tee shots with the 3 wood and one 5 wood from 1st cut after a dodgy drive with the 3 wood....all other approaches were irons or hybrid - even into par 5's and our long par 4's. I made the green on our 450 yard par 4 hitting driver and 6 iron.....
The ball's running!!!!
Needs some rain and we're going to get some this weekend and next week.

 

[JohnnyDee]

We've tined, scarified and top-dressesed this week and could really do with a deluge to water it all in. Playing this afternoon it was very apparent that within the space of a week we've gone from soft receptive greens straight to semi rock-hard Summer fizzers.

But then this is The UK and I wouldn't want a Head Greenkeeper's job if it paid a squillion pounds.

 

[duncan mackie]

We are keping the moisture levels between 20-30% but the biggest issue is the difference between high points and low points on the greens. The current solution is hand watering but it's a significant maintenance overhead for our staff.
Counter intuitively tighter firm greens will hold better to a properly struck and spun shot than grassy hard ones - but there's nothing you can do when the ball bounces.....Other than land it short!

 

[delc]

I wondered how they did it for the par-3 competition at The Masters? Most of the tee shots seemed to zip back when they landed, but the greens seemed firm enough not to leave any pitch marks where the ball landed.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Very hard and fast all of a sudden. The rain due Sunday and some warmth will be perfect growing conditions and expecting the fairways and rough to lush up.

 

[mcbroon]

I wondered how they did it for the par-3 competition at The Masters? Most of the tee shots seemed to zip back when they landed, but the greens seemed firm enough not to leave any pitch marks where the ball landed.

Dunno. Probably something to do with the difference in ability between chompers like us and, say, Rory McIlroy.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

Played in a scratch competition in Wiltshire this week. They cut the green really low and then ironed them! Result - best score 4 over gross and the comp made reduction only. You were having to bounce the ball onto greens from 20 yards back on a course not designed to be a links course. Made the competition a lottery and not a sensible test of golf. We watched 3 groups of players try to hold a ball on a green from less than 60 yards and not one could. Highest handicap was 4.

 

[Tiger man]

Following a long dry spell of weather with plenty of sunshine (is this really the UK) our course has become really hard and fast. Our head green keeper does not believe in watering greens, as the grass then has to search deep for water and you get a better root structure and less chance of diseases. As a result the greens have gone from being a bit slow and soft to lightning fast and rock hard in the course of only a few weeks. This presents a number of difficulties, in that even perfectly struck short iron shots tend to bounce off the greens like ping pong balls, and downhill chips and putts just keep rolling, often right off the green. I played about as well as I can the other day and only scored 29 points! How are other people's courses faring in the dry weather?

Ours is looking scraggy and is very fast at the minute, April showers?