How is your course holding up this winter - 2025

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I don’t believe that he is acting legally by pumping water onto your course. From a quick t’internat search

There is a right to natural drainage, known as the common law right to drainage, "This means that water flowing naturally across the surface of the land is permitted to flow downhill naturally onto your neighbour’s land."

But any kind of interference would mean the flow is no longer considered "natural", as the council's advice continues. "You must not channel the flow of water in such a way as to cause damage to your neighbour’s land.

The farmer has excavated a huge high-sided reservoir on his land to store fresh water (not runoff) for his fruit crop - this is at the bottom of a long slope adjacent to the course . The up-hill high side of the reservoir acts as a dam to rainfall runoff coming down the slope. When this ‘dammed’ water reaches as high as he can (or wants to) let it, he pumps it into a small (already full) holding pond immediately adjacent to the course boundary that sits on the natural watercourse. The water from this overflows then follows the natural watercourse across the course and, given the volume of rainfall these last 2-3 yrs, it floods us.

We have been forced into doing a lot of costly flood mitigation work (raising fairways, digging ditches and ponds) to contain and manage the flow across the course and minimise impact on fairways. That said, we are making features of this work…might as well…and they have, and will, add to the golfing challenge. But in truth we could well have done without it.

The work we have done over the last two years on three holes has certainly helped…indeed it has largely worked…but we still need to do more work on one further hole…raising a stretch of fairway and some ‘rough’ area, and digging a ditch following the natural watercourse across the raised area to the course boundary.

 

[sjw]

Our fairways are about a 2/10 at the moment. It seems the better drive you hit, the worse lie you receive.

The greens are much better, and considering the rain we had this week, actually pretty good. Front nine, 6/10, back 9, 8/10 (for the time of year)

 

[rudebhoy]

Ours is the best it's been over the winter in the 7 or 8 years I've been a member. In the past we've had temporary greens on for weeks on end. This winter we've had the main greens on most of the time, only exception has been for frost, and even then they try to get them on if it warms up during the day. The course itself has been the driest I can remember, not sure if thats down to weather, improved drainage or improved working practices, probably a bit of everything. Greens are a bit bobbly, but it's February, I can live with that.

Only thing I haven't liked was a stipulation that mats had to be used in the semi-rough. We had that for about 2 weeks when we had a series of heavy frosts which never lifted. Thankfully that stipulation has now been removed.

 

[patricks148]

absolutely no idea not been anywhere near it in 6 months

 

[chrisd]

We're closed at the moment (mid Kent) and its currently raining. I've no desire to swim round the course but hope the forecast is right with no rain from tomorrow for the next week. I do have an hour booking in he indoor studio tomorrow so that should loosen me up

 

[Mandofred]

My course here in town has done better. It was closed a LOT last year and I think they have made a conscious effort to keep it open more this year to get people to the course/clubhouse and spend money. If the stories I've heard are correct, the course had a bunch of drains on the course that had kind of been forgotten about and have now been mostly cleared of roots etc and that seems to have helped. Several more ditches going in at some point which will help a tiny amount. It's clay....if it rains a lot you are screwed, but getting as much water off the course as possible has seemed to be doing some good. Other than spending a gazillion Pounds and shipping in sand by the boat load....there's only so much you can do.

 

[IanM]

It's relative. The members where I play locally would tell you it's doing great. Good greens and holding up well.

Took two of them to the links last week. Their putts went off the green and they were shocked at the difference in condition.

Can't do much about soil and climate

 

[sunshine]

The answer to this question is all relative. I can see people mentioning good fairways, but then they are playing off mats, and I also see references to temp greens and winter tees.

I don't have any weather stats, but my impression is that November and December were reasonably dry and mild. My course held up well. The weather has turned colder and wetter since January, with the consequence that my course has been closed a bit, including last weekend. We are 6 weekends into the year: it's been closed twice, I've played twice, I've had other things on twice. That feels average for winter.

I play at a clay based parkland course:
- The greens are excellent, for the last couple of years we've dumped a lot of sand on them and the result is they are prob just as good now in winter as many other courses in summer.
- Tees are good too, we are going through a tee rebuilding programme and they are in good nick.
- Older bunkers flood quickly, we're in the middle of replacing them so have a lot of bunkers GUR this winter, will be great in 2027.
- Fairways are generally ok, with some dodgy areas. We invested in drainage last year, too early to say if it has worked, but remedial work is needed this spring to fix storm damage.
- One hole is bordered by large houses, over the last 10 years these have been bought by developers and converted into luxury flats. Previously each house had a large garden but now the flats have car parks, tennis courts and iceberg basements, this is definitely increasing the amount of water draining on to the course.
- Off the fairways is boggy, the walks from tee to fairway are the only areas where the course gets muddy.

 

[Orikoru]

It was still holding up great through January, but probably starting to struggle a bit now. Very damp today. Fortunately the worst affected areas are not usually on the fairway, it's in areas you'd have to hit a bad shot to find anyway. The greens are still excellent though. We're not in a good draining area but they've done a good job improving the drainage on some of the affected greens and this has worked well.

Course was closed yesterday and today due to the persistent rain. They tend to get it open on weekends and just close it on the weekdays so it can recover a bit while it's still peeing down.

 

[MACM85]

Had a few days closed at Guildford where the frost/snow has been in or persistant rain. Odd temp green during the week to let the course rest for the weekend. Haven't had a day shut on a weekend so far

 

[Crazyface]

Fairways ok. Greens are rubbish. But apparently we have a new mower for the greens and the last time I was there, last Sunday, it had obviously been used to cut the greens which looked dreadful. But, it will mean our greenkeepers will be off work more as they are not used to using their legs.