How's Your Course Holding Up?

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Mine's fine...

 

[Val]

Warrington is in fine condition.
Being on a hilly site some bunkers are GUR because have filled with water.
Crazyface where are you playing in Cheshire?

Although I'm in Cheshire I play in Leeks Staffs. It's only 12 miles and 20 mins away. Why?? When I joined 8 years ago there wasn't a place to touch it member wise and certainly green wise, we had the "best greens in Staffs". If it rained the course drained very quickly. The best drainage of late was when the river burst it's banks about July last year and cleaned the drains out (we all think) the course drained great for about 2 weeks, then the puddles came back and haven't really gone away. So not anymore I'm afraid. I am looking at Macclesfield, who have improved their course immensely over the last two years, and Styal, who have a cheap membership that includes monitoring your H/C for you and you pay a reduced fee for their comps.

You should also consider Lymm. Easy to get to and a very good course always in decent nick.

 

[Jacko_G]

Both courses I play at are in outstanding condition. Then again I chucked inland golf a good few years ago now as it's just not economical. I was paying horrendous money for 6-8 months golf per year maximum. On top of that I would regularly find myself paying on to links courses throughout the winter to get my golf fix.

Sod that.

Now play golf 12 months of the year on dry fairways and good fast running greens. Also don't come off with mud up to my knees.

 

[WillC]

Mine is looking really good, very impressed with it.

We haven't had disastrous weather yet in Herts though, but fingers crossed it holds up over the winter

 

[Matty6]

No issues for us either. Fairways are in great nick even with the rain we’ve had recently. All greens had maintenance performed on them recently, and they’re still running great. To be fair our greens are fantastic all year round.

 

[Orikoru]

They've punched a load of holes in the green before last weekend (dunno what you call that - looks like a ski slope) which slowed them right up. I'm sure there's a need for it though. Rest of the course is fine. It was open all of last winter (only closed when fog reduced visibility too much) so hopefully same again this year.

 

[Captainron]

We have just started a load of bunker remodelling on the front nine. Course is playing really well though. Not boggy at all and the greens are running really really well.

 

[Jamesbrown]

Our clay based course is a little damp, doubt it’ll dry up now till next year. Still playable though and won’t go on to temp tees till November. Our other course is on Sand and dry all year.

 

[patricks148]

course is OK, greens running well considering.... only temporary. course closed for 3 days next week for Hollow tine and winter maintenance.

so rubbish for the next 6 months:sbox:

 

[garyinderry]

Have to say home course is in immaculate condition, placing on faiways but possibly could get away with even that if necessary

Where are you?


We haven't seen the ball bounce in months and we are one of the drier parkland courses in the area.

 

[KenL]

course is OK, greens running well considering.... only temporary. course closed for 3 days next week for Hollow tine and winter maintenance.

so rubbish for the next 6 months:sbox:

Does Nairn still use the large times?
Our course gets micro tined a few times over the year. That doesn't really affect the greens except for a day or two.

Dunbar is immaculate as it should hopefully be throughout the winter.

 

[jim8flog]

They've punched a load of holes in the green before last weekend (dunno what you call that - looks like a ski slope) which slowed them right up. I'm sure there's a need for it though. Rest of the course is fine. It was open all of last winter (only closed when fog reduced visibility too much) so hopefully same again this year.

If it's very fine holes that do not get filled with sand it's verti tining, it improves drainage and aids de-compaction. If it's big holes that later get filled with sand/soil and seed it's hollow ting which is done to brake up compaction, aerate the grass, adds more seed and sand and help drainage.

We do both types several times a year. Some courses also do slitting to break up compaction.

 

[Tashyboy]

Was on about this to our head green keeper today re a course having nine holes closed. He was not Suprised. Said it has been a real crap year for rain, said we have had far to much. The sprinklers have been on during the night only ten time this year, where as last year he lost count how many times they were on.

slightly off topic. Our tees we're hollow tinned last week the cores were dumped, I brought two bags home today for the front garden. It is the best soil I have ever had me hands on. Another couple of bags will be rescued on Thursday.

 

[The Boxman]

Considering the 130mm rain Bolton Old Links had in September the course has held up incredibly well. Greens are Amazing

 

[Face breaker]

Taught our club a lesson today 'why us greenies don't cut wet grass' they insisted we cut the fairways this morning, place looks a rite shithole now, clods of grass and brown tyre marks all over the place, we did say, they didn't listen...

Winter rules are in play, buggies are on the precipice of being banned, the grass is still piss wet till well after lunch and the ground is becoming softer by the day...

 

[Qwerty]

Considering the 130mm rain Bolton Old Links had in September the course has held up incredibly well. Greens are Amazing

Totally agree, the greens really are fantastic and the rest of the course has held up well considering the relentless rain the area has had recently.

 

[Jacko_G]

Was on about this to our head green keeper today re a course having nine holes closed. He was not Suprised. Said it has been a real crap year for rain, said we have had far to much. The sprinklers have been on during the night only ten time this year, where as last year he lost count how many times they were on.

slightly off topic. Our tees we're hollow tinned last week the cores were dumped, I brought two bags home today for the front garden. It is the best soil I have ever had me hands on. Another couple of bags will be rescued on Thursday.

A course I was once a member of used to use the cores to level off Tee's and build new Tee's with then. Compact them and leave them. By spring they had absolutely immaculate surfaces which cost them nothing to build.

 

[El Diablo]

As ever course condition depends mainly upon the levels of rain and what the course is built on (which drives most drainage) and i play 4 quite regularly.

First one is as ever pretty wet (river runs down one side) and several holes on the course is part of the flood plain and winter rules on from October 3rd. They also let the rough grow 3 to 5 inches and it is horrible due to how wet it is - hit it straight !

Other 2 heathland built on sand are surprise, surprise quite dry and no winter rules yet - worst thing is worm casts on the fairways and watching for the leaves falling which is gathering pace.

Fourth course built on clay so bad they are on winter rules and were temporarily allowing relief in the rough last week (clearly non quals before the rules police jump on it) but back to normal winter rules now.

 

[Sidsidgwick]

My local course is still playing extremely well. A few wet holes and very wet underfoot in places on the fairway but the greens are fantatsic after work conducted over the last month or so and play is still very good for this time of the year.

 

[patricks148]

Does Nairn still use the large times?
Our course gets micro tined a few times over the year. That doesn't really affect the greens except for a day or two.

Dunbar is immaculate as it should hopefully be throughout the winter.

Yes. they do large core ever other year so we are due large core. last year was Graden, which is less invasive, but went over them all a couple of weeks later with the large spike machine which was worse than them being hollow tined TBH