Inland courses in winter.

[louise_a]

My course does suffer in winter, it doesn't take a massive amount of rain to cause problems and over the last 2 weeks we have had loads. We play off mats or from the rough to avoid fairway damage, but the main problem is water, it takes ages to go. I understand it and so don't moan if the course is too wet to play. Today we were closed.

Today I played at Crewe, no fairway mats or moving to the rough, all the greens were open, they do have a ban on buggies and trolleys without winter wheels though. The course was as wet as ours,, very muddy in a lot of areas, my trolley (with winter wheels) was caked in mud when we came off. In fairness the greens were pretty dry but covered in brown marks.

So the question is, what do people think is the best approach?

 

[Liverbirdie]

My course does suffer in winter, it doesn't take a massive amount of rain to cause problems and over the last 2 weeks we have had loads. We play off mats or from the rough to avoid fairway damage, but the main problem is water, it takes ages to go. I understand it and so don't moan if the course is too wet to play. Today we were closed.

Today I played at Crewe, no fairway mats or moving to the rough, all the greens were open, they do have a ban on buggies and trolleys without winter wheels though. The course was as wet as ours,, very muddy in a lot of areas, my trolley (with winter wheels) was caked in mud when we came off. In fairness the greens were pretty dry but covered in brown marks.

So the question is, what do people think is the best approach?

I dont know the best approach Louise, but for the amount of golf that you play and you being an all year round golfer, if I was you I would leave and join a better draining course.:thup:

 

[fundy]

For me there needs to be a balance. Try to keep the course open as long as not doing too much damage to it. Sadly looking at our course currently it is getting churned to pieces, its so wet its borderline whether it should even be open yet they are still allowing trolleys out there (on the premise they hadnt banned them so far so whats the point now sigh). Gonna be a mess until later on this year I expect

 

[louise_a]

For once this isn't a moan Pete, I like it at Ellesmere despite the problems in winter and most of the local courses are similar in winter.

 

[Maninblack4612]

I play a lot of winter golf & our course, built on limestone with only inches of topsoil in places drains great. Another course, an equal distance from where I live, was closed all last weekend after Friday night's rain. We played on Saturday &, apart from a couple of small patches of water on a couple of fairways, you wouldn't have thought it had rained. We play from proper tees on every hole, with preferred lies on the fairways. If I ever relocated I would look for a course built on sand or limestone & no way would I join a club where you had to use mats or play from the rough, the winter is just too long for that.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

There needs to be a balance at the club between keeping members happy by opening as much as possible or being cautious as they seem to be and closing regularly. My own club had issues and invested a lot in drainage on the back nine (courtesy of our Red Bull air race revenue) and it has made a huge difference. In really wet weather we were forced to close the back nine regularly, but kept the front open and as a result it got chewed up badly. It only closed as a last resort and so maybe we could have been more prudent. I wouldn't like to have to make the call on a regular basis and try and keep everyone happy

 

[Liverbirdie]

For once this isn't a moan Pete, I like it at Ellesmere despite the problems in winter and most of the local courses are similar in winter.

Didnt take it as a moan,Louise, but sometimes its worth travelling a bit, or paying a bit more if your course either cant take the NW weather, or is opening when it should'nt be.

Its a tough call. My course rarely shuts and should shut at times when its open. Like you, I prefer year round golf, and some other courses around here are shut when ours isnt.

Tough call between it being great for the 8 month a year golfers, or being open/playable for the 12 month a year golfers. We've just gone to mats this winter also - not a great fan, but willing to see how the course is in April, so will reserve judgement for now.

 

[rosecott]

It's not so much being inland that's the problem. Links courses are the obvious answer but there are plenty courses such as heathland or moorland which are open all year round. My course is about as far inland as you can get, but, being sand-based heathland, we only have to close when snowbound. If you want to play golf in reasonable conditions all year round then you have to look around as to which courses will suit.

 

[Hosel Fade]

You have to take measures to improve the course imo, whether those are long term high cost things like new ditches along the sides with associated drainage channels, lining bunkers or getting rid of trees/hedges that stop light/air getting through to the simple things which everyone should be doing like managing traffic, setting tees in ways that have golfers avoid the worst areas when you don't need to have competition conditions. If the course has two starting points have players rotate the starting tee so that one week all rounds start from the first, the next from the 10th. If funds allow mow greens by hand rather than with a triplex.

Most importantly communicate that the club is doing these things and the reasoning/benefits and players will understand (the sensible ones at least)


Both clubs I've been at recently have been improving in the way the course holds up during winter. RAGC because of new drainage channels and ditches and The Drift largely from tree/rhododendron removal and different mowing practices. Some areas are still a disgrace though (9th green/6th tee and 5th tee being the most notable)

 

[davemc1]

Played today at Frodsham, which prides itself on being dry. It isn't. No harm it that with the rain we've had but, they allowed buggies to be used. Bad idea! Even though we had to stick to paths and rough, it was impossible not to cut it up into shreds.

££s over condition. It's a fine line

 

[rudebhoy]

Our place has a policy that it never shuts, regardless of how wet it is. the only time it has closed in the last year was because of ice making it dangerous.

The thinking is that the course closes itself, i.e. no-one wants to play when it's very wet. It saves the club some grief from people complaining the course is shut when they think it should be open, but I'm not sure it is in the course's best interests as there is always some nutter who will play regardless of the conditions.

 

[patricks148]

if you would like to play more i would suggest joining a links course, you must only be an hours drive from some of the best in England.

in the scheme of things thats nothing

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Two of my old courses were as far away form the coast as you could get in the UK
One was chalk downland and one Surrey heathland. They were both excellent winter courses, seldom closed

 

[stokie_93]

Today I played at Crewe, no fairway mats or moving to the rough, all the greens were open, they do have a ban on buggies and trolleys without winter wheels though. The course was as wet as ours,, very muddy in a lot of areas, my trolley (with winter wheels) was caked in mud when we came off. In fairness the greens were pretty dry but covered in brown marks.

I played at Crewe yesterday Louise!

What time around did you play?
It was very wet in places as expected but thought greens for how much rain we'd had were running pretty well.

how did you play?

 

[Marshy77]

Come and play Baildon, dry's really quick due to it being moorland, 2 holes closed last week but that was due to some damage down the side of 2 fairways but normally fully open, full greens, new drainage being installed and starting to look really good especially with it still being early March. It's wet in places but majority of the course drains very well.

 

[louise_a]

I played at Crewe yesterday Louise!

What time around did you play?
It was very wet in places as expected but thought greens for how much rain we'd had were running pretty well.

how did you play?

We teed off about 11.15, I have to admit I didnt play very well, I hope I play it better on Sunday when we are there in an interclub knockout.
The greens weren't bad at all but looked awful with all the brown marks.

 

[stokie_93]

We teed off about 11.15, I have to admit I didnt play very well, I hope I play it better on Sunday when we are there in an interclub knockout.
The greens weren't bad at all but looked awful with all the brown marks.

.

I may have seen you going down the last, were you in a 2 ball?
Yeah they've had problems with the greens the last couple of years, i'm hoping they get it sorted.

 

[Val]

There is no magic bullet for this im afraid, most inland courses tend to drain poorly in the winter.

 

[louise_a]

.

I may have seen you going down the last, were you in a 2 ball?
Yeah they've had problems with the greens the last couple of years, i'm hoping they get it sorted.

We were a two ball yes, we finished around 3.

 

[williamalex1]

My course and 2 other local course were closed today due to flooding .

First competition is this weekend