Is Your Course Up To Scratch

pendodave

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It depends where one lives, but here in the South East it's been a tricky year for greenkeepers - wet winter, followed by a cold dry spring, followed by a dry windy summer.
Our course is in good nick, but took a while to get going, and is now looking like it needs some decent rainfall.
I played down in South Wales last weekend, and the courses there looked very dry in any unwatered areas.
It's a tough old job, and wrt water, Golf is not as important as general environmental considerations imho.
 

jim8flog

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I think they are vying to get the US Open where I play. Never seen the grass being left so long in some really silly places in my 36 years of playing here, every member I play with is complaining about it. as well as lot of discussion in the bars. I feel lucky I know where the 150 marker posts are - a visitor would not be able to see them because of the long rough, it is impossible to see between one OB post and another because they are now so far in to the deep rough.

One problem we have now got which is a consequence of the lockdown and no mowing taking place is the amount of clover now growing on the course.
 

pendodave

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I think they are vying to get the US Open where I play. Never seen the grass being left so long in some really silly places in my 36 years of playing here, every member I play with is complaining about it. as well as lot of discussion in the bars. I feel lucky I know where the 150 marker posts are - a visitor would not be able to see them because of the long rough, it is impossible to see between one OB post and another because they are now so far in to the deep rough.

One problem we have now got which is a consequence of the lockdown and no mowing taking place is the amount of clover now growing on the course.
You have my sympathy.
I sometimes think that some members enjoy the idea of their course being 'hard' as a sign of machismo or some such. I'm unimpressed with this, as most of us are not US open quality golfers and searching for golf balls is a pretty significant cause of slow rounds. It makes a round generally dispiriting to have constant holdups in play and desperate/incompetent attempts to hack out.
Rough and 'toughness' are overrated!
 
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It’s what I would describe as, alright.

It certainly could be better, but we have a small team of green keepers who only work early mornings.

There are lot’s of jobs started but never fully finished which irritates me.

The greens and green complexes are in great condition at the moment, the fairways are starting to suffer from a lack of rain and we have lots of cracks opening in the rough.

The most annoying things are the length of grass on the tees. It’s quite often longer than the fairways. And sometimes they have clearly only cut 9 greens.
 

Foxholer

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My course is currently closed as it needs so much work doing to it. ?
Indeed! Huge sand pits just where balls could end up, a building in the way on one hole, one tee not on the property and they've only got 11 greens!
Lucky you've got an alternative (or several) to play though
 

Billysboots

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Ours is a great winter course, but is struggling at the moment for a number of reasons. Lack of rain is having a significant impact as we’re sand/gravel based and therefore well drained, so we’re now bone dry.

Throw into the mix a head greenkeeper at a career crossroads, who has clearly taken his eye off the ball, and the fact he only has a team of three, and he simply can’t keep on top of everything. The bunkers are full of stones and need a complete overhaul, and in places the second cut is chest high. And if you knew how tall I am, chest high is nasty.

Tee to green it’s okay, but only okay.
 

TheDiablo

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I think this is one of the key things to the condition of the course. Back in April my track was shortlisted for the England Golf Tournament Venue of the Year. The evening awards ceremony was broadcast live. A load of us members were in the clubhouse to watch - and hopefully celebrate. With us were all six of the greens team plus Head Greenie. When we won they celebrated with us - I believe because they are proud of their course and what they are doing. Plenty of beer was drunk and the Head Greenkeeper gave them the next day off...:)

And today we have a course that is in great condition; greens fabulous and all the new bunkering looking superb. The plans for the final elements of the current course development plan have just been released to us - a lot of work and big changes to one of our par 5s and a par 4 - with on par 5 especially, total remodelling of ground and bunkering from 100yds in with raising and complete re-turfing of fairway from 65yds in. I think the visualisations look superb. The work is aimed at mitigating the risk of hole closure due to serious flood events we very occasionally experience - and at the same time will increase playing interest and challenge.

Key is that we trust our greens team to do a great job.

Your bunkers are fantastic. They look great and are a real challenge, yet fair.

Just need to somehow sort out that awful 4th hole ?
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Your bunkers are fantastic. They look great and are a real challenge, yet fair.

Just need to somehow sort out that awful 4th hole ?
Great feedback thankyou. Have you played the course this year since we completely changed the bunkering and approach on 4th - as well as 3rd and 13th? The new bunkering has significantly changed and increased the visual risk to the tee shots as well as the actual risk.
 

CliveW

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Both of our championship courses are in terrific condition at the moment. We are hosting two of the four qualifying events for the Senior Open in July.
 

Lump

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Could and should be in better condition.
In previous years it’s been amazing condition, for what ever reasons this year I’m struggling to see any improvement week to week.
Greens are right on the edge of being lost in spots. Makes no sense, our greens are normally really receptive all year.
Hitting a gap wedge to our par3 4th last weekend resulted in both balls rolling off the back.
I want to leave and take my money elsewhere, my playing partner doesn’t. I’ll see how the rest of the summer pans out and make my decision from there.
 

Matty6

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I’m a member of a parkland course and a links course (100 miles apart from each other). Both are immaculate at the moment. Can’t fault one area of either course.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Played 12 holes last night and course lovely condition. Greens running beautifully and as it’s been dry our fairways are tight, and I am loving playing off them, really feeling you can ‘clip‘ the ball and impart spin.
 

Platypus

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Our greens are very good: receptive, fast and true.
Our fairways are mostly good, but some have bare patches that have been re-seeded but are not recovering well, and since we're on clay they are prone to cracking in this dry weather.
The tees are okay but most of them could do with re-levelling to some extent, with a couple being really uneven.
 
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