Playing to or below your handicap

[clubchamp98]

True, I did mention on another thread that the scores this year haven't been outrageous at our place but I'm betting the weather hasn't helped.

Also, the rough is brutal just now. The ball either sinks down and the club gets stuck trying to get it out or it sits on top of it (like it did last night for me in the first cut on 6) and it's like you are trying to hit a shot off of a pink tee as the ball is that high.

There haven't been many great stableford scores but at the same time there haven't been many great gross scores either. All the really low guys are struggling with the course conditions as well it would seem.

When a course is set up tough like you explain here it is tough for everyone.
It’s the complete opposite when it’s to easy and that’s when you see the stupid scores.
The good golfers it won’t make much difference as they are on the fairway.
But when you can hit a 3 wood out of the rough silly scores start coming.

In my experience when good golfers go in tough rough they take their medicine and wedge out / start again
When high cap golfers go in it they still try and hit a Seve recovery shot and big scores are carded.

 

[Springveldt]

When a course is set up tough like you explain here it is tough for everyone.
It’s the complete opposite when it’s to easy and that’s when you see the stupid scores.
The good golfers it won’t make much difference as they are on the fairway.
But when you can hit a 3 wood out of the rough silly scores start coming.

In my experience when good golfers go in tough rough they take their medicine and wedge out / start again
When high cap golfers go in it they still try and hit a Seve recovery shot and big scores are carded.

The rough doesn't look that bad though, it's not like it's knee height. It's just very, very lush and if you ball sinks down in it then it's hard to move it out. It doesn't help that we have what feels like very narrow fairways to begin with.

Last couple of years they have been using this fancy fertiliser on the fairways and they have been great because of it. This year I was told they also used it on the first and second cut and it's just growing so dense. It's probably only 1.5 inches high but sometimes you can be within 5 foot of your ball and not see it.

 

[clubchamp98]

The rough doesn't look that bad though, it's not like it's knee height. It's just very, very lush and if you ball sinks down in it then it's hard to move it out. It doesn't help that we have what feels like very narrow fairways to begin with.

Last couple of years they have been using this fancy fertiliser on the fairways and they have been great because of it. This year I was told they also used it on the first and second cut and it's just growing so dense. It's probably only 1.5 inches high but sometimes you can be within 5 foot of your ball and not see it.

Yes I get what your saying.
But when the rough is like that it tempts you to hit more club than you can get out.
Clever from your green staff , sounds great to me!
Your very lucky to be at a club that can afford to fertilise the second cut of rough

At mine they bought a new rough mower and just went bezeerk with it.
That’s where the really stupid scores came from, there was no punishment for a wayward shot.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

...or perhaps he recognises what a single division nett competition could mean and he would prefer the event to be competitive across the widest handicap range. And as I said - every handicapper can have a special day - and if that just happens to be a 28+ handicapper then the field can be blown away. Maybe he didn't want that to happen. In any case I will ask.

Update. Asked about this in the shop…the view was that the 28 limit to PH may have been misunderstood by some with handicaps over 28, however…it turns out that we do not have very many full members with handicaps of 28+ so what seemed an issue of misunderstanding might not actually have been one.