Should electric trolleys be banned in winter?

[Warren]

If the course is in as worse a condition as described then clearly the responsible thing to do is close the course, a lot of balls hit in these conditions will plug so if your lucky enough to find it you will need to take relief from these but the fairway is still damaged by the plug mark, the greens are usually very soft so pitch marks are deeper & whether you wear spikes or soft cleats they do still damage the surface & even just walking the fairways in such conditions creates damage so don't just blame the electric trolleys as everybody on the course contributes a little to the damage, it's up to the greenkeepers to keep on top of this & if they can't they make the call & close the course. OK i'm not saying close it all winter but just in the extreme conditions madandra describes. I played at a club last year where they did have a total trolley ban electric & pull & these muddy corridors that are described in the original thread still existed, so what do we ban next?

 

[birdieman]

Maybe golf should be banned in winter full stop....leaving the course alone in winter so that come April everything is rested and in better condition.

Trolleys or not, using the course in winter will damage it as grass isn't growing so divots cant be repaired, trampling on wet ground causes soil compaction which again kills grass. Walking on frosted ground also kills grass.

Give the course a rest and use the range in winter.

 

[DelB]

Give the course a rest and use the range in winter.

Would you still be happy to pay your full annual subs?

 

[funkyfred]

If you ban the electric ones, you must also stop pull alongs and make people walk.

Do that and you will lose probably 60% of the members. Thats fine if you would be prepared to pay 60% more on your subs?

Sometimes we have to give in that in the winter months the conditions will not be as favourable as the summer.

Live with that and enjoy it or wait til the spring.

Actually you would need to increase subs by 150% if 60% of your members left.
-100 members each pays £1 = £100
-60 members leave = £40
- 40 multiplied by 1.5 = £100 (thats 1.5 extra, on top of your 1, I know it should be x 2.5)

How about banning people who carry clubs from walking across the green at ALL times of the year. My club has started laying matting around the tee and well worn areas to help with the problem.

 

[Smiffy]

Maybe golf should be banned in winter full stop....leaving the course alone in winter so that come April everything is rested and in better condition.
Give the course a rest and use the range in winter.

If my membership was cut in half, (and I'm paying one of the cheaper amounts), I'd gladly play for just six months of the year. April 1st to September 30th would do me just fine.

 

[DCB]

Hey Birdieman,

your only saying that because you hardly have enough daylight to complete a round of golf at this time of year

 

[CliveW]

Maybe golf should be banned in winter full stop....leaving the course alone in winter so that come April everything is rested and in better condition.

Like Kingsbarns.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I know most of us complain about the rain (in particular) and the wind and cold but there is nothing like the challenge of winter golf and the chance to get out in the fresh air and embrace it.

I can only speak for my course but it gets a reasonable amount of traffic throughout the winter but seems to manage itself pretty well on imposing the use of hedgehogs or a full trolley ban as and when the conditions dictate. Yes we do get some areas that are churned up but for the most part these are off the course or greens (and fringes) and to credit our greenstaff are normally not noticeable by the the Spring.

 

[DCB]

And Loch Lomomnd

 

[birdieman]

Give the course a rest and use the range in winter.

Would you still be happy to pay your full annual subs?

Yes, I only pay £210 and living at 1000 feet a.s.l winter golf is a rare thing anyway. Last winter we'd snow consistently on the ground from November through to March so no golf regardless. The 2 winters before that which were much milder I did play a few times however so winter golf has been known to happen sometimes.

 

[birdieman]

Maybe golf should be banned in winter full stop....leaving the course alone in winter so that come April everything is rested and in better condition.

Like Kingsbarns.

Don't forget Braemar too!