US open style rough

[USER1999]

My course has gone over board in the last few years of having waist deep rough in places where if it was only 4" deep, there would be no shot to the green.

Having wasted about 40 minutes today looking for balls (i lost 3, my partners lost more) is there any point? It's a busy course, full of handicapped golfers.

I have lost balls where the second shot would require a 250 yard hit with a 50 yard cut. Even if it was fairway, who could hit this? Why not allow the golfer to find his ball, but then have to chip out?

Where is the fun (and I do play golf for fun) in losing and hunting for so many balls?

We have loads of mature woodland, but to get in it requires carrying 20 yards of bundu. You have more chance of finding the ball in the woods.

Yes, I could play a 5i off every tee. Whoopee. That's not fun.

If they start to lose members, they have only themselves to blame. Losing 3 balls a round is not sustainable. Not to me. It looks pretty, but it's just daft.

 

[Imurg]

We're the same
It's regarded as one of the courses defences.
Some of it is waaay offline and you have to hit a really bad shot to find it
Some isn't and gets visited regularly because we're all capable of hitting the shot needed to get there.

4-6 inches of rough makes a shot tricky but you should find your ball

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Tylney Park is the same. A five yard strip of semi and then knee high crap. Not fair for the high handicappers. As this extends down each hole it means there is only five yards in which to miss greens. Even the low guys that played in our match struggled. To be fair the really bad stuff at my course is pretty off line and if you go in it you deserve to be punished. The semi is lush enough to still make a proper recovery tricky but at least you can find it. Seems to be pretty fair to me

 

[Pin-seeker]

I'm not a member anywhere so play at a couple of courses regular & they're both like this,if I hit a bad tee shot I expect to loose couple of balls,but when it just runs off the fairway & I can't find it,it winds me up a bit.

 

[Imurg]

We had 2 or 3 occasions today where the ball just popped in to the long stuff - no more than a yard - and it vanished.

Pointless.....

 

[HawkeyeMS]

They've done a good job at our place this year. 3 defined cuts the last of which is evil but so far offline you shouldn't be in it

 

[DAVEYBOY]

The PGA is very deep at the moment and I'm talking a missed fairway is a goner in a lot of cases. Some of the fairway bunkers are surrounded by knee high rough as well which makes them even deeper.

 

[stevek1969]

Had this at my place last year it was shocking on what is already a tight course due to heather and gorse linings. All you saw was 4 guys looking in knee high jungle for balls on every hole, this year its the greens that are shocking they put a treatment on them and theres no grass , a visiting party walked of after 3 holes as they weren't informed of the greens being poor and paying £60 a round each.

 

[palindromicbob]

Another course I play quiet often tried this last year. The mentally was because the course was quiet short they wanted to make it tougher. It really hammered high handicappers and had minimal effect on the low handicappers who were the main target for the change. Didn't stay that way for long.

 

[sev112]

I'm hazarding to guess that this might have something to do with it being in the middle of summer ...?

 

[USER1999]

I'm hazarding to guess that this might have something to do with it being in the middle of summer ...?

Nope, it's deliberate. They have cut some areas, but not others. Oddly, if you slice it, you are 90% ok. If you hook it, you're dead meat.

 

[Deleted member 1418]

Shame as West Herts is a quality track. Must say that the rough at my place is very very fair, even the thicker stuff. Fairways are in great condition but the greens are too slow and the bunkers have too much sand in them!

 

[Deleted member 15717]

My track can get like it at times, as they are only allowed to cut the rough about twice a year. Handily, they have just cut it for this weekend as it is captain's charity day...it's an attempt to speed up play on the day as it is already a long round!!

 

[Foxholer]

Last 3 courses I've played have certainly had long rough, but I haven't lost a single ball in it - though 1 in gorse/rhododendrons and a few in water!

While I have sympathy for Imurg's 'only a yard into the junk' loss, and know that rough can sometimes get out of hand for greenies, aren't you guys just not simply slow learners?

How wide are the fairways and first cut in the landing area? 40 or 50 yards? That should be plenty even when halved for the supposed 'straight' one. My predictable gentle fade probably gives me another 15 yards as my line is left side/edge of the fairway. Same would apply for someone with a predictable Draw.

 

[Imurg]

Last 3 courses I've played have certainly had long rough, but I haven't lost a single ball in it - though 1 in gorse/rhododendrons and a few in water!

While I have sympathy for Imurg's 'only a yard into the junk' loss, and know that rough can sometimes get out of hand for greenies, aren't you guys just not simply slow learners?

How wide are the fairways and first cut in the landing area? 40 or 50 yards? That should be plenty even when halved for the supposed 'straight' one. My predictable gentle fade probably gives me another 15 yards as my line is left side/edge of the fairway. Same would apply for someone with a predictable Draw.

Foxy - you've seen me play!!

I don't have a predictable anything!

 

[USER1999]

Last 3 courses I've played have certainly had long rough, but I haven't lost a single ball in it - though 1 in gorse/rhododendrons and a few in water!

While I have sympathy for Imurg's 'only a yard into the junk' loss, and know that rough can sometimes get out of hand for greenies, aren't you guys just not simply slow learners?

How wide are the fairways and first cut in the landing area? 40 or 50 yards? That should be plenty even when halved for the supposed 'straight' one. My predictable gentle fade probably gives me another 15 yards as my line is left side/edge of the fairway. Same would apply for someone with a predictable Draw.

Sounds good. Some of our fairways neck in to 15 yards tops, and with a whopping 8 ft of first cut, and no second cut it's bye bye. Carry it, it widens out, short, ditto, but at driving distance, you're stuffed. I'd love a 50 yard wide fairway, but we don't have any.

 

[Foxholer]

Foxy - you've seen me play!!

I don't have a predictable anything!

One of my efforts at being 'diplomatic'! 10th and 11th werecertainly 'interesting' holes!

I think you made the bigger contribution from what I remember !

 

[wull]

They need to look at it from a visiting players point of view and parties.

Visitors won't be enjoying their golf as much and the total time to play a round will be loads.

Last thing you need is visitors not returning due to lots of lost balls in wiast high rough and taking far too long to complete their round.

 

[JustOne]

Nope, it's deliberate. They have cut some areas, but not others. Oddly, if you slice it, you are 90% ok. If you hook it, you're dead meat.

Yep, ours is the same.... it's just like playing 18 holes with OOB each side of the fairway.

My h/cap is suffering as I'm more than capable at reaching the long stuff

Probably gone up another 0.1 this evening unless CSS goes up by 2

 

[Foxholer]

They need to look at it from a visiting players point of view and parties.

Visitors won't be enjoying their golf as much and the total time to play a round will be loads.

Last thing you need is visitors not returning due to lots of lost balls in wiast high rough and taking far too long to complete their round.

That strikes me as the major argument for keeping rough manageable. And is probably the best 'barometer' anyway. Members rapidly turn into Head Greenkeepers, Course Architects, Directors of Golf etc. while visitors tend to provide an 'unbiased' view.