What is the best and worst conditioned course you have played this yr?

[Dodger]

As everyone is only too aware we had one of the harshest winters in a long long time and as a result many courses are seemingly at least a month behind where they usually would be condition wise.

Now I have played a lot of courses so far this year and there have been varying degrees of difference between the condition of these tracks so the questions I have are...

1)Which course so far for you has been in the best nick?

2)Which course so far has been in the most disapointing nick?

3)Are Greenkeepers hiding behind the weather issue and using it as an excuse for their own shortfallings?

For me the answers are as follows...

1)Yesterday Gullane 3 was superb,greens like snooker table tops and the general condition was superb.Strangely No.2 was not so fantastic maybe due to being used more than 3??

2)Nairn Championship.....no contest,the place was dreadful,greens were awful and looked like they had real problems,worst I have come accross in a long long time and the rest of the course wasn't great either...granted they have had a bad winter but hey, so had Castle Stuart and more so Blairgowrie both of which were way more advanced on my trip in late April.

3)Some courses are way better than others despite being subjected to the same weather and strangely I have played a couple that have little or no money thrown at them but have been way more advanced than those courses that have 'endless pots of cash' to play with but despite this many at clubs are citing the bad weather.....Unsure.

Playing the Kings at Gleneagles on Tuesday so it will be interesting to see if this place who had a horrific winter is up to much.

Discuss.....

 

[brendy]

1 best was Belvoir Park (just beating Castle Stuart for green speeds), course was immaculate, the fringes felt like soft velvet round the greens.
2. Sadly Nairn

3. Weather has a lot to do with it but sometimes starting winter/summer work at the wrong times of the year can be detrimental too. I wouldnt like to be a head greenkeeper though, too many variables with the weather to be easy to schedule work long term.

 

[thecraw]

Best greens, Scotscraig by a country mile!


Worst has to be Ranfurly Castle, place is a disgrace considering what it should be like and used to be like.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

The best: Hoebridge (where I'm a member)
The worst: The Kingfisher Course at Mannings Heath.

For a public golf course, what the greenkeepers do at Hoebridge all year round is nothing short of remarkable.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'd say tee to green so far it was Sand Martins but their greens were dreadful. OK they were being treated and so had been deliberately kept longer but it was like putting on a shagpile.

I think Ascots greens are amongst the best I've seen this year although the greens were Pyrfords redeeming quality. I haven't had a chance to get to Bearwood Lakes yet but I'm guessing that is coming into its prime

 

[Robobum]

Best: St Enedoc, best condition I've ever seen it.

Worst: Cotswold Edge, absolute disgrace. A flyer from the middle of the fairway!!

It's been difficult and I'm sure some greenkeepers have used the weather to deflect any abuse. To be fair, there was still morning frosts about 3 weeks ago but on Monday some of the high points around the fringes were looking scorched. No excuses after the rain we've had over the last 24hrs though.

 

[DingleBerry]

1st best: Taunton and Pickeridge golf club,brilliant course brilliant greens!!

2nd worst: Vivary golf course,divots everywhere pitch marks on greens, rubbish on course and sooo slow play a course that is 70 acres and takes 4 and half hours a round... phew

 

[Imurg]

Best? Aylesbury Park - no contest.
Worst? Aylesbury Golf Centre - no contest,

Mainly as they're the only 2 I've played this year!

AGC greens were full of moss, so spongy and springy they felt like a shag-pile carpet. Nearly needed a driver for a 10 foot put they were soooo slooooow.
APGC's are coming along nicely. Still a few bobbles in places - I had one yesterday that moved 3 inches when 6 inches from the cup and it was a dead flat putt. Overall fairly happy with them though. Shan't be playing AGC again - it was my old club.

 

[stevek1969]

Best greens- Have to say my place Scotscraig ,they were really good when we played it Crawford ,they were a bit ropey during April now back to normal not yet as fast but with The Open qualifying in roughly 4 weeks they be like lightning ,happy days.

Worst greens - Am disappointed to say this but Pitlochry's greens were shocking,my ball bounced in the air that much it volcanic dust on it,totally shocking fairways as well,normally in such good nick.

Gleneagles, Alan the greens are rank rotten my mate Paul was there a few weeks ago and said there were crap the Kings and Queens were not long open.Apologies for the bad news.

 

[Dodger]

Not a problem Steve...it aint costing me a dime.

 

[algar5]

Best - Scotscraig. Never played anywhere close yet this year.

Worst - Sorry Alec but Elmwood was in a poor state of repair and the greens were really bad for May. The fact that Elmwood is where the greenkeepers of the future are trained is a touch worrying !!!!

Still the company was top notch Big Yin.

 

[Golfmmad]

Difficult question to answer for me as I haven't played that many.
Obviously the severe winter has had the biggest impact on golf course condition, however if you throw enough money at it with the best greenkeepers, it can be overcome.
And to prove the point, look no further than the re-designed Wentworth. What they have achieved in a year and including having to cope with the extreme weather, is nothing short of astounding!

Golfmmad.

 

[Tommo21]

Best, funnily I just played it yesterday, The Hirsel golf club, where the greens were like carpets and I would imagine it gets battered big time in the winter.

Worst, not played one yet thats really bad.

Geenkeepers at Winterfield don't need bad weather to hide behind.

 

[TonyN]

Best, Walton heath by far this year, although were probably slow due to the damp weather, they were alot faster than anything I have played this year. I thought they were immaculate. Mr Willet wasn't so convinced though (to be expected)

The greens at my place have come on leaps and bounds in the last 4 weeks and they are running as true as I have ever played, anywhere.

The worst is Ellesmere Port municiple but, it is one of the worst courses in the area and its a muni so no complaints, it is what it is. On the muni side of things, HOYLAKE municiple is actually quite impressive, puts most private courses to shame!

 

[USER1999]

The best is my track, West Herts. The worst? Hever, as I'm not keen on underwater golf.

 

[daymond]

Best. Remedy Oak by a mile. Fantastic greens and course.

Worst. Bowood in North Wilts. Greens horrible due to late hollow coring.

 

[thecraw]

Machrihanish greens were good yesterday. Not as fast as Scotscraig however they were true and it was great to be able to just stroke a putt again instead of having to "hit" the putt.

 

[HRC99]

The best was Hornsea Golf Club. Cracking course in great condition.

Worst? Nowhere really stands out. The weather has been tough but I haven't really played anywhere that wasn't up to scratch this year.

Long may that continue!

 

[Iaing]

Best: Kilmarnock ( Barassie ) on Friday, Fast and true greens...lovely.

Worst: As Dodger says Nairn was hugely disappointing condition wise ( but a great day...hic!)

As far as the greenkeeper question is concerned, I'm really not qualified to say.

 

[Smiffy]

Best I have played so far this year was Forest Pines over the week-end. Fairways like carpets, greens were in very good condition albeit a little slow on Saturday. They got a cut early Sunday morning and were playing much better. I could not believe that a "hotel" course could be so nice bearing in mind the amount of traffic it must get over it. Everything was superb in my eyes, fairways, fringe grass, semi rough. Especially the semi....

Worst? Boat of Garten. Without a shadow of doubt. I was so looking forward to playing there and I appreciate that the winter had been particularly bad in Scotland this year, but.......the greens were a shambles.