What is your club doing to combat the weather in the future?

[Crazyface]

We are moving our course to the Algarve. Yes it's a bit of a logistical nightmare, but most are happy with selling up and buying a smaller place with guarrenteed golf 350 days a year.

 

[Mandofred]

I just don't know what you can do with a heavily clayed golf course. I just left a course that was a couple miles from my house, but just mostly unplayable for a large part of the year because of water/mud. Putting in more ditches etc does help, but clay just doesn't let water move. Other than adding sand every year to the whole course....and doing it for years.....just no easy answer. I moved to a course about 14 miles away, but it handles the water a lot better and is open a LOT more....and usually 18 holes if it is open.

 

[rystaman]

Honestly? Feels like nothing, to the point where I'm checking club v1 and seeing that buggies are still allowed out and tearing the hell up of the course...

 

[ExRabbit]

Apparently they have ripped up the fairways with tractor marks when they decided that they could cut them down a bit after a day or two of no rain.

Hopefully catering to catch players from other courses that are closed for the weekend - as is their usual plan of late.

The final straw - a loyal member being messed around for too long now - last year for me.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Our course has been doing quite a few things over the years. Since 2017 when it never seemed to stop raining, we have been doing annual winter improvements including:

• Putting new drainage into the worst affected greens.
• Putting porous cement into the bunkers that flooded to allow them to drain more easily.
• Adding drainage into the fairways to reduce flooding.

So the course is a lot better than it was in 2017 in terms of flooding, but when the weather is as bad as it has been for the last month, there is only so much you can do to combat nature.

…and you have taken down loads of the trees that were planted 45yrs ago? Has that helped?

Some at my place are adamant that our tree removal programme has been the cause of many of our current issues…never minding the amount of rain that has been dumped on the course and that has poured off neighbouring farmland.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

A recent email indicates a balancing act in progress. We are going to start year 3/4 of bunker renovation at the end of the season but there is a progressive need to tackle the drainage on the back nine, especially 15 and 16. This would impact the ability to complete the bunker programme. We have permission from Crown Estates to investigate clearing/re-digging a ditch that runs along the left of 16 just outside the OOB which would have run into a pond situated further back into the trees historically. This is the lowest point and so will have the run off from 13-15 to handle. There are also plans to improve the drainage on the first part of 15 as well. It is a case of deciding whether the bunker programme should be completed or put on hold for the drainage work

 

[Mandofred]

A recent email indicates a balancing act in progress. We are going to start year 3/4 of bunker renovation at the end of the season but there is a progressive need to tackle the drainage on the back nine, especially 15 and 16. This would impact the ability to complete the bunker programme. We have permission from Crown Estates to investigate clearing/re-digging a ditch that runs along the left of 16 just outside the OOB which would have run into a pond situated further back into the trees historically. This is the lowest point and so will have the run off from 13-15 to handle. There are also plans to improve the drainage on the first part of 15 as well. It is a case of deciding whether the bunker programme should be completed or put on hold for the drainage work

Drainage first.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Drainage first.

I agree but you know what directors are like. Can never rely them to make a sensible decision

 

[Orikoru]

Someone told me they've planted a particular type of tree that drinks more water from the soil, or something. Sounded like a bit of a leftfield solution. Not sure how much difference that'll make if any.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Someone told me they've planted a particular type of tree that drinks more water from the soil, or something. Sounded like a bit of a leftfield solution. Not sure how much different that'll make if any.

They will need to be the tree equivalent of Jimmy 5 Bellies if they are going to make any sort of real difference

 

[Mandofred]

You could get those trees from The Lord of the Rings that move around pummeling people....

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

We’ve created a new holding pond and extended an existing one; we’ve raised by about 1m about 80yds of fairway and green approach on one hole (that can flood). We’ve dug and shaped swales and a ditch across two holes.

Basically works to manage natural course of water coming in on one side of course and going off another; and to manage rainfall that gathers to that water course.

Plus working with farmer of neighbouring farmland and he’s digging one or more water holding ponds that are on the natural watercourse across his land that flows o to the course. And working with council to unbloack a road culvert and banking that are currently acting as a dam to the flow of water off the course.

All the above impacts the four holes at the lowest area of the course…the rest of the course generally drains well - though there are a couple of areas elsewhere where ground gets saturated more quickly and drains more slowly but these areas are not of major consequence to play and don’t cause course closure. We can work and play around them if necessary.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Swango1980]

Getting contractors in this Autumn to do extensive work on drainage

 

[clubchamp98]

A recent email indicates a balancing act in progress. We are going to start year 3/4 of bunker renovation at the end of the season but there is a progressive need to tackle the drainage on the back nine, especially 15 and 16. This would impact the ability to complete the bunker programme. We have permission from Crown Estates to investigate clearing/re-digging a ditch that runs along the left of 16 just outside the OOB which would have run into a pond situated further back into the trees historically. This is the lowest point and so will have the run off from 13-15 to handle. There are also plans to improve the drainage on the first part of 15 as well. It is a case of deciding whether the bunker programme should be completed or put on hold for the drainage work

One of the biggest points overlooked in this sort of decision making is “where does the water go when it leaves the golf course” ?

Rivers and water courses that ultimately drain the land and the courses are one of the main problems!
You can put all the drains in you want but if the river it drains into is full it won’t drain off.
In extreme cases these drains can bring water on to the course.

My club has a problem like this the water has nowhere to go as the main drainage river has been full for months.

It’s a big problem given the rain we have had.

 

[clubchamp98]

They will need to be the tree equivalent of Jimmy 5 Bellies if they are going to make any sort of real difference

They will make a hell of a difference in the next drought.
Nothing will grow there as the trees take all the water.

No tree can suck up the rain we’ve had. Even 5 belly redwoods.

 

[BiMGuy]

One of the biggest points overlooked in this sort of decision making is “where does the water go when it leaves the golf course” ?

Rivers and water courses that ultimately drain the land and the courses are one of the main problems!
You can put all the drains in you want but if the river it drains into is full it won’t drain off.
In extreme cases these drains can bring water on to the course.

My club has a problem like this the water has nowhere to go as the main drainage river has been full for months.

It’s a big problem given the rain we have had.

My course is at sea level near a river in a town that regularly floods. We could keep the course open and playable in all but the most extreme circumstances, but there is nowhere for the water to go once it leaves the course. So unfortunately the 1st, 9th, 10th and 18th flood.

 

[clubchamp98]

My course is at sea level near a river in a town that regularly floods. We could keep the course open and playable in all but the most extreme circumstances, but there is nowhere for the water to go once it leaves the course. So unfortunately the 1st, 9th, 10th and 18th flood.

Yes what happens is the river water gets higher than the drain.
The pressure from this body of water can push the water back up the drains and flood the course.

A decent surveyor could save these clubs thousands of pounds telling them.
“ no amount of drainage is going to stop it”

 

[BiMGuy]

Yes what happens is the river water gets higher than the drain.
The pressure from this body of water can push the water back up the drains and flood the course.

A decent surveyor could save these clubs thousands of pounds telling them.
“ no amount of drainage is going to stop it”

This year some of the water from heavy rain has hit our course at the same time as there have been high tides that the rivers feed making the flooding worse.

It’s a bigger problem for St Ives than our course really, but the same cause.

The course does recover remarkably well even after being under 6ft of water for a few days.

 

[clubchamp98]

This year some of the water from heavy rain has hit our course at the same time as there have been high tides that the rivers feed making the flooding worse.

It’s a bigger problem for St Ives than our course really, but the same cause.

The course does recover remarkably well even after being under 6ft of water for a few days.

Does the salt content in the water damage the grasses ?

I imagine salt spray gets on the course as a normal everyday thing.

 

[BiMGuy]

Does the salt content in the water damage the grasses ?

I imagine salt spray gets on the course as a normal everyday thing.

We’re St Ives in Huntingdon. It’s the Ouse that flows out into The Wash.