When Greenkeepers fall out of love...... How is your course this year?

[HarryHiggsHips]

I wondered what the consensus is about course conditions at your club this year? Covid a good reason for non tip top conditions.......? Lack of competitive golf mean no tip top conditions? Furloughed green staff mean the course isnt yet as expected?

Context - my club has serious murmurings about member unhappiness - club say its on par with local courses - have sent committee members around to see the competition, Covid has impacted all work etc.... members generally disappointed at conditions of the course.

Any views on here? tolerate it given this years unique circumstances or question it as you pay for the privilege of a members club?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We're in a good position. Held a Jamega Tour event this week in all the rain of yesterday and it held up well and the greens are in fine condition and received a lot of praise for their pace and true roll. Bunkers are still an issue and it's an ongoing programme. We've picked up a lot of new members signing up on the back of the temporary membership scheme so that's an additional bonus. We had a limited staff during lockdown and now we're back to full capacity and the course is looking good with a regular fairway cutting programme. The general consensus is very positive amongst the golfers I play with and there is a positive vibe about the place

 

[Golfnut1957]

Our course has been pretty good under the circumstances. They furloughed half the staff but the other half kept on working during the shut down. Just before it reopened the transformation was amazing, from no definition to beautifully cut and detailed fairways. The greens were a bit bobbly at first and never did get to last years standards but during the height of summer they have been more than acceptable.
The two issues we had/have was the grass under and around many of the trees. With a reduced staff they managed to cut under the trees but were unable to strim around the bases, nobody went a round without losing balls, unless they hit every fairway, and nobody hits every fairway around this place. this was resolved once the remaining staff returned.
The other issue is the damn ball retrievers on the flag sticks, but that is a moan for another thread

 

[HarryHiggsHips]

We're in a good position. Held a Jamega Tour event this week in all the rain of yesterday and it held up well and the greens are in fine condition and received a lot of praise for their pace and true roll. Bunkers are still an issue and it's an ongoing programme. We've picked up a lot of new members signing up on the back of the temporary membership scheme so that's an additional bonus. We had a limited staff during lockdown and now we're back to full capacity and the course is looking good with a regular fairway cutting programme. The general consensus is very positive amongst the golfers I play with and there is a positive vibe about the place

interesting. ive no doubt that the increased footfall this year since reopening has been a challenge - we have had a 100% increase in footfall apparently.
We hosted a county open tourney this week and the fairways were such that we introduced preferred lies for the day as the condition was deemed unsuitable for the county seniors tourny - but not for members..... hence my original question.......

 

[davidy233]

We’ve had no problems, reduced staff during play being banned under lockdown but back to normal pretty much straight away once play was allowed again - maybe not a fair comparison with us being links, rough is being kept under control as normal though, it’s been over two months since all of the staff came back so I’d expect normal conditions.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

interesting. ive no doubt that the increased footfall this year since reopening has been a challenge - we have had a 100% increase in footfall apparently.
We hosted a county open tourney this week and the fairways were such that we introduced preferred lies for the day as the condition was deemed unsuitable for the county seniors tourny - but not for members..... hence my original question.......

We had a real issue in the dry summer a couple of years ago and our 3rd and 4th fairways were bare and parched. We had started to get growth back but the couple of really dry and tropical spells have really knocked all that work back (no fairway watering). That said we still don't have preferred lies even for the Jamega boys. I assume the club thinking is we'll soon be back to winter rules again so pick and place anyway and that for the most part even off a bare lie the majority of the golfers (especially on the 4th) are hitting shortish irons in.

 

[howbow88]

Our course is the worst I have ever seen it. There's even a fairly insane rumour that it is being ruined on purpose, so there will be less green fees sold, and then the company in charge can try to negotiate their lease with the council. I don't think there is anything in that myself, but it says something about the conditions that the rumour has even got some legs

 

[HampshireHog]

Just down the road from Hartley Witney and our greens have been as good as I have known them. Our new green keeper has made a massive difference in 5 months. They were certainly running well when we hosted the Rose Ladies series.

Fairways could do with a bit of TLC but I am certainly happy to cut them some slack, it’s been a tough year.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Just down the road from Hartley Witney and our greens have been as good as I have known them. Our new green keeper has made a massive difference in 5 months. They were certainly running well when we hosted the Rose Ladies series.

Fairways could do with a bit of TLC but I am certainly happy to cut them some slack, it’s been a tough year.

Ours greens are similar. Great nick. As I've said we've got a few fairway issues but that will always be a longer term process so totally prepared to give the staff plenty of time to get them right again and of course we are reliant on the weather. The bunker issues is an ongoing and recognised maintenance issue so again let them get through the programme and look again.

 

[garyinderry]

Our course was perfect up until the day after captains day 2 weekends ago.

Next day sanded and spiked the greens.

Course been soaked since with near continual rain. Felt like autumn out there last night.

We are planning to head to a links on Saturday.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Ours is a 7/10. I think the key issue is we need more bodies on the ground. Until that happens it will remain the same at best. A shame, it could be better quite easily.

 

[clubchamp98]

I have played in a lot of opens this year and in general courses have been good.
The one thing that has struck me and this goes for my own club is the greens have been very slow.
There seems to be plenty of growth ,but they just havnt cut them down .
This has been the case at every where I have played and some big name courses in there.

 

[HarrogateHacker]

Ours is in good shape, they’ve deprioritised the rough which has grown long in places, which impacts me because I’m a bit more wayward than the average but greens etc been ok

 

[KenL]

My course is in fantastic condition as usual. Rough pretty thick in places but that is a function of the weather.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Why is it green keepers faults that fairways are suffering after the hot dry spell? I’m sure if clubs told their members they could have lush green fairways but their subs would rise by a few hundred £ each member that the memberships would either leave or say “they can stay as they are”.
They greens and tees should be the priority, and as long as they are acceptable then that’s what matters During this troubled year.

 

[Siolag]

Our course is in great condition, as normal. Greens have been slower the last few weeks but we have had a lot of rain recently.

 

[need_my_wedge]

Ours is in good nick. We installed a new irrigation system over last winter. The fairways are now irrigated as well, and it paid off during the couple of hot spells earlier in the year. The fairways have recovered very well from the toasting they got a couple of years ago. They're not perfect, but a much lusher carpet covering on most of them. It's actually changed the course making it play a bit longer as the ball doesn't take a big kick off the hard dirt patches previously seen in abundance. Our greens have been pretty decent, albeit they seem a bit slower this year than previous years. Currently in maintenance mode having been scarified and tined over the last couple of weeks. Two greens also had some patching repairs after some oiks vandalised them with bikes last weekend.

 

[Crazyface]

Considering the amount of money currently pouring in to the club, the course is rammed in a morning and still only allow four balls after 1pm. The greens, which I consider the most important bit, are poor on the back nine. We have USPGA spec greens so they drain amazingly well, but OMG are they poor. If they spent some money on them instead of having tractors with blowers on blowing grass cuttings from fairways the place would be much better. Oh and cut the grass in the rough. We're not here to mess about looking for our golf balls. It should be long enough to punish poor shots but not to loose your golf balls and hold up play!

 

[Orikoru]

Same as always really. Fairways are shocking, never recovered from that ridiculous heatwave of 2018. Some bits of the fairways are largely mud with patches of grass longer than some other courses' rough. The greens are pretty decent these days, I think the two months where golf courses were shut did them some good. Couple of years back they were woeful but the greenkeepers did a good job getting them back to standard.

 

[Slab]

Considering the amount of money currently pouring in to the club, the course is rammed in a morning and still only allow four balls after 1pm. The greens, which I consider the most important bit, are poor on the back nine. We have USPGA spec greens so they drain amazingly well, but OMG are they poor. If they spent some money on them instead of having tractors with blowers on blowing grass cuttings from fairways the place would be much better. Oh and cut the grass in the rough. We're not here to mess about looking for our golf balls. It should be long enough to punish poor shots but not to loose your golf balls and hold up play!

Re highlight; I've always wondered, what does that actually mean?