When To Play 1st Comp Of The Season

Fore Right

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Our Opening Medal is on the 6th April.
The golf course currently resembles a bog, drivers plugging in the fairways and the greens are like a ploughed field after recent large holo tining

With Rain in the forecast for pretty much every day in Yorkshire for the next 2 weeks and the temps not rising at all I just cant see the course being in any kind of decent condition on the 6th April.

So im thinking of waiting till the course is in good enough condition to play my 1st Medal which will probably be May.

When are you thinking of playing your 1st comp ?
 

PJ87

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Our Opening Medal is on the 6th April.
The golf course currently resembles a bog, drivers plugging in the fairways and the greens are like a ploughed field after recent large holo tining

With Rain in the forecast for pretty much every day in Yorkshire for the next 2 weeks and the temps not rising at all I just cant see the course being in any kind of decent condition on the 6th April.

So im thinking of waiting till the course is in good enough condition to play my 1st Medal which will probably be May.

When are you thinking of playing your 1st comp ?

Already done one

It's the same course for everyone
 

Bratty

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I've played several since November, but all bar one were non-qualifiers. And I managed two over handicap and a 0.1 cut in Feb's qualifying stableford. With 5 mudballs and very little run on the whole course!
 

BiMGuy

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Our Opening Medal is on the 6th April.
The golf course currently resembles a bog, drivers plugging in the fairways and the greens are like a ploughed field after recent large holo tining

With Rain in the forecast for pretty much every day in Yorkshire for the next 2 weeks and the temps not rising at all I just cant see the course being in any kind of decent condition on the 6th April.

So im thinking of waiting till the course is in good enough condition to play my 1st Medal which will probably be May.

When are you thinking of playing your 1st comp ?
We’ve been playing comps all winter. Usually a weekly stableford, the monthly Sunday morning medal has been a stableford during winter rules.

Which course do you play at?
 

IanM

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Not sure when ours start. Newport's Saturday Stablefords have gone nine qualifying all winter. I've not played a qualifying comp since October. I've put in two gp cards since then from Saunton as we decided there was no reason not to.

Saunton comps have been able to carry on as usual, but I've not been down there on comp days.
 

Billysboots

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This is the first winter in twenty years during which we haven’t had a single qualifier, because we have been playing lift, clean and drop in the rough since November.

First qualifier should have been today but winter rules have been extended, so it’s now next weekend.
 

louise_a

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Our first comp is on Thursday, I cant see it being acceptable for handicap though, the course is soaking wet, so it will mats in the general area.
 

HPIMG

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I like to use April as a practice month to really zone in on my chipping, I don’t know how anyone can practice chipping in winter. So it will be start of may before I start playing medals and trying to get handicap down
 

Bobthesock

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I like to use April as a practice month to really zone in on my chipping, I don’t know how anyone can practice chipping in winter. So it will be start of may before I start playing medals and trying to get handicap down
We even have to use mats around the greens now. I hate chipping off them. No doubt I'll duff a few off grass but who cares? Name down and really looking forward to the first medal on April 6th 👍
 

2blue

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Our Opening Medal is on the 6th April.
The golf course currently resembles a bog, drivers plugging in the fairways and the greens are like a ploughed field after recent large holo tining

With Rain in the forecast for pretty much every day in Yorkshire for the next 2 weeks and the temps not rising at all I just cant see the course being in any kind of decent condition on the 6th April.

So im thinking of waiting till the course is in good enough condition to play my 1st Medal which will probably be May.

When are you thinking of playing your 1st comp ?
Never heard of it being done at this time of the year....... is this routine at your place? Where are you in Yorkshire so I know to avoid. :unsure: :rolleyes:
 

PJ87

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Never heard of it being done at this time of the year....... is this routine at your place? Where are you in Yorkshire so I know to avoid. :unsure: :rolleyes:

Ours are done this time of year (last week) and then again in August

(Just checked the email, it was done in August and now last week to avoid august this year)
 

PJ87

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This is from the email

"The works being undertaken will involve the greens being hollow tined (physical removal of cores from the ground) followed by being dressed with sand and also over seeded.

This work is traditional at most golf clubs and ensures that we break up any thatch layer on the surface of the greens and ensures that moisture and oxygen can get down to the rootzone of the finer grasses.

Following the renovations, Ben and his team will be regularly rolling and dressing greens to ensure we do all we can to enhance the putting surfaces during their recovery.

Recovery is dependent on the weather and in particular ground temperatures. Traditionally the recovery period is around 3 weeks."
 

garyinderry

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We played our first comp of the year today. Absolutely brutal slog off the back sticks. Wind blowing and course saturated. It was grim.

The St Patrick's comp is never qualifying. In the next month or so a decision is usually made to go back to placing only on fairways.
It was the 26th of April last year by the time I played my first qualifying comp. More than likely it will be similar this year.

Tbh I'm more than happy to wait till the world dries out. That was zero fun today.
 

Crow

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This is the first winter in twenty years during which we haven’t had a single qualifier, because we have been playing lift, clean and drop in the rough since November.

First qualifier should have been today but winter rules have been extended, so it’s now next weekend.

I know we don't, but our course experiences are so similar it feels like we play at the same course!
 
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