When To Play 1st Comp Of The Season

[clubchamp98]

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."

This needs to be done when the grass is growing so the holes are healed faster.
Doing it in winter is a very bad idea.

 

[Viewer]

This needs to be done when the grass is growing so the holes are healed faster.
Doing it in winter is a very bad idea.

Surely it depends on the course?

 

[clubchamp98]

Surely it depends on the course?

No grass will only grow in certain temperatures if the ground is to cold the grass won’t grow and creep over the sand filled holes.
It will depend where the course is obviously. Warm climate no problem ,UK different.
It’s one of the reasons this work was done in July/ August but views have changed.

We use an Air2G2 now to frack the ground so hollow tining needs to be done only once a year.

 

[clubchamp98]

We have the first Major of the season a week Saturday/Monday 36 holes
The course just isn’t ready and imo won’t be by then.

 

[ExRabbit]

Captain's Drive-in on the first Saturday of April if the weather allows it.

 

[PJ87]

This needs to be done when the grass is growing so the holes are healed faster.
Doing it in winter is a very bad idea.

Our greens are growing well tbh

 

[Viewer]

No grass will only grow in certain temperatures if the ground is to cold the grass won’t grow and creep over the sand filled holes.
It will depend where the course is obviously. Warm climate no problem ,UK different.
It’s one of the reasons this work was done in July/ August but views have changed.

We use an Air2G2 now to frack the ground so hollow tining needs to be done only once a year.

So it depends on the course! Historically it was done in August as that was felt when many members went away on holiday and played less/not at all so caused them less intrusion.

If the sand is done properly and the right amount used then the holes should be filled up and play isn’t too much of a problem.

 

[clubchamp98]

So it depends on the course! Historically it was done in August as that was felt when many members went away on holiday and played less/not at all so caused them less intrusion.

If the sand is done properly and the right amount used then the holes should be filled up and play isn’t too much of a problem.

It depends on the weather!

The grass is growing at its maximum in summer so 10 days max to heal.
In winter they might take 4/6 weeks until the grass starts growing but due to the climate were only guessing now.

 

[Golfnut1957]

We only have two comps through the winter, a league and a Greensomes KO, they have both been decimated by the weather and course closures.

Our first medal is a week on Saturday, I'm playing but not in the medal. Our first Stableford is on the 2nd April, if we are still on the winter course I won't be playing in that either.

My first comp will be after they have reinstated the summer course and whites and yellows, which is when I will begin submitting GP cards as well.

 

[timd77]

We’ve had a winter league since November, every other weekend. Meant to be 10 rounds, we managed to get 7 done and only 2 were over 18 holes because of partial closure, thoroughly depressing.

First proper comp is meant to be this weekend, the course is still soaked and so I can’t see it being over 18 holes. Any bit of rain just has nowhere to drain. We played on 13 holes Saturday, nice dry day, course was playing not too bad. Heavy rain overnight, fully closed yesterday. Never known anything like it.

At this rate we need maybe a month of very little rain and we might start getting back to something nearing normal conditions.

 

[Swango1980]

Our course is lovely in summer, but does really suffer in a wet winter. Had course closures, hole closures, temp greens, etc all through thew winter.

That being said, we've still had various competitions through the winter, so technically I've never stopped playing competitions, so not sure if I can define when I start playing competitions this year. Do you mean handicap counting competitions?

Our course was open for handicap cards for the first time this year last Wednesday. So, managed to get my first card in on Saturday in a General Play round, scoring 39 points. Weather was terrible on Saturday night, all the way through to late morning Sunday. Yet, astonishingly, the course was still fully open on Sunday, 18 main greens. So, fingers crossed we are entering summer and there will be a good year ahead.

 

[patricks148]

as soon as they start for me, but then im a member at links courses so waterlogging isnt really an issue.

 

[batchworth]

we had our Drive-in this weekend (fun comp)- they opened all 18 for the first time in months (front nine been shut as on clay), and really highlighted how bad that side was. Boggy as hell, balls getting lost on fairways as plugging, plus the length of grass on the supposed fairways and semi rough was shocking, as I guess they just couldn't get out to cut it.

This weekend is supposed to be the first boarded comp - cant see that happening.

Also doesn't help that Crown Golf have no interest in maintaining the course, and we have had two greenkeepers leave in the same week

 

[PJ87]

This needs to be done when the grass is growing so the holes are healed faster.
Doing it in winter is a very bad idea.

Don't think can argue with the results in less than 2 weeks

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We had a reschedule combined stableford (pairs) event yesterday which is a board event. The course was a mess in places and a real struggle off the white plates. A lot of discussion around the right time for a start of season event. We have our one and only bogey event on Easter weekend and it has always been there in the diary. I think that should be the opener personally although this year I am guessing 15 and 16 will be as waterlogged as yesterday and the pairs even moved a little later in the season

 

[Grambo87]

No comps at my place till mid April. One year it was the end of April.

wow. our place will be similar. Where abouts are you a member in Cheshire?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Don't think can argue with the results in less than 2 weeks

You must have had a decent degree of warmth for that to happen. Ours were done a few weeks ago and it is as described by @clubchamp98 , still open, putts still bobbling.

You lot down south, don't know you are born

 

[Springveldt]

You must have had a decent degree of warmth for that to happen. Ours were done a few weeks ago and it is as described by @clubchamp98 , still open, putts still bobbling.

You lot down south, don't know you are born

It took them nearly 5 weeks to recover last August as the cores they pulled out might have brought some mantle with them.

I'm guessing the new ones might be fixed by May but since the greens are never on it shouldn't make a difference just now.

 

[clubchamp98]

You must have had a decent degree of warmth for that to happen. Ours were done a few weeks ago and it is as described by @clubchamp98 , still open, putts still bobbling.

You lot down south, don't know you are born

The bobbling could be from different grasses growing at differing rates as well.

If you have a mixture of grasses this can be a problem at this time of year.

I find this is a real problem for me and other lower cappers, chipping onto the greens is a lottery.
Most low cappers short game is good but tined greens are a nightmare.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

The bobbling could be from different grasses growing at differing rates as well.

If you have a mixture of grasses this can be a problem at this time of year.

I find this is a real problem for me and other lower cappers, chipping onto the greens is a lottery.
Most low cappers short game is good but tined greens are a nightmare.

Spot on. It's almost as though you do this for a living . Yes, we have a combination at the moment of patchy grass, different grasses used over time apparently, and greens that were tined and haven't sealed.

Reality is with the above plus the weather I can't say I've hit a genuine putt capable of being called a proper putt since November ☹ . I've whacked a ball with a putter but that isn't the same thing.