Discussion
Rosscow said:
The only time I've had to play mats on fairways was if you were within 100 yards of the greens 4 weeks before the Open at Royal St George's.
As Giles says above, it's not golf and I wouln't pay to play somewhere that enforced that rule!
Burnham is mats on the fairways, I’m a country member there and would rather not bother. Been an awful few months, who would be a green keeper? As Giles says above, it's not golf and I wouln't pay to play somewhere that enforced that rule!
I’ve recently got my own mat. £30 off Amazon. Digs into the ground and gives you the perfect lie. I got it after playing with some chaps that had them and I was “making do” with lift and clean and place
It is basically cheating even compared to winter rules and makes a massive difference- I don’t use it on every shot but if you are using a wedge, it makes for a different winter game.
Blue62 said:
Burnham is mats on the fairways, I’m a country member there and would rather not bother. Been an awful few months, who would be a green keeper?
Is that all the time? I have a few mates who go up there for the Winter Knockout and Comps they run.Blackpuddin said:
Is it OK to use mats then? Genuine question.
Difficult one, if you pick and place its no different, but you then have perfect lie each time and a mat to hit it fat off.Edited by fourstardan on Sunday 17th March 06:06
fourstardan said:
Blue62 said:
Burnham is mats on the fairways, I’m a country member there and would rather not bother. Been an awful few months, who would be a green keeper?
Is that all the time? I have a few mates who go up there for the Winter Knockout and Comps they run.Blackpuddin said:
Is it OK to use mats then? Genuine question.
Difficult one, if you pick and place its no different, but you then have perfect lie each time and a mat to hit it fat off.Edited by fourstardan on Sunday 17th March 06:06
fourstardan said:
Difficult one, if you pick and place its no different, but you then have perfect lie each time and a mat to hit it fat off.
Don’t know why your question about Burnham doesn’t show when I try to reply, but the use of mats has been mandatory. The problem is that they were awarded a three year deal to host the final qualifier last year, but due to the state of the fairways the venue was switched to Royal Porthcawl, so they’re being ultra cautious. Edited by fourstardan on Sunday 17th March 06:06
I find it hard to follow their policy though as trollies have been allowed much of the time (you have to take a divot bag if you trolley) and if you elect not to pick and place you don’t have to use the mat!
Anyway, I played there two weeks ago and I’ve never seen it wetter, huge pools of water on and off the fairways that you need a scooper to retrieve unless you want to take your shoes and socks off.
Rosscow said:
Yeah, we play there quite regularly, it's only half an hour from me. We have matches against them every year, too.
I heard it was closed - I've never heard of that either, and it was still only 10 holes open last week. Crazy
Did you get to play? I heard it was closed - I've never heard of that either, and it was still only 10 holes open last week. Crazy
My course East Sussex National is STILL closed
Seems we are quite local
Edited by andy_ran on Sunday 17th March 15:36
Blue62 said:
Don’t know why your question about Burnham doesn’t show when I try to reply, but the use of mats has been mandatory. The problem is that they were awarded a three year deal to host the final qualifier last year, but due to the state of the fairways the venue was switched to Royal Porthcawl, so they’re being ultra cautious.
I find it hard to follow their policy though as trollies have been allowed much of the time (you have to take a divot bag if you trolley) and if you elect not to pick and place you don’t have to use the mat!
Anyway, I played there two weeks ago and I’ve never seen it wetter, huge pools of water on and off the fairways that you need a scooper to retrieve unless you want to take your shoes and socks off.
I thought the fairways got the wrong fertiliser treatment so it fked them up?I find it hard to follow their policy though as trollies have been allowed much of the time (you have to take a divot bag if you trolley) and if you elect not to pick and place you don’t have to use the mat!
Anyway, I played there two weeks ago and I’ve never seen it wetter, huge pools of water on and off the fairways that you need a scooper to retrieve unless you want to take your shoes and socks off.
We get Burnham on reciprocal and not played up there yet, I say up as its a 2 hour drive from Bournemouth !
andy_ran said:
Did you get to play?
My course East Sussex National is STILL closed
Seems we are quite local
Yep - had a good afternoon. Was 1 over par through 12 but then dropped shots coming back into the wind on the way home! Some awful 3 putts (greens so slow compared to Rye!). Course wasn’t too bad, but very wet in places for a links course. My course East Sussex National is STILL closed
Seems we are quite local
Edited by andy_ran on Sunday 17th March 15:36
Anyhow, signed for a 80 which has dropped my HI to 8.7 so a good start to the season. Should really have been a 78 but I’ll take it considering I’ve not practiced at all.
Felt good though, I think the break has done me a favour (I’ve been doing a lot of running over winter and have a half marathon this weekend).
One of our members is Dave Bridger - he’s the pro shop manager at ESN. So yes, pretty local!
fourstardan said:
I thought the fairways got the wrong fertiliser treatment so it fked them up?
We get Burnham on reciprocal and not played up there yet, I say up as its a 2 hour drive from Bournemouth !
The very dry summer (seems a lifetime ago) started the problem, one of the fairways actually caught fire, but they had a leather jacket problem two years ago, difficult to treat and they messed up. Some great courses in your part of the world, where are you? We get Burnham on reciprocal and not played up there yet, I say up as its a 2 hour drive from Bournemouth !
Blue62 said:
The very dry summer (seems a lifetime ago) started the problem, one of the fairways actually caught fire, but they had a leather jacket problem two years ago, difficult to treat and they messed up. Some great courses in your part of the world, where are you?
Ferndown member.We have had leatherjackets on the greens, horrible things, the only way to stop them seemed to be covering greens overnight with tarpaulins!
andy_ran said:
Did you get to play?
My course East Sussex National is STILL closed
Seems we are quite local
Isn't ESN an ex quarry so clay base and obviously rather low in places?My course East Sussex National is STILL closed
Seems we are quite local
Edited by andy_ran on Sunday 17th March 15:36
I played it a few times on a Sussex County card 10 years odd back and it was really a nice treat to play.
I played Ilkley on Friday, a lovely course that runs along side the river Wharfe, the river was doing a decent impression of the Nile in full flood and some of the fairways were very wet and boggy in places I was surprised it was open but we had the course to ourselves, but it reminded me of how miserable winter golf can be, I don't think I can recall a wetter period than that over the last 5 months my own course has been closed more than it's been open.
fourstardan said:
Ferndown member.
We have had leatherjackets on the greens, horrible things, the only way to stop them seemed to be covering greens overnight with tarpaulins!
A local - I'm at Barton on Sea. We have had leatherjackets on the greens, horrible things, the only way to stop them seemed to be covering greens overnight with tarpaulins!
Never played it but heard Ferndown is very nice - old school but very nice. What are conditions like at the moment?
If it's a sign of things to come (warmer, wetter winters and dryer summers) then golf courses CAN adapt. Not saying they will, if they're anything like mine they will just waste money on amateurish badly designed course "improvements".
What they should be doing, certainly inland, is water management, build up a sand base on the fairways, with drainage into useful reservoirs (I know one or two local clubs doing this) etc.
Plenty of much wetter countries (Miami has far more rain than London) cope pretty well.
What they should be doing, certainly inland, is water management, build up a sand base on the fairways, with drainage into useful reservoirs (I know one or two local clubs doing this) etc.
Plenty of much wetter countries (Miami has far more rain than London) cope pretty well.
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