Feckin weather!

REFLINE1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121341280#Comment_121341280

yeh i watched this recently, i like his coaching vids he explains the concepts well. Detest winter golf but feel like i need to get out a couple of times a month to justify the membership fees if nothing else.

Ottoman_1000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338887#Comment_121338887

I agree the placing makes for easier striking on longer shots, especially my 4i or 3 hybrid. My problem with these conditions is, I like to hit slightly behind the ball and use the bounce of the club for my wedges/chips shots within 50 odd yards as Coillcam also aluded to earlier. Especially the delicate chips around the green to attemp to get up and down. It's just the nature of the courses I was used to playing while overseas...Its simple a shot that can't be hit in these conditions now and I'll have to work on alternatives or it will be a very long winter for me 🙈🙈

big_drive

I'm thinking just leaving it off now till new year. I always try to play early to free up time later in day for other stuff but it's getting demoralising waking up early on a Saturday morning and then waiting to see if course is opening or not.

AyeGer

We’ve moved onto mats and winter tees. Guy won the comp at the weekend with 47 points. Hard to compete with that as a single figure golfer.

Nice to get out though and keep the swing going on a dry day in winter but I’m not interested in getting wet playing in rain and 5° temps.

brick tamland

This weather must be having a fairly negative impact on a lot of clubs. I imagine most parklands are seeing a huge reduction in Society/green/comp fees and you'd think a lot will see many members not rejoin next year if they didn't see value for money this year

IrishOwl...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121343978#Comment_121343978

Its going to be a tough time for a lot of parkland courses in the next few years, especially the small membered rural ones...These periods of heavy rainfall looks like its going to be the norm for the foreseeable and the costs of getting a course back to playable conditions after such rainfall is massive. If clubs are forced into course TLC more frequently, to go along with the reduced playing time on the course due to the conditions, it will be bad news for those places that don't have the deep pockets.

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121342588#Comment_121342588

Normal course management is to avoid short-sided shots, penalty areas or something you are bad at, eg bunkers for some folks. In winter I'm now extending this to be even more conservative. Those short game shots we both don't like on soft turf, I'll do everything to eliminate them or have a simpler alternative.

The best way to describe this is that I want full shot approaches in or at worst a 3/4 GW or PW. So that means no driver on short Par 4s - I use my driving iron or whatever leaves me with a comfy full approach. For Par 5 - Unless I'm comfortably in range for trying to reach it in two, my 2nd shot will be a shorter one to again lay up to that comfy full approach distance - it could be 2x PW shots. On the approaches to greens, I'm rarely pin hunting and aiming for the fattest/safest landing area. No lob shots or delicate pitches/chips please! It massively de-stresses the thought process and allows me to commit to a shot very comfortably.

The last thing I want is a 50yd pitch that I have been chunking and then have to think about chunking the follow up 40yd pitch I've left myself. I don't want to be in that headspace of considering wtf has just happened 🤣. There are probably negative shots gained for my winter golf so far when going for pure distance off the tee. Perhaps I'll improve on those problem shots but for now, it's ABC, simple, stress-free, conservative golf.

RoadRunner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121345937#Comment_121345937

The flipside is that trying to avoid them means you're getting no training reps in.

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121346201#Comment_121346201

To a point, I agree with you - reps are 100% needed. However, changing to a new technique should be practised off-course before being introduced especially for comps. If I draw the ball naturally and suddenly decide to try fading it, it's pretty clear to me I'd be wasting my time testing this in my only round which is also a comp. I'm here to try to score and build points in the winter league. If it's casual golf I'm dropping three balls every time I face one of these shots that I need to practice.

RoadRunner

In my opinion, developing a better sense of how the wedge interacts with the ground under differing conditions is a massive skill, developing that feel will not only let you play soft ground better, but it will improve your ability to play all ground conditions and assess lies better.

RoadRunner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121347367#Comment_121347367

By the way, you can go out your back garden (or a nearby green with a ball and recreate damp poor lies). I spent loads of time out my tiny back garden during covid to learn how the base of the wedge interacted with the ground. It was practice that I believe stands to me today. Have to say, it's not going to help your ego initially, duffing chip after chip, so try do it in private place. I cook regularly outdoors, and still take a wedge and a ball out with me while waiting.

callaway92

Was hoping to get a game in Doonbeg before the fairway mats were out but they are already doing it now. Disappointed! Not even sure if I’d play for half of the €75 they’re looking for.

IAmTitleist

Played Laytown & Bettystown there on Saturday.

Having come from parkland golf it was a complete joy to play proper golf again.

Turf bone dry & nice and firm. Greens were like putting on glass to be honest, couldn't get the pace of them at all having come from slow parkland greens.

Wonderful not to have a mudball in sight and be able to play golf the way it's supposed to be played without mats, lift clean and place etc.

spacecoyote

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121363206#Comment_121363206

What's the rate they're charging there. Looking at our options for a Winter Matchplay and where we can get full 18 in, on links, in around the Leinster area

IAmTitleist

We paid 60 euro.

As a course i'm not sure it's worth that money. A lot of very samey samey holes but happily would pay it just for the dry/firm conditions this time of year.

slingerz

This needs to be resurrected. I’m borderline depressed with the incessant rain. It feels like we’ll never have a sunny day or firm fairway again

big_drive

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121907332#Comment_121907332

Unbelievable at this stage. Beyond disappointing really and big issue is if the weather stays like this every year with less playable months.

Mantis Toboggan

On the bright side the last few days have been good and St Patrick's day is usually time of the year when the weather turns. But agree it's been dreadful this year and last, I haven't hit a ball since Halloween and have no intention until things improve.

blue note

I follow kinsealy driving range on instagram and they have only been able to use machinery to collect balls a couple of times since February 17th. It has been perhaps the wettest weather I can remember for this time of year.

big_drive

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121917101#Comment_121917101

Think I read some place that already more rain has fallen in March than the whole of February

oleard1987

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121917827#Comment_121917827

Some stats from our club on rainfall

January

On the weather front we recorded 122 mm (about 4.8 inches) of rain

February:

On the weather front we recorded 139mm (about 5.47 inches)

No update on march yet but latest post was -"We're only half way through the month of March and already there has been more rainfall than the whole month of February.-Be interesting to see the final figure

OEP

https://www.met.ie/climate/available-data/monthly-data

DellyBelly

It's been a shocking spring for Golf. There were nice days in February but the whole of March has been a washout. I wonder will this affect courses going forward i.e the condition of them especially parkland courses

Kiith

Yeah its been pretty shocking this month.

As long as we don't get a July like we did last year. 144mm of rain, more than we got in Jan and Feb combined. 6 times as wet as the year before.

awec

Our course is actually closed today cause of the rain.

Closed at the end of March due to rain. It's a bit depressing.

CONSI

Lot of courses closed because of the weather, and it will affect what green staff can do aswell in terms of cutting etc...was lucky enough to play in scotland early in March, havnt played since...would courses here benefit from using small matts like they do on a lot of links courses, protects the courses a bit in bad weather, but probably more the traffic that will damage the courses with this weather at the moment

token56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940321#Comment_121940321

Really shows how wet the majority of the golfing season was last year. Hopefully this summer is significantly better.

I'm lucky enough that I play at a course that has only had to close a small handful of days this winter and is still in pretty good conditions considering. But I think a lot of courses will struggle if we have another summer like last year.

Dbu

Currently snowing and raining (at the same time) in Cork.....

course closed again..........

coillcam

Changing jobs and left a week in between to chill. Booked a trip to Lisbon last minute (ish) to relax and play a little golf.

Got a stomach bug Friday night and was lucky to be able to fly Sunday. Too wasted on Monday to do anything. Pisses rain every day since and herself has the bug as of yesterday.

My mate was in the Algarve recently and rain played havok on his trip but he managed to get out most of the time.

The course at home has been shut too. Is there no end to the rain?!

token56

Another horrible weekend on the cards when this should be the start of the season for most. It's not making me particularly hopefully for the summer to come.

I hope I'm wrong but I can see a world in 20 years time where the majority of golf is played on simulators with club competitions being replaced with online comps.