Will Golfers Ever Be Satisfied With The Condition of Golf Courses

Sit back in any clubhouse bar and listen in on the conversations going on around you. What is the most common subject for conversation?

Is it the senior captain’s hip replacement? Is it your mate’s new job? Is it the baby that refuses to sleep through the night? Is it your new car - or the repair bill from your garage?

I would wager that it will be a close-run thing between the handicap system and the condition of your course.

Nothing exercises our minds quite like course conditions, covering everything from the greens to the state of our bunkers, tees and fairways. And more recently, wet weather has had a huge impact on dozens of courses around the UK, with flooding a constant headache for many.

So when we asked in our recent survey if you were happy with the condition of your course during the winter just 47% of you said yes, 29% said sometimes and 24% said no. This compares with the peak golf season, when a hugely impressive 82% of you said you were happy with your course, and we received many comments from golfers too.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

"Links courses are the way forward. Inland and parkland courses are realistically only now able to provide decent golf for six-seven months of the year."

Hmmm….sadly, we are not all lucky enough to have regular access to links courses. And there is most definitely a downside to playing on a links during the winter - namely the likelihood of a bitterly cold and biting wind. 

"Course is virtually unplayable during winter and fees need to reflect this."

"Poor value for money when we are charged a full year's membership and the course is either closed, waterlogged or playing from temporary tees for four months of the year."

Personally, I see nothing wrong with winter tees - it gives your standard tees a chance to recover ahead of the regular season. Ask any greenkeeper and he will tell you that if you keep using the regular tees for 12 months a year, especially with increased wet conditions, then they will deteriorate without being given recovery time. 

"Most people are aware that costs have increased and the weather has worsened. There is now an expectation for golfers to play 12 months of year but that does not factor in the British weather. Even during course closures, the club has bills to pay."

Whether we like it or not, golf clubs face a difficult balancing act when it comes to planning annual budgets, especially now that weather closures are happening more often. Remember that when a club has to close its doors there is no income, but wages still have to be paid. It is all too easy to be critical of golf clubs who do not give rebates to members to compensate for course closures, but if they do so then it is almost certainly going to lead to further increases in annual subscriptions.

"Unfortunately weather does play a major view of what you think of golf courses. I only play midweek so a five-day membership suits me. Also my club offers summer membership. Again this suits as I have never been keen on playing golf in the winter."

There are some environmental concerns…

"The banning of agents that can kill crane flies whose grubs are so attractive to badgers and remove worms means that our course is little more than a muddy mess at times, especially with heavy greenkeeping machinery crossing while members are refused buggies."

"Worm casts are a really big issue, wetter and warmer winters have changed the amount of worms drastically - we need to be able to use pesticides as there is so much mud it and it is ruining winter play."

Soggy conditions have become an issue for most of us. My own golf club has spent a small fortune on drainage but recent wet weather has meant that conditions have become pretty challenging. And while they may be difficult for us as golfer, they are far more challenging for the greenkeepers who are tasked with keeping our courses open on a daily basis. It stands to reason that they are going to have to move equipment around the course, regardless of the weather.

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