firm and fast: when?

[Tommy Williamsen]

Many of us on this site like firm and fast conditions on certain courses that allow the ground game.  It seems, however, that even on links and heathland courses there are relatively few months when this is possible.  I have played in GBI in March and November, April and October and everything in between.  With few exception, I have only found fast and firm conditions (in GBI) from late May throughout some of October.  I wonder if that is true universally or are there other times of the year when your course plays fast and firm?  It seems that Pennard might be one that could be firm much of the year.  

[Craig Disher]

Tom,
I've played in the SE UK in almost every month and although the lightning summer conditions are gone by October the courses are still very firm by US standards. The big difference I see is that if the conditions are wet - to the extent that the ball collects mud or  makes a deep ball mark on the green - it's caused by a lot of rain. The superintendents I've talked to would sooner turn in their badges than let their courses become soft.  In the US, the wet conditions are mostly intentional.

[mike_beene]

In the Dallas area we are firm and fast Oct through May on the dormant bermuda fairways -bent greens courses.Summer is just to hot to maintain the firmness in the greens and the fairways grow quickly.Many of the daily fees overseed and give soft winter conditions,which I guess is what they think their market wants.419 is only brown for a couple of months and is a great dormant surface.

[JESII]

I think th eanswer to your topic question is...whenever possible!

If it rains for a week nobody would expect it to be firm. Here's what I notice in and around the Philadelphia area. The courses that really buy into firm and fast think of it as a constant goal that they need to be prepared for all the time. The grass has to be hearty enough to handle minimal moisture when nature provides minimal moisture.

My biggest pet peeve about course maintenance in this area (as that is really where my awareness is) is when a club talks firm and fast through but when you go there three days after a rainy day in the heat of the summer dry season and the ball brings up mud on most every shot. The places that really do it return to firmness quickly. That's the telling sign for me.

I think the answer is in Craig Disher's last two sentences.

[Paul Payne]

Up north it is mostly in the fall but I have to agree with Mike. I have played a lot of winter golf in the south. My favorite courses are those that let the Bermuda go dormant for the winter. The conditions can be great. The only trouble is if there has been a lot of rain the dormant bermuda seems to hold the water and mud even more than when it is growing.

Southern-dry-winter-dormant-golf!

[mike_beene]

Once you get west of I35 rain is unfortunately not much of an issue,We get some but there tend to be long spells in between.

[Jon Wiggett]

It is clear that the ground, what ever type of soil, will be some what softer in the winter than in the summer. If the deep drainage of the ground combined with the upper levels aeration is correct then this will go a long way to helping keep firmer conditions during the winter.

Otherwise, it is a case of waiting for a really cold spell to set in a deep frost. Now thats what I call FIRM!