Course closed - again!

[Mark_Rowlinson]

So much for firm and fast! We have had two days of constant, heavy rain and with the ground being so damp there is nowhere for the rain to run away, even on a course as well-drained as Wilmslow.

This was the 12th fairway with a couple of lakes forming where my tee shot usually lands.




And this is the 11th green.



The course has been closed for two days and looks unlikely to re-open for a day or two yet. I’m told no courses are open in Cheshire today, and there are over 100 courses in the county. Nor is it the first time the course has been closed during this summer – unheard of in the past. And look how dark it is! These pictures were taken at 2 pm this afternoon. They’re not very good because they were taken through the car window – it was raining too heavily to consider walking to take better photos!

What was it like elsewhere in Britain today?

[Garland Bayley]

Summer?

[Brian_Ewen]

Hey .... at least you are not in Aberdeen.

(Wonder how Mr Trumps course is coping today ?)

[Neil White]

Brian,

Is that sea foam?

Neil.

[Brian_Ewen]

Brian,

Is that sea foam?

Neil.

Yes, just foam seemingly.

Worst storm I have seen in the area for a long long time.

[Tommy Williamsen]

In Devon I went for a hike. There was sun, clouds, rain, clouds, sun, wind, rain--well you get the idea.

[Kris Shreiner]

That area of Scotland around Aberdeen can get some hellish weather. My gal went to school there and said the winds were "Baltic cold" when they whistled through the streets. That could well be snow in a month!

Cheers,
Kris

[David_Tepper]

From the Northern Times:

"The Met Office have issued a warning about heavy and persistent rain in the north of Scotland this afternoon, with possible severe gales in places.

They advise members of the public to remain aware of the potential for further localised disruption due to the heavy rain and strong winds.

Motorists are asked to take care when crossing the Kessock and Skye bridges and anyone taking ferries to the Western Isles are advised to check with Caledonian MacBrayne about any disruptions."
 

[Jon Wiggett]

That area of Scotland around Aberdeen can get some hellish weather. My gal went to school there and said the winds were "Baltic cold" when they whistled through the streets. That could well be snow in a month!

Cheers,
Kris

Here in Brahan (just north of Inverness) we had snow today Kris. Thought I would be mowing the greens today instead of waxing the skis

Mark,

I didn't shut the course because I figured noone would turn up to play. Hell, if anyone did I let em play for free.

Jon

[David_Tepper]

Jon -

Have you ever thought of turning your course into a cross-country ski center during the winter months?

DT

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Jon,

What would happen in America if someone played when a course was closed and they had to submit a card?

I'm not being smug about Wilmslow. I can just imagine how severe it can be in Scotland. I've heard first hand - my wife grew up there.

Mark.

[ward peyronnin]

After the Walker Cup last year we were travelling south of Aberdeen to Montrose and the tractor trailers were all parked at the side of the divided highways....realized it was the high winds

[Mark Chaplin]

Beautiful sunny day at Wentworth today, one five minute shower and a light breeze.

The course has settled down since last year and is in reasonable condition, superb fairways, green surrounds struggling in places, the greens are much better than this time last year, putting true but slow. 18 is softer but still a testing approach, the pin was 24 on and 4 (yes 4) yards from the left edge!

[Kalen Braley]

That almost looks fake, like photoshop or CGI from a movie.

That is some seriously frothy stuff.  If I didn't know any better, it looks like the foam you see of a pint of the local stuff!!   

[Mark Pearce]

Lovely day in London.  I gather Newcastle was flooded in places.  Boy's school shut due to floods for third time in four months.  Fourth or fifth time this year we've had a month's rain in 24 hours.

[Gary Slatter]

need cart paths

[Joel_Stewart]

I looked at the Trump web site today hoping they had a real time camera (they don't) to see the conditions.

I did see they are having a big Ryder Cup weekend special up there which sounds fun but you are totally screwed if this weather is that bad.

http://www.trumpgolfscotland.com/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=302662&ssid=188183&vnf=1

[Rich Goodale]

The past two years have been the worst for golf in all of the 31 years I have spent significant time in the UK.  My home course (Aberdour) has been a bog most of the time and even Dornoch has had moisture in the ground all year.  Fortunately, I got lucky last week and played two rounds of golf without precipitation, but the heavens have opened up again this week so I'll be laying my clubs away for a couple of weeks until I fly to America.  Please don't tell me it will be the hurricane season then.......

[Mark Chaplin]

Rich - "north of Watford" doesn't just apply to the wealth divide in the UK. Until the weekend we've hardly had any rain for three months.

[Brian_Ewen]

The past two years have been the worst for golf in all of the 31 years I have spent significant time in the UK. 

I think the summers in NE Scotland has been pretty wet for at least the last 10 years.

Long time since I saw the baked yellow fairways of summer that I used to play regularly on.

[Mark Pearce]

The past two years have been the worst for golf in all of the 31 years I have spent significant time in the UK. 

I think the summers in NE Scotland has been pretty wet for at least the last 10 years.

Long time since I saw the baked yellow fairways of summer that I used to play regularly on.

I don't know about ten years but we've certainly had more than 2 consecutive miserable summers.  This year, however, stands out for the shear volume of water that has fallen from the skys.

[Rich Goodale]

The past two years have been the worst for golf in all of the 31 years I have spent significant time in the UK. 

I think the summers in NE Scotland has been pretty wet for at least the last 10 years.

Long time since I saw the baked yellow fairways of summer that I used to play regularly on.

Brian (and Ma k)

I believe that the last baked yellow summer was 2005.  I remember it well as it was the fastest I've ever seen Dornoch play in August and it was the last time that I qualified for the Shield!

Rich

[Bryan Izatt]

I guess BUDA got lucky this year with only one rain event over the week I was over.  The last drought year was 2006, not 2005.  And, it was hot too.  Here are some pics from Crail, Cruden Bay and Royal Dornoch (dry despite the fact it was raining at the time).

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Bryan, That's how I think of every summer and so often I'm disappointed!

I remember the exceptional summers of 1975 and 6. I was living in London and played golf at Coombe Wood and Highgate where we were welcomed for low green fees as members of the Concert Golfing Society. Coombe Wood was an 18-hole course in Kingston (Surrey) which amounted to just over 5,000 yards from the back tees, but it was fun, particularly so on the back nine, several holes of which ran along the back of some quite expensive houses. One of them was owned by an actor who had made a fortune playing bad guys and thugs in films and TV and he had a swimming pool in his garden. There were some very distracting females partially clothed or not clothed at all to be observed there on most days during those summers. Unfortunately they were on the right of the fairway and I am a left-handed slicer and simply could not manage to hit a ball over the fence on the right!

It's raining again, pretty heavily, tonight....

[Sean_A]

Rain is quite a localized issue.  We have had plenty of brown course play between 2006 and 2011.  This year has been very odd - all the brown play was over by spring, but we still had some.  I even had brown play this past winter.  Generally speaking the north and northwest are much wetter than the south and southeast.  I would say that it makes a difference between clubs.  Some water more than others and when there is serious rain the extra watering makes a big difference.

I do know that I shall have to be extra choosy about which courses to play on this year's winter tour.  I am afraid some courses will not properly dry out until warm weather next summer - its that bad.  

Ciao