[Tony_Muldoon]

Inspired by this thread.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59431.0.html

In recent years Rye and The Valley Portrush have added irrigation with the promise to members that they will be used sparingly. That leaves very few courses that rely on rain for their irrigation.  We should remember rainwater is (ceteris paribus) the Finest water for turf and secondly it means that the course will play differently form week to week and year to year. 


Whilst I hope that everyone has had the experience  of playing a firm and  fast running links, as the other thread points out, it doesn’t get any better than when it’s an entirely natural occurrence.  Today it seems that its mostly the ‘second’ courses that remain unirrigated and I thought I would like to highlight this as a connoisseur experience for the die hard golf fan. This is potentially downsizing at its best. 

(One has to admit that in a dry summer the course will get a little ‘rustic’.)

Here’s three that I believe qualify, all offer good golf and plenty of “joy to be alive” factor.

1
The Jubilee (9/12/18 whatever) at Rye.

2
Old Tom Morris Course, Rossapenna

3
Dawlish Warren GC.  South Devon.
 This is not in the Pepper book but as I’ve said before that’s an omission.  Played this a few years ago at Easter and it was the ‘purest’ experience I’ve enjoyed on a golf course.  It is laid out over a spit of linksland with water on 3 sides and the turf that day was ‘crunchy’.   I’m not long, but an 8i followed by a 9i saw me at the back of the green on a 350 yard hole. It’s short, so a Driver in those conditions is probably foolhardy.

(I think a course will still qualify with automatically irrigated greens.)

Where else?


Do others think these courses can offer the purest conditions?

[Ally Mcintosh]

There is a difference, Tony...

There are still quite a few courses (OTM at Rosapenna amongst them) that only have pop-ups on the green and tees, leaving the fairways either to the elements or with a few manual points on the main line.

I'd be interested to know which links courses don't have irrigation anywhere.

Ally

[Josh Stevens]

I played Rye once every summer for five years.  Kent is dry, it was dead apart from greens and tees.

Interesting golf.  Not sure I would want to make a habit of it

[Bill_McBride]

I played Rye once every summer for five years.  Kent is dry, it was dead apart from greens and tees.

Interesting golf.  Not sure I would want to make a habit of it

Everybody said Hoylake was dead during the 2006 Open.   We played there three months later in light rainy conditions and everything had turned a light green.   I suspect Rye is the same, bone dry in summer when I've played it, and slightly green once rain begins.   I think it's just a function of some clubs using their irrigation sparingly if at all.   

[Michael Whitaker]

Tony - are you in training to replace Lorne? You would look smashing in an ascot and mustache!  

[Sean_A]

Last I knew, North Wales didn't have fairway watering.  I don't think Perranporth has fairway watering.

What we really want is a list of clubs which allow their fairways to turn biscuit brown.  Places like Pennard are not going to turn on the water unless its absolutely necessary.  The result is a different course depending on the weather - thats what actually matters. 

Ciao

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

What would be the guesses on the First Open to be played on a course that had "automatic" irrigation on the fairways?

[James Boon]

Tony,

And I thought I was likely to be the only GCAer to play Dawlish Warren (though perhaps we have discussed it before and I'm forgetting...). I recall it being a windy day as I needed a driver, 3 wood and long iron to get home on a par 4 before turning the other way and reaching a par 5 with a drive and short iron...

I played Rye once every summer for five years.  Kent is dry, it was dead apart from greens and tees.

Interesting golf.  Not sure I would want to make a habit of it

Everybody said Hoylake was dead during the 2006 Open.   We played there three months later in light rainy conditions and everything had turned a light green.   I suspect Rye is the same, bone dry in summer when I've played it, and slightly green once rain begins.   I think it's just a function of some clubs using their irrigation sparingly if at all.   

Bill, and Josh,

Good example. I'm no expert but I've always believed the brown fairways to be dormant rather than dead? If they were dead, surely that would mean half of the course would need to be reseeded come the end of summer which I'm pretty sure isn't the case?

Cheers,

James

[Adrian_Stiff]

What would be the guesses on the First Open to be played on a course that had "automatic" irrigation on the fairways?

St Andrews 1978 is my guess, I am pretty sure they had it in 78, pretty sure Turnberry did not in 77. Rest of the early 70s Opens were mainly brown save 73 at Troon.

[Scott Macpherson]

Tony,

It is not a links course, but the new Colt Course I designed at Close House, Newcastle, UK, a few years ago has no fairway irrigation. That is unusual for a new course, but possible in this case due to fairly regular annual rainfall in that area.

The result is that there can be some variation in the colour of the turf, but it allowed us to create broad fairways (no limitations from sprinkler coverage) and the fairways turf grows down looking for moisture, thus resulting in a quality playing surface.

Like you, I am interested to hear how many links courses exist without irrigation, but a subsequent question may be how many new 18-hole 'championship' courses are constructed without fairway irrigation?

Scott

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Adrian that time period was my guess as well.
I know Royal Birkdale was not in 1976 and that Lytham had not yet installed an irrigation system.
For some reason I was thinking that Birkdale in around 1983 was the first fully irrigated open?

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Tony,

It is not a links course, but the new Colt Course I designed at Close House, Newcastle, UK, a few years ago has no fairway irrigation. That is unusual for a new course, but possible in this case due to fairly regular annual rainfall in that area.

The result is that there can be some variation in the colour of the turf, but it allowed us to create broad fairways (no limitations from sprinkler coverage) and the fairways turf grows down looking for moisture, thus resulting in a quality playing surface.

Like you, I am interested to hear how many links courses exist without irrigation, but a subsequent question may be how many new 18-hole 'championship' courses are constructed without fairway irrigation?

Scott

I have indeed heard wonderful things about the Colt Course at Close House and the photograohs I have seen look marvelous, Scott if you have any photos of your own please post them and share.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Tony,

And I thought I was likely to be the only GCAer to play Dawlish Warren (though perhaps we have discussed it before and I'm forgetting...). I recall it being a windy day as I needed a driver, 3 wood and long iron to get home on a par 4 before turning the other way and reaching a par 5 with a drive and short iron...


James

Those who have had the pleasure of a round with James will appreciate the lovely use of understatement, describing that as merely  "a windy day".

[RJ_Daley]

The Dooks thread also stimulated me to get serious about the bucket list and what I feel I'm still missing.  I must make the Ireland and GB- Scotland excursion happen.  Dooks looks like as good of place as any to begin. 

[Thomas Dai]

There is a difference, Tony...

There are still quite a few courses (OTM at Rosapenna amongst them) that only have pop-ups on the green and tees, leaving the fairways either to the elements or with a few manual points on the main line.

I'd be interested to know which links courses don't have irrigation anywhere.

Ally

Rosap' OTM didn't have any greenside pop-ups at all when I was there earlier this year, only a single manhole cover adjacent to the side of each green. I was a bit surprised at seeing this these days this I so mentioned it in the Pro-shop and they confirmed my observations - handheld hoses only connected when necessary apparently.

Still quite a number of links with only pop-ups around the green and tees, especially the more remote, 'off-the-radar' or more financially challenged ones. Probably a few candidates on this thread - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59381.0.html

As to no permanent irrigation system anywhere at all - only one course, cheating a bit here, comes immediately to mind - the 'Links in the Sky' that is Minchinhampton Old!

Good thread Tony, thanks for starting it.

atb

[Tom_Doak]

Askernish has no fairway irrigation and it's a blast.

Regarding Open rota courses, I believe I read that Troon was required to install fairway watering as a condition of hosting the 1973 Open, because the fairways had been so crazy firm and bouncy in 1962.

[Ryan Coles]

Last I knew, North Wales didn't have fairway watering.  I don't think Perranporth has fairway watering.

What we really want is a list of clubs which allow their fairways to turn biscuit brown.  Places like Pennard are not going to turn on the water unless its absolutely necessary.  The result is a different course depending on the weather - thats what actually matters. 

Ciao

Sean

You know it a lot better than me, but I always had Burnham down as a course that was genuinely fiery and hard pan after a couple of dry weeks in summer. I know the reservoir was costly and there might be the itch to use it, but are they? Or is the water table just high after the last couple of extreme winters?

Most links courses in July seemed burned out. Porthcawl particularly. The contrast between the greens and the baked white fairways was striking.

Generally greens might be overdone but I don't see much evidence of links courses over watering fairways. St Enodoc looked great in your pictures for example.

[Craig Disher]

Tony - your standard of "unirrigated" does allow for irrigation of the greens doesn't it? I assume so since you cite Rye's Jubilee. BTW, you'd have to see the fairway sprinkler heads at Rye to know that irrigation is available.

Littlestone continues without fairway irrigation and plays just as you describe - firm, fast, running links.

[Thomas Dai]

Ryan,

I happened to play both the Channel course and the Championship course at Burnham & Berrow very recently on consecutive days.

On the Championship course the fairways were green and even low flighted shots landing short of the greens were landing 'soft' and rapidly losing pace. On the Channel course the fairways were more brown and the same kind of lower flighted shots were landing and rolling forwards.

Seemed like on the Championship course the fairway watering had been turned on. I am speaking here of those holes on both courses that are on higher ground, not those holes which have a natural water-table effect.

I preferred the way the Channel holes played.

atb

[Ally Mcintosh]

There is a difference, Tony...

There are still quite a few courses (OTM at Rosapenna amongst them) that only have pop-ups on the green and tees, leaving the fairways either to the elements or with a few manual points on the main line.

I'd be interested to know which links courses don't have irrigation anywhere.

Ally

Rosap' OTM didn't have any greenside pop-ups at all when I was there earlier this year, only a single manhole cover adjacent to the side of each green. I was a bit surprised at seeing this these days this I so mentioned it in the Pro-shop and they confirmed my observations - handheld hoses only connected when necessary apparently.

Still quite a number of links with only pop-ups around the green and tees, especially the more remote, 'off-the-radar' or more financially challenged ones. Probably a few candidates on this thread - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59381.0.html

As to no permanent irrigation system anywhere at all - only one course, cheating a bit here, comes immediately to mind - the 'Links in the Sky' that is Minchinhampton Old!

Good thread Tony, thanks for starting it.

atb

My mistake, Thomas.

I thought they had automatic irrigation on greens and tees... Think there are plenty of courses with only greens and tees (no fairways)... But can't be many with no irrigation whatsoever.

[Scott Macpherson]

What would be the guesses on the First Open to be played on a course that had "automatic" irrigation on the fairways?

St Andrews 1978 is my guess, I am pretty sure they had it in 78, pretty sure Turnberry did not in 77. Rest of the early 70s Opens were mainly brown save 73 at Troon.

I went back to look at my Old Course book and it says 'A brand new and almost revolutionary automatic sprinkler system had been installed in 1964....' (p116) I can't find in my notes when in 1964 the irrigation was installed – i.e. was it before or after the 1964 Open on the Old Course? If it was before, then the 1964 Open may have been the first Open on a course with irrigation, if not, 1970 may have been.

Note= due to an under supply of water, and over demand, the head greenskeeper on TOC, Walter Woods, still hand watered dry areas on the course with a hose.

Scott

[Jon Wiggett]

I would say that any sort of automation such as green and tees mean a course is irrigated. Maybe snap on points by greens and tees would not count for me. The problem many courses face which has raised its ugly head on this thread is if it is brown then it must be dead. This misinformed attitude precludes many from appreciating probably the best playing conditions you can find on courses set up for F&F golfing.

Jon

[Scott Macpherson]

I would say that any sort of automation such as green and tees mean a course is irrigated. Maybe snap on points by greens and tees would not count for me. The problem many courses face which has raised its ugly head on this thread is if it is brown then it must be dead. This misinformed attitude precludes many from appreciating probably the best playing conditions you can find on courses set up for F&F golfing.

Jon

Hi Jon,

If you are referring to my comment about Walter Woods, I would suggest that Walter knew exactly what he was doing, and exactly how much water he needed to put on the dry spots (mainly on the greens) to keep the grass alive while also fast and firm. Perhaps I am wrong, but I also think most people know that brown grass does not equate to dead grass.

Scott

[Ryan Coles]

Ryan,

I happened to play both the Channel course and the Championship course at Burnham & Berrow very recently on consecutive days.

On the Championship course the fairways were green and even low flighted shots landing short of the greens were landing 'soft' and rapidly losing pace. On the Channel course the fairways were more brown and the same kind of lower flighted shots were landing and rolling forwards.

Seemed like on the Championship course the fairway watering had been turned on. I am speaking here of those holes on both courses that are on higher ground, not those holes which have a natural water-table effect.

I preferred the way the Channel holes played.

atb

Fair enough Thomas. That answers my question. Due to much of it being near the marsh, the Channel should in theory play softer. Perhaps Jon Wiggett is right. No option is the best option.

[Jon Wiggett]

Scott,

I was referring to an earlier post which is indicative of many peoples thought process. Walter Woods was one of the best greenkeepers the game has seen and the practice of hand watering  shows his prudency even when he had the option to take the easy option.

Ryan,

full irrigation is great if you can keep it under control which means here in the UK you might need to use the fairway irrigation on a handful of occasions in the average summer. Unfortunately many/most cannot resulting in green courses even through a drought and generally poorer playing conditions costing much more to achieve.

Jon

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