Fall in the Northeast, our tiny window for great conditions

[Jeff_Lewis]

(Homer Alert - this post does concern my home course!)


Yesterday I played a golf course for the umpteenth time, a course I have been playing since 1980, and had one of the best golf experiences I have ever had.   Greens at 13 and FIRM.   Fairways FIRM. Healthy rough.  It was Quaker Ridge as I had never seen it before.


Four years ago, when it didn't rain for the next 6-8 weeks after the Walker Cup, I had a similar experience at National - an October round on an old familiar friend that was simply a revelation.  Again, one of my most memorable rounds ever.


Clearly, in both cases, there are a number of people whose tireless efforts led to those courses reaching this thrilling crescendo.  And I spent yesterday hugging and emailing everybody I could find.


But...why do we only have these moments in the Fall?   Is it even possible, given the shortness of Spring and the stresses of Summer, to ever achieve these Nirvana-like conditions in the Northeast in any time other than Fall?  Does any Northeastern course manage to maintain consistently firm and fast conditions through the entire season? 

[Rick Lane]

I could have written the same note.    I, too, am in that area.   This year was a great year for having good turf in the MET section.   A mildy wet spring, and a pretty dry summer, lets the Super control the water to his liking.   We also had no real "hot" stretch that stresses turf.    All that said, its ALWAYS true that our best conditions are the fall, and maybe May thru mid June.   Cool nights, warm days, and less people on the course.   Our greens (by the same Architect you have) are 87 years old.   Never been regrassed, but have been lovingly and well cared for all that time so they are tremendous, given that (as the USGA told us), "You have a potpourri of grasses"....mostly bent, but poa, rye, bluegrass, etc in splotches.  Our experience is that in July and August, its very hard to keep them at the speeds we can get in May, June, Sept, Oct.  Seems like the little bit of extra heat and humidity is the difference.      But WOW is it great right now! 

[Bill Brightly]

Jeff, this is a GREAT topic and I hope some of the golf course superintendents chime in. October is AWSOME at my home course in New Jersey. Fast and firm and the superintendent does not have to worry about losing poa/bent greens in the heat of the summer. We may see the course set up like this a few times during the summer for big events IF the weather cooperates (no rain, not too hot) leading up to the event.


I have not been Grounds Chair at my club for eight years, but every October my buddies (who seem to think I'm still Grounds Chair...) ask me "why can't we putt on greens like this all yera?"

[B.Ross]

" Cool nights, warm days, and less people on the course"   
[/size][/color]
[/size]i was playing my club out on the southshore of long island a month ago, and saw our super by the 18th tee. stopped to chat for a while about the course andhe said the above is exactly what does it to the conditions. the cooler nights really help, and less people on the course (especially on fridays and fewer overall week day outings) does as well[/color]
[/size][/color]
[/size]conditions have been phenomenal in the greater NYC area since labor day. i played forsgate banks course last weekend and was just blown away by the place & green speeds.[/color]
[/size][/color]
[/size]this extended indian summer we've had with such warm weather throughout october has had to have helped[/color]

[Rick Lane]

Our Super always says that he does not change anything, maybe some extra hand watering in the heat, but as far as mowing and rolling, he says no change in the heat of the summer.   He says that in the heat and humidity, the grass actually stands up trying to cool itself.....does that sound right?

[Bill Raffo]

As I said to my buddy a couple of weeks ago, 83 is the new 79. Between balls bounding through fairways into heavy rough, approach shots bouncing off greens into rough and bunkers and slight misjudgment on the speed of putts resulting in six footers coming back instead of three, I may have been conservative.


When they held an LPGA event at Wykagyl back in the 90's, they moved it to October one year and the winning score was -2 after years of -12's and -14's when it was played in the summer.  It's a different test everywhere in the NE but loads of fun and the weather has been spectacular.   

[Kalen Braley]

I think this is pretty true for fall in all of the northern states.


Sept/Oct golf was terrific in the Spokane area, but then again as it normally doesn't get super hot summers, the golf is pretty good there from June till fall.


Here in Salt Lake, mountain golf is at its best in the last two weeks of September when the fall colors are in full display...and conditions are relatively fast and firm