Golf Club Atlas
GolfClubAtlas.com => Golf Course Architecture Discussion Group => Topic started by: David_Tepper on July 14, 2013, 09:52:29 PM
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Speaking of firm and fast:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/yellow-british-open-awaits-muirfield-155938670--golf.html
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Can't wait!
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The weather forecast looks very benign, with highs around 70 degrees, no rain, and 5-10 mph variable winds.
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Gullane+UKXX1459:1:UK
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I thought summers like these were gone for good.
Its been great !
Trumps Course must be the only Links course in the UK with bright green fairways !
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Can't wait too. Who is a good pick for this week?
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Could this item on ebay be the perfect club for Muirfield this week? Quite tempted myself actually!!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Bronty-Chip-Mk2-Chipper-in-good-used-cond-/231016031506?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Golf_GolfClubs_JN&hash=item35c9a0e512
All the best.
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"A proper links awaits at Muirfield," an interview the head greenskeeper:
http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/sport/golf/the-open-a-proper-links-awaits-at-muirfield-1-3001219
A little surprised to read the grounds crew at Muirfield numbers just 12.
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So, all that good news about the course conditioning -- how do we feel about Phil this week, then?
He just won on firm and fast . . . says he loves to play the shots required of links golf . . . and the weather is calling for F&F for the week (although I guess that could change).
It would be a great story, and would continue the narrative of the most recent Open Champions being older than 40.
Just sayin . . . . Rob
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I still don't like Mickelson in the Open Championship. It seemed to me that the fairways at Castle Stuart ran fast but some of the greens were on the soft side. Of course you can't discount him but the narrower fairways at Muirfield may weigh against him.
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"A proper links awaits at Muirfield," an interview the head greenskeeper:
http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/sport/golf/the-open-a-proper-links-awaits-at-muirfield-1-3001219
A little surprised to read the grounds crew at Muirfield numbers just 12.
David that would sound about right to me...my friend is the Head Green keeper at a very good club in England (not an Open course!) and I believe he has three or four staff besides himself. You have to remember there are no cart paths that require the pine needles blowing off them ;D Seriously though there is not nearly as much mowing/fertilizing/spraying to be done and the clubhouses are not surrounded by lush gardens fit for Disney ;)
As for Trumps link course being the only "links" in the UK that is bright green - what do you really expect?
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I prefer the term "biscuit brown"
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David - Royal St George's currently has 8 on the greens crew.
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"A proper links awaits at Muirfield," an interview the head greenskeeper:
http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/sport/golf/the-open-a-proper-links-awaits-at-muirfield-1-3001219
A little surprised to read the grounds crew at Muirfield numbers just 12.
I'm actually surprised it is 12. They certainly don't mow the "hay" but a couple of times a year. This will be a fantastic Open.
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The weather forecast looks very benign, with highs around 70 degrees, no rain, and 5-10 mph variable winds.
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Gullane+UKXX1459:1:UK
John
70 degrees and sun is brown weather in the UK! If a links isn't watered too much, a few weeks of that weather will see courses turn a lovely cookie colour. I reckon we have had two weeks now and 75-80ish has been more like the temps. Gosh, a few more weeks of this and we may see proper rough come September! Its been seven years since I have seen that.
Ciao
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Sean - Deal should be playing nicely its only ten days since our member/guest when the rough was still pretty fearsome but its now rapidly drying out and should be fine to play from soon.
Interesting to see they take the crew up to 32 for the Open, at Sebonack they had 120 for the US Women's Open.
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Permanent grounds crew at Portmarnock is 12 for twenty seven holes... Reduced from 15 during the high times....
Could give you all the other grounds crews as well but suffice to say at most links courses in Ireland (other than the biggies) it's more like 4 to 6...
Some of those high end parklands are still running big numbers... One of them was at 40 in 2007 (admittedly for thirty six holes) but no more...
Sean - I've seen a massive difference in the rough at Portmarnock over the last month... The ferociously quick growth which started a month late gave some pretty tough conditions in mid-June... But they have the roughs great at the moment... The stalks are up and the leaves are down....
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Ally
Sounds very fine! Scotland still had quite harsh rough about 4 weeks ago. I will get a gander of Cornwall is like this weekend.
Ciao
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Sean - I've seen a massive difference in the rough at Portmarnock over the last month... The ferociously quick growth which started a month late gave some pretty tough conditions in mid-June... But they have the roughs great at the moment... The stalks are up and the leaves are down....
Ally - besides mother nature - how do you think they achieve that? Or is it just the warm weather? I ask as Portmarnock is up there with Royal County Down as one of the two best maintained (NOT talking about manicuring!!) links courses in the GB&I I've come across...
I'm not the best person to answer, Brian... We need an Alister Matheson or Alan Fitzgerald or one of the supers who has worked on GB&I links...
RCD has the best green to fairway transitions I've ever seen (in terms of grasses). I agree that Portmarnock is excellently maintained by Gary Johnstone and his crew and they are in the same league as RCD in that regards.... They do have to spend a fair amount of time (as far as I can gather) on those first 15m of rough on either side of the fairway to keep away the broad leaf grasses underneath - I don't know how much time or the exact methodology though... But I will find out...
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The weather forecast looks very benign, with highs around 70 degrees, no rain, and 5-10 mph variable winds.
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Gullane+UKXX1459:1:UK
That's rather disappointing. But wasn't the forecast much the same for 2002's Open at Muirfield, then that surprise storm blew through on the morning of the third round? Hopefully the weather will provide a little drama, 5-10 mph is not proper Open weather, especially when it sounds like the course is very firm and just waiting for some strong breezes to really test the best players in the world.
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The weather forecast looks very benign, with highs around 70 degrees, no rain, and 5-10 mph variable winds.
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Gullane+UKXX1459:1:UK
John
70 degrees and sun is brown weather in the UK! If a links isn't watered too much, a few weeks of that weather will see courses turn a lovely cookie colour. I reckon we have had two weeks now and 75-80ish has been more like the temps. Gosh, a few more weeks of this and we may see proper rough come September! Its been seven years since I have seen that.
Ciao
Sean,
I'm curious, how often do the crews actually, if ever, put water on a true links course? I know from television that the rota courses do have sprinkler systems (at least on the green complexes), but I've always wondered when and how often those sprinklers are actually used?
Regrettably, I've never played a links. I have been to the UK (during an ungodly heat wave during the summer of 2003) but the only water I saw being put on grass was on the lawns in Oxford.
Thanks.
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My eldest son is working as a scoreboard carrier at the Open. Tomorrow he has Siem, Rumford and DA Points, on Friday Grace, Simpson and Donaldson in the group in front of Tiger. I'll be there Friday and Saturday, if anyone else is attending and fancies meeting up.
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The weather forecast looks very benign, with highs around 70 degrees, no rain, and 5-10 mph variable winds.
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Gullane+UKXX1459:1:UK
John
70 degrees and sun is brown weather in the UK! If a links isn't watered too much, a few weeks of that weather will see courses turn a lovely cookie colour. I reckon we have had two weeks now and 75-80ish has been more like the temps. Gosh, a few more weeks of this and we may see proper rough come September! Its been seven years since I have seen that.
Ciao
Sean,
I'm curious, how often do the crews actually, if ever, put water on a true links course? I know from television that the rota courses do have sprinkler systems (at least on the green complexes), but I've always wondered when and how often those sprinklers are actually used?
Regrettably, I've never played a links. I have been to the UK (during an ungodly heat wave during the summer of 2003) but the only water I saw being put on grass was on the lawns in Oxford.
Thanks.
Brian
That is a very good question, but I bet a lot more water is applied when clubs have watering systems compared to clubs that don't! Until recently, Burnham had the Champ course with watering and the 9 holer without. In dry times, the 9 holer was always in better nick with firmer fairways and greens - it was proper links. The Champ course is rarely kept that way. To be fair though, the club has been going through a long term plan to reduce water and feed so perhaps one day we shall have redemption.
Bottom line, if water can be turned on, the super will turn it on "just in case".
Ciao
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.....but I bet a lot more water is applied when clubs have watering systems compared to clubs that don't! Until recently, Burnham had the Champ course with watering and the 9 holer without. In dry times, the 9 holer was always in better nick with firmer fairways and greens - it was proper links........Bottom line, if water can be turned on, the super will turn it on "just in case".
Ciao
Well said.
ATB