semi-OT: Portland golf in winter

[astavrides]

I understand it drizzles much of the time from Nov-April in Portland.  How are the golf courses at that time--are they relatively playable?  Does the ball plug a lot? 

[Tom_Doak]

They're mostly very wet.  That's one reason Bandon gets so much play in the winter.

[Garland Bayley]

Whether balls plug a lot depends on the course and the maintenance. My course sands the fairways twice yearly, and remains quite playable. I have had friends tell me that you can lose a ball in the middle of a fairway at a muni such as Eastmorland as the ground simply swallows it up when it lands.

[Dan Herrmann]

Alex,  When I was there, the courses were very wet.  It's not uncommon to have your golf shoe sucked off your foot by the ground water suction.  It's also why most every course, public and private allows jeans in the winter.   Honestly, when I lived there for 9 years, I probably played winter golf less than a dozen times.

The alternative is when you get winds rushing down the Columbia Gorge from up east.  These winds can be extremely cold and dry.  I remember one year, we had these strong, cold winds for 3-4 days, and the extreme cold killed a fair number of greens (none of which had any snow cover).

In other words, head to Bandon.

[Garland Bayley]

Alex,  When I was there, the courses were very wet.  It's not uncommon to have your golf shoe sucked off your foot by the ground water suction. ...

I play all winter long every winter, but never have had this happen. But, then I play a course that takes action to combat such an event. It would be interesting to know what John Kirk says about his course Pumpkin Ridge, and Pete Pittock says about his course The Reserve concerning this.

[John Kirk]

Hello GJ and Alex,

I don't play much in the winter.  Hardly ever.  I use the winter for other activities.  There are a hardy group of golfers (the mudders) who play all winter long.  At Pumpkin Ridge, they have applied a fair amount of sand over the years, but balls tend to plug in the fairways and sometimes in the rough.

There are very few clear days where the weather is warm enough to open the course.  If it's clear, the temperature usually drops below freezing overnight, and there's a frost delay at a minimum.  If it's cloudy, drizzling or raining, then you can usually play.

Thinking about moving up here? 

[Pete_Pittock]

The Reserve Vineyard's maintenance policy has the fairways fairway firm through, November but I generally aim towards the mandatory cart paths to minimize walks. The best thing we could do is over-sand the rough. I'll see mud balls and some plugging but in general the course is playable. There are areas that will puddle/lake up, and severe soft spots where a ball can be lost, but we are tending to those areas. The wintertime is when we address drainage issues..

While some Oregonians do go to Bandon (or Sandpines), that is probably one week's worth of golf. With an airline, Phoenix and Palm Springs are closer travel-time wise from Portland than is Bandon.

Last winter we had about 7 inches of rain above normal, with an all-time (since Alderwood got plowed under) wet April-June, but we were mostly rainfree until about 10 days ago.

[Emile Bonfiglio]

Stone Creek is usually the best course for wet weather play in the PDX area. I have been there 12 hours after some pretty heavy stuff and the course is still good.

As for Pumpkin Ridge, I think that Ghost Creek can get very tough to play in the winter because so many of the out holes are build on the side of a hill, very easy for balls to disappear.

The other day I heard a commercial for Langdon Farms and they touted themselves as the driest, best conditioned course in the winter....I almost wrecked my car laughing....Each hole of that course is built like a gutter to catch funnel rain right into the fairway.

[Dan Herrmann]

The muddy courses I was thinking of were Riverside, Progress Downs (now renamed as RedTail), and Eastmoreland.  Progress Downs was by far the worst of the bunch, but it was awfully close to home.

[Garland Bayley]

The muddy courses I was thinking of were Riverside, Progress Downs (now renamed as RedTail), and Eastmoreland.  Progress Downs was by far the worst of the bunch, but it was awfully close to home.

Surprised to hear Riverside is muddy. The two munis I know from playing are even wet when it's dry.

[astavrides]

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[John Kirk]

Alex,

Please feel free to let me know when you are in town.  I'll play if I have a good reason.  This winter I am out of commission November and December because of a hand surgery.

[Stephen Davis]

It has been stated that many of the courses get very wet in the winter. That being said I play there year round. You will find certain courses that drain better and play quite nicely. Pumpkin Ridge drains fairly poorly and is quite wet for most of the winter. Bandon in the winter is really great. It is so affordable for locals and great days seem to be more abundant down there than they are up in Portland. That has been my experience at least.

[Dan Herrmann]

GJ - When I was a member at Riverside (left in 1993), they always overwatered the course.   Combine that with the fact that it borders a slough that flows into the Columbia just to the north, and you have some swampy areas.

[Bill_McBride]

GJ - When I was a member at Riverside (left in 1993), they always overwatered the course.   Combine that with the fact that it borders a slough that flows into the Columbia just to the north, and you have some swampy areas.

Interesting that neighbor Columbia-Edgewater thinks their maintenance practices - lots of sand - keeps them playable in the rainy season.  I only have played there in the summer, so no first hand info.

[Craig Van Egmond]

Just get you some of these... http://www.thriftygolfsupply.com/mens-winter-golf-boots-ar101m-p-87.html

And some gore-tex and you'll be fine.

[Pete_Pittock]

GJ - When I was a member at Riverside (left in 1993), they always overwatered the course.   Combine that with the fact that it borders a slough that flows into the Columbia just to the north, and you have some swampy areas.

Riverside has resolved that issue. The urban legend is that an assistant superintendent misheard/read/interpreted his instructions and put about 10x the amount of sand.

[astavrides]

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[Will MacEwen]

Alex,  When I was there, the courses were very wet.  It's not uncommon to have your golf shoe sucked off your foot by the ground water suction. ...

I play all winter long every winter, but never have had this happen. But, then I play a course that takes action to combat such an event. It would be interesting to know what John Kirk says about his course Pumpkin Ridge, and Pete Pittock says about his course The Reserve concerning this.

Garland,

At your club, do most guys play the ball "up" in the winter? 

[Garland Bayley]

Alex,  When I was there, the courses were very wet.  It's not uncommon to have your golf shoe sucked off your foot by the ground water suction. ...

I play all winter long every winter, but never have had this happen. But, then I play a course that takes action to combat such an event. It would be interesting to know what John Kirk says about his course Pumpkin Ridge, and Pete Pittock says about his course The Reserve concerning this.

Garland,

At your club, do most guys play the ball "up" in the winter? 

Most old duffers I play with play ball "up" all year round. Makes them easier to beat in tournaments where they know they can't do that. I take Johnny Miller's advice and play it as it lies year round even though we don't post scores for handicap purposes for three months. That said, I don't recall ever having mud on a ball facing the clubface that might render my strike less effective.

[Terry Lavin]

Portland is a Top Ten restaurant town. Even in winter. Golf?  Why bother.

[Pete_Pittock]

Peter, since you're here and a rules guru, I have to tell you about this embarrassing thing that happened to me this weekend to ruin my score.  (I think I'm allowed to take my own OT thread further OT).  I double hit a pitch shot (i blame it on a poor lie) and the ball flew straight up in the air and grazed my shoulder on the way down.  As I calculate it, I was lying one before the pitch shot and lying 5 after it.  Can you think of a scenario where you lose more strokes with a single swing of the club? It's like hitting 2 balls out of bounds in a row.

Last month I had two double hits in one round, after being free of them for a number of years.

You have hit my claim to fame, which has amazed at least one PGA professional. Back in the days before the remodel at Tualatin CC I hit my drive into the thin forest left of the fairway. Halfway up a hill, about 10' of rise, with th green about 50 yards away. Laying one, I grounded my club directly behind and started my backswiung. Then
   on the downswing, which was not stopped, the ball began to move (1 stroke penalty, "laying two";
   continuing I struck the ball (now three) and double struck the ball (another penalty stroke, now four and counting);
   driving the ball into th hill in front of me, where it richocheted back into me (at that time a two-stroke penalty - up to six;
   and continued rolling down the hill where it ended lodged against a tree trunk in a hole between two roots (unplayable lie - 1 stroke penalty)
So I went from 1 to 7 faster than I can go from 0 to 60.  As this was the 9th hole, I said "it's your hole partner" and made a left straight to the bar enroute to the 10th tee.

[astavrides]

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[Emile Bonfiglio]

Peter, since you're here and a rules guru, I have to tell you about this embarrassing thing that happened to me this weekend to ruin my score.  (I think I'm allowed to take my own OT thread further OT).  I double hit a pitch shot (i blame it on a poor lie) and the ball flew straight up in the air and grazed my shoulder on the way down.  As I calculate it, I was lying one before the pitch shot and lying 5 after it.  Can you think of a scenario where you lose more strokes with a single swing of the club? It's like hitting 2 balls out of bounds in a row.

Last month I had two double hits in one round, after being free of them for a number of years.

I believe I was there to witness that... no?

[Dan Herrmann]

By the way, the halibut fish and chips at Burgerville USA are great.  Pizza at Nona Emilia's in Aloha, OR is also very good.