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David_Tepper

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"The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« on: July 14, 2013, 09:52:29 PM »
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Steve Pozaric

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2013, 11:28:12 PM »
Can't wait!
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Steve Pozaric

John Kirk

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2013, 12:30:50 AM »
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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Brian_Ewen

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2013, 08:03:34 AM »
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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Jim Franklin

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2013, 08:46:39 AM »
Can't wait too. Who is a good pick for this week?
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Mr Hurricane

Thomas Dai

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2013, 10:05:24 AM »
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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David_Tepper

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2013, 01:37:11 PM »
"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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Robert Kimball

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2013, 02:29:12 PM »
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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Tim Pitner

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2013, 02:42:11 PM »
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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Dean Stokes

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2013, 03:03:49 PM »
Quote from: David_Tepper on July 15, 2013, 01:37:11 PM
"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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Jay Flemma

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2013, 03:07:56 PM »
I prefer the term "biscuit brown"
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Mackenzie, MacRayBanks, Maxwell, Doak, Dye, Strantz. @JayGolfUSA, GNN Radio Host of Jay's Plays www.cybergolf.com/writerscorner

Mark Chaplin

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #11 on: July 15, 2013, 05:00:57 PM »
David - Royal St George's currently has 8 on the greens crew.
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Cave Nil Vino

Shane Wright

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #12 on: July 15, 2013, 05:11:34 PM »
Quote from: David_Tepper on July 15, 2013, 01:37:11 PM
"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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Sean_A

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #13 on: July 15, 2013, 07:08:06 PM »
Quote from: John Kirk on July 15, 2013, 12:30:50 AM
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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Mark Chaplin

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #14 on: July 16, 2013, 01:45:04 AM »
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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Ally Mcintosh

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #15 on: July 16, 2013, 04:59:47 AM »
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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Sean_A

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #16 on: July 16, 2013, 05:11:28 AM »
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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Ally Mcintosh

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #17 on: July 16, 2013, 06:27:14 AM »
Quote from: Brian_S on July 16, 2013, 06:07:40 AM
Quote from: Ally Mcintosh on July 16, 2013, 04:59:47 AM

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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Doug Siebert

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #18 on: July 16, 2013, 08:53:00 PM »
Quote from: John Kirk on July 15, 2013, 12:30:50 AM
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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BHoover

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #19 on: July 16, 2013, 09:14:00 PM »
Quote from: Sean_A on July 15, 2013, 07:08:06 PM
Quote from: John Kirk on July 15, 2013, 12:30:50 AM
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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Mark Pearce

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #20 on: July 17, 2013, 12:09:02 PM »
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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In June I will be riding the first three stages of this year's Tour de France route for charity.  630km (394 miles) in three days, with 7800m (25,600 feet) of climbing for the William Wates Memorial Trust (https://rideleloop.org/the-charity/) which supports underprivileged young people.

Sean_A

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #21 on: July 17, 2013, 12:35:46 PM »
Quote from: Brian Hoover on July 16, 2013, 09:14:00 PM
Quote from: Sean_A on July 15, 2013, 07:08:06 PM
Quote from: John Kirk on July 15, 2013, 12:30:50 AM
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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Thomas Dai

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Re: "The yellow British Open awaits at Muirfield"
« Reply #22 on: July 17, 2013, 12:42:17 PM »
Quote from: Sean_A on July 17, 2013, 12:35:46 PM
.....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
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