It is official, according to the Met Office 1,695.9mm of rain fell from October 2022 to March 2024, making this 18 month period the wettest 18 months on record. Last Sunday I was due to be playing in a foursomes competition and because of the persistent rain from the day before, the course was closed. On that morning I optimistically went down to the club to speak to the course team to see when or if the course would open. However I could see from the lake on the 18th green that it would be unlikely we would play that day.
Credit David McLean. Chingford Golf Club
Why Does it Always Rain on Me?
Growing up in Scotland, I am accustomed to the rain and I would go far as to say I actually like it, but there is no doubt the quantity of rain we had would cause an issue on the course, especially on the greens. Our local course, Saffron Walden, is set on a hill and whilst there are pockets of areas that hold water and some of the greens seem more susceptible than others to flooding, I do believe Saffron Walden does handle the wet weather better than other courses. I think this is partly due to its location and position and also we have a great course team that manages the course really well. However, it is frustrating when there are course closures. I am still justifying my investment in Galvin Green Gortex wear, although the bigger point is paying for access to the club and being restricted on more and more days each year.
Prestwick Rain
Credit David McLean. Cardinal Bunker in April 24, Prestwick Golf Club
Two weeks ago, myself and eleven friends played three courses in Scotland concluding our trip at Prestwick. This trip was always going to be a gamble with the weather knowing the West Coast of Scotland in April was more than likely going to produce some rain. Our reality was 40-50mph winds with horizontal driving rain interspersed with sunny intervals, but never a drop in wind speed. The picture above shows the dramatic contrasting skies and one of the issues we faced on the round, that the features of the course were waterlogged including the infamous Cardinal Bunker that cuts across several holes on the original course. All credit to the team at Prestwick however as they were flexible with the tee off times to allow us to find a gap in the weather to hit the course. Read the Prestwick course review here. The course team also commented on the amount of rain they have had through the Winter of 23/34 commenting “I’ve never seen standing water between the 16th and 17th stay there for so long”. Despite this West Coast course taking a battering for over 200 years, they are noticing changes.
What can we do to look after our courses
Clearly the climate is changing and we are experiencing more extreme weather conditions and our courses and the way we treat them is going to need to adapt. Most courses will have areas that hold water and greens where the drainage systems can’t keep up. The obvious advice is to follow the guidance from the course and not walk in areas that are cordoned off, but its surprising how many people ignore these things creating churned up greens and walkways that become like festival paths.
The advice from the green keeping team will probably be don’t play but I think basically we need to be respectful of the course avoid waterlogged areas and if your ball does land somewhere that is very wet, take a drop and move the ball. Whilst on the green I would also move the ball to an equal distance if I could protect the green. I appreciate during competitions this wont be possible but I think for social golf we should follow these principles and save the course.
Eddie May