Strokes lost due to Fall Conditions

[Txxxxxxx]

After playing twice in the past two days, I thought about how many strokes I figured I lost due to aeration and top dressing of greens mainly. I figured that about on six occasions today, my ball was tracking right into the hole and then suddenly went off line due to aeration holes.

How many strokes on average do you guys figure you're losing per round due to aerated greens?

I know this is something we deal with every year, but I'd be interested to see if everyone is losing quite a few or not noticing it?

[jeffc]

hard to say but it does make it a lot harder late in the year. The leaves are another issue is it can be quite difficult to find a ball in the rough even though you know its there.

[ex-mailman]

Leaf rule Rules!!!

[imozzie]

I figure I lose probably 4-6 per round. Cold club faces, cold balls, cold air, lush grass, aerated greens and fairways, sanded greens etc. etc. However, all good....I'm still playing!

[nokids]

everyone loses distance when you're dressed like the michelin man so the solution is to play one tee block shorter than what you'd normally play. my scores are about the same.

[imozzie]

everyone loses distance when you're dressed like the michelin man so the solution is to play one tee block shorter than what you'd normally play. my scores are about the same.

Now that's an interesting idea...

[kemcheca]

Conditions make a little bit of difference but usually I blame myself.

[Marcos]

Same for me. Fall golf is not the greatest for scoring but everyone is in the same boat so it sort of even things out. I like Pablo's idea about moving up a tee block. Wonder if the wife will let me play from hers. LOL

[Paulio]

It's funny though, my best rounds of the year in the last three years (including this year last weekend) have all come in the fall. Pretty late in the fall too, all mid-October.

[jmwhite]

It's funny though, my best rounds of the year in the last three years (including this year last weekend) have all come in the fall. Pretty late in the fall too, all mid-October.

Same here. Fall golf and playing alone seems to be the best combo for me.

[kemcheca]

Same for me. Fall golf is not the greatest for scoring but everyone is in the same boat so it sort of even things out. I like Pablo's idea about moving up a tee block. Wonder if the wife will let me play from hers. LOL

Yes, even in prime time weather, 70% of people playing white tees should be on the forward tees and 95% of blue tee hitter should be on the white tees. It would make golf more fun and the pace would be better!

90% of people cannot hit a driver past 200 yards even with a summer roll!

[ex-mailman]

90% ???

[justsomeguy]

Strokes lost due to fall conditions - 0 to 2 (depending on the course)
Strokes lost due to me not adjusting to the conditions quicky enough - 1 to 2

You can't "adjust" to leaves on the golf course making it difficult to find your ball. However, IMHO aerated/sanded greens and cold weather can be managed so that you get from A to B in the same number of strokes.

[Txxxxxxx]

I disagree. You can't adjust to the fact that it's a 50/50 chance your putt stays on line due to the aeration holes in the green. I don't really see how a golfer could adjust to that.

[SFR]

Interesting thought.

How about the guy who has a 15 handicap that plays 10 - 15 rounds in the last few weeks of the season and his handicap inflates to 16 or 17 or more due to it and then next year when they play mens night they start out with an inflated handicap and the poor smuck who can't get out, starts off where they were.....

Not that it's happened to me...

[Txxxxxxx]

Interesting thought.

How about the guy who has a 15 handicap that plays 10 - 15 rounds in the last few weeks of the season and his handicap inflates to 16 or 17 or more due to it and then next year when they play mens night they start out with an inflated handicap and the poor smuck who can't get out, starts off where they were.....

Not that it's happened to me...

Good point but I think the handicap would adjust the first few rounds of the following year? I don't know much about how men's nights work to be honest with you. I've never taken part in them.

[justsomeguy]

I disagree. You can't adjust to the fact that it's a 50/50 chance your putt stays on line due to the aeration holes in the green. I don't really see how a golfer could adjust to that.

Your theory is based on the assumption that the aeration holes are so large and so recent that they can knock a putt up to 2" offline, plus the golfer in question is such a dead accurate putter under normal conditions that the 50/50 chance only works against him.

In my experience, most amateurs are 50/50 on a 6" footer under ideal conditions. For them, aeration holes will often take a putt that was off line and put it in the cup (of course they would naturally attribute this to their own skill rather than "luck"). IMHO, the "adjustment" required for putting on aerated greens comes from getting the speed right so that you can walk away with the usual 2-putt.

[justsomeguy]

Interesting thought.

How about the guy who has a 15 handicap that plays 10 - 15 rounds in the last few weeks of the season and his handicap inflates to 16 or 17 or more due to it and then next year when they play mens night they start out with an inflated handicap and the poor smuck who can't get out, starts off where they were.....

Not that it's happened to me...

I agree with Edmonton Golfer on this one.

It is the local golf association that determines the handicap season. If scores increase at the end of the season compared to mid-season (which in my experience is not always true), they will almost ALWAYS be better than the scores that happen at the beginning of the next season. If you think scoring at this time of year is tough, wait to you see the scoring conditions on April 15th!

If you want to reduce the fluctuation in handicap scores over the season in this area, start the handicap season on May 1st. Half of the courses aren't even open on April 15th, and half the courses that are open probably shouldn't be.

[Txxxxxxx]

Your theory is based on the assumption that the aeration holes are so large and so recent that they can knock a putt up to 2" offline, plus the golfer in question is such a dead accurate putter under normal conditions that the 50/50 chance only works against him.

In my experience, most amateurs are 50/50 on a 6" footer under ideal conditions. For them, aeration holes will often take a putt that was off line and put it in the cup (of course they would naturally attribute this to their own skill rather than "luck"). IMHO, the "adjustment" required for putting on aerated greens comes from getting the speed right so that you can walk away with the usual 2-putt.

Just to give you an example of what I mean...I played 4 times in the last 4 days. Once at Greyhawk, twice at Eagle Creek, and today at Kanata. All three courses have aerated greens, however, each have been done at different times and with different methods. Kanata were done quite some time ago without top dressing. Eagle Creek had some done 6 weeks ago, but have been continuously punching until all 18 were complete the other day. They top dress their greens. Greyhawk have also done them recently, but I did not notice the sand in the same quantity as Eagle Creek. Basically three different sets of conditions. EC had filled the holes with sand, but the surface was still very bumpy due to the holes. Kanata had no sand, and the holes were growing in nicely, but still very bumpy. Same goes for Greyhawk.

Almost, if not EVERY single putt from 16 golfers on all 72 holes bumped offline. I'm not talking about putts from 30 feet away. Heck I had a putt today that turned maybe 6 inches from the hole to the right and ended up lipping out. If those aeration holes were not there, then of course we all would have made a lot more putts. I'm honestly not exaggerating when I give you those numbers either. Each round we were all talking about how many putts bumped off line as opposed to going in the hole.

Last week...I played Kanata and went 4 over. I lipped out 5 times in the 18 holes and they were all due to my ball bouncing off line from rolling over an aeration hole. That could have been my first under par round in 3 years!!! DAMN YOU PLINKO GREENS!!

[Txxxxxxx]

To be clear...I just think that you can't adjust for your ball being bounced off line. I believe you could adjust for speed by hitting it harder, but there's still a very high chance that you are making a two putt instead of what would normally be a one-putt.