Golf tips

decmancity said:
Just dug out an old set of Mizuno MX17 (circa 2005 it looks like!), wanting to pick it back up again as im WFH and don't do any other sport.

Plan is to get down the range for a good few weeks to see if I still got the basics and then depending on the rules id like to have a few lessons.
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I've started again this summer as been WFH. Loved it to be honest and I've steadily improved after managing to go twice a week.

Try watching Rick Shiels on YouTube for tips/lessons as he's really clear and you can just practice at home or on the range. Loads of other channels on there too with great advice.
 
Otamendi's Beard said:
I've started again this summer as been WFH. Loved it to be honest and I've steadily improved after managing to go twice a week.

Try watching Rick Shiels on YouTube for tips/lessons as he's really clear and you can just practice at home or on the range. Loads of other channels on there too with great advice.
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Yep been watching Rick Shiels, he has some really good content.
 
give it to gordon said:
We had a green the 5th surrounded by trees after the club had 6 USGA built due to a dual carriageway going through the course the committee decided to replace the 5th green with a USGA spec green.
I said build it 10 yards away from the old site and the trees that way it wont be surrounded by trees and well grow better and well be in play most of the year ( in the winter it had no sun for about 5 months of the year ).
The committee said no it will ruin the hole and make it to short. I said we could move the tee make 10 yards backing the tee shot more exciting going through a corridor of trees. Again no came the reply.

So the club spent 35k building a new USGA spec green in the same place as the old green, but built a temporary green about 20 short of it !.
This green has the same problem as the old green even after 10 years in the winter they had to use the temp green. If only the club had moved it 10 yards basically making the back of the new green were the front on the old green than it would have been played nearly all year.

When we grew in the 6 new USGA spec our head of greens at the time told the members that these are all year round greens no need for temps ever again. I told the club even after we open the greens we will still need to close them for a rest period and after about 2 to 3 seasons than we wont.
Open in June and they played them straight through till February by which time they were thread bear. I had given the club reports on how to grow them in but was ignored.
You cant just leave the green to grow in after a year than suddenly open it the greens needs to get use to having foot traffic.
Lucky the captain believe me and we closed the greens in feb. We had a good spring and the greens recoved well and we never had to close them again.
I do find it odd that a club can spend 180k on 6 greens than leave the decision making up to a building supply company director and not they highly qualified head/course manager.
Still that's a bog standard members club I guess.
I think courses of the top courses are in good hands as they seem to respect their greenkeeper it's the ordinary members club that arent great to work for.
A colleague of mine managers this years open course and over the last the he has done a great job in clearing the course of rye grass, which shouldnt be on a links course !
He had the backing of the club and the STRI.

When I took over at my club I want to try and reduce the Poa, by using less feed, less irritation, more aeration. I told the members the greens would take a step backward which they did. The members moaned wanted me sacked because they preferred soft, wet poa greens as it made them look better golfers even though the greens were dieing. I survived the summer and the greens stayed on main greens most of the winter and come the summer they were much better.

Greenkeeper is now so scientific which I enjoyed that side of it ! Ever year the club would bring in an agronomist from the STRI to inspect my work ( club always thought it wasnt great but kept me for 22 years lol before being made redundant ! ).
I always go a good report from them and a few times was told I should go to one of the top courses, but I didnt fancy moving.
It's just a shame that so many golfers will blame the greenkeeping staff for their inability to play the shot they think they can.
Lots of good greenkeeper have left the industry now and most members club have an ageing team just waiting to retire. I feel in a few years they will be a big drop of in the standard of members clubs due to this. It only takes about 18 months for the drop in standards to show but years to correct. Early starts, low pay lots of moans. The thing that would get me was I was a highly qualified greenkeeper yet the members didnt respect that, thought anyone could maintain a course. Members thought more of the cleaner than us yet without us there is no club.

I loved greenkeeping still miss it as I know I was good at my job. Loved the early morning and producing a good course most of the time to a to higher standard for the average player. The low handy cappers didnt moan much at all if they did it was because the course was to easy and higher handy cappers would beat them lol.
I miss greenkeeping but sadly I would never go back, I like a stress free life now like so many of my mates who are also ex greenkeeper now, such a lost to the industry.
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It seems like many Clubs are strapped for cash and not investing enough on the Course.
 
Managed to add 20+ yards to my drives this summer and stop fading right most of the time by better use of my hips/hands, helping me actually get more birdies than I've ever had before over any summer(still not many).

I'm a warm weather player maybe 2/3 more rounds to go so getting towards the end of season until April but with Footie being crowdless I may carry on a little longer.
 
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