Spring 2012 - How tough is your course playing?

Just wondering how everyone's courses are playing at the moment. I ask as my home club medals have been consistently playing tougher than the course SSS. In fact, only one of the 7 qualifying medals to date has provided a CSS = SSS, and before the final two groups came in it was also estimated at SSS+1.

So far we've had CSS= SSS+3, +0, +2, +1, +1, +1, +3RO.

Not sure whether this is just a blip or something which will be sustained through the season. The contributing factors i can see are:

-the poor condition of the greens post tining (though these have been ok for the last 3 comps)
-some tightening of fairways
-extension of a pond into play at driver length on one of the par 5s
-the wind direction has often been from the north which seems to toughen the course up more than when from the prevailing southwest.
-colder, softer, wetter conditions meaning the course is playing quite long.

so is this a nationwide epidemic - or is it just us?!!!

over the weekend in the club championship it SSS+3 and SSS+5!!!!!!
course playing long and wet and was unbelievably windy on the sunday!
a junior scratch cup i played in was won with a 78. and CSS was 76!

SSS+5 has the rule changed? - i thought CSS could only go as high as SSS+3. any higher and it becomes +3RO (reduction only). our place still operates on this basis.

Ours have been +2, +2, 0, +2, +3. There could be two factors at work here. First the weather has been awful with cold winds and wet courses - it has felt more like winter, but second the method by which CSS is calculated has changed so this might be having an effect. Instead of the number of players within 2 of SSS setting CSS, it is now the number within their buffer (+1 for cat 1, +2 for cat 2 etc) that sets the CSS. Maybe since the cat 1s are having difficulty in getting within 1 of SSS, CSS is rising more easily?? Don't know for sure, just a thought

CSS can't be more than SSS+3.

All courses are playing very tough at the moment. It's been very cold, so the ball doesn't fly as far. It's been very wet, so the ball doesn't roll as far, and it's been windy too. Some courses stupidly stopped winter rules early this month too.

Add in that there's been almost no growth because of the cold - meaning bumpy greens and soggy aprons, and it's easy to see why we've struggled.

i believe there is a stipulation by the r & a that preferred lies can only be in play for counting medals upto 30th April and after September 30th.

I think the r & a guidelines say that clubs should end winter rules as soon as practical to do so. Competitions can be counting with winter rules, preferred lies, or dispensation to clean balls.

Clubs just need to confirm with their county admin they want to keep winter rules or preferred lies, or ball cleaning and it will be okayed.

im based in Ireland so not sure if its different guidlines here but there have been increases as well as reductions on our 31 points being SS.

I think it's fair to say both my courses are playing tougher. I've never known my home course go through a phase where CSS has consistently been 73/74. It's usually the same as sss (71). I thought it was all down to
a) No run on the fairways due to them being soggy
b) Cold temps causing the ball not so fly so far
c) Quite a few medals played with the wind in the opposite direction from the prevailing
All causing the course to play longer than expected. Then in addition to that, in the past month the rough has really lushed up.
At the business end, the greens are in relatively poor condition and inconsistent speed wise as different greens dry out at different rates.

Even with all that though, it's still very surprising to see medals being won with net 70, net 71. I wasn't aware of the CSS calculation change GM but if that is the case then yes I think that will be contributing to the higher CSS's too

Played yesterday for the first time in a while. It's tough. Wind is in an odd quarter which makes some of the holes a lot tougher. Cold for the time of year and the rough is quite lush just now. Played quite well though...

ban_bam wrote:i believe there is a stipulation by the r & a that preferred lies can only be in play for counting medals upto 30th April and after September 30th.

BB - I think these are guidelines only. My club got an extension from the County union. Irrelevant now... the sun is shining and summer is here! Can't believe that only 5 days ago I was getting relief from casual water on the fairway!

Incredible that in just over a week, we've gone from wanting winter rules extended to prevent trying to hit mudballs from the middle of the fairway to baked fairways and hard greens having to be played links style.

My guess is we'll have another high CSS tomorrow as so many will get caught out overshooting some of the early greens then trying to chase in the windy conditions...with a stiff breeze out of the East I predict scorecard carnage!!

We shall see, I could be wrong.

My statement last night came from a sensible golfer...unfortunately the clown who occupied my body today did get caught out trying to chase a score after running out of room on a couple of downwind doglegs. Then coming up the last caught a dose of the tug lefts.

I was right though, many were caught out....just embarrassed to include myself as one of them as I should have known better!!

Now the weather has improved the rough has gone mental with growth.Still playing really tough.Beautiful walk though swans have 4 greychicks,heron out fishing,iris around the ponds.Shouldnt complain

Played yesterday for the first time in a while. It's tough. Wind is in an odd quarter which makes some of the holes a lot tougher. Cold for the time of year and the rough is quite lush just now. Played quite well though...