Five months, three different golf courses
Soft and long in May, firm in August, and the finest conditions of the year in September, along with the leaves that lose your ball.
A Canadian season is five months long and contains at least three different golf courses. Most amateurs score badly in May and October for reasons that have nothing to do with their swing.
May: soft, slow and much longer than it looks
Fairways coming out from under snow cover hold the ball where it lands, so a drive that ran to 250 yards in August finishes at 220. Greens are slow, sometimes still recovering, and receptive. Take one more club, aim at the middle, and expect no run at all. Cold air alone costs several yards on top of that.
The spring greens problem
Greens that spent four months under snow and ice come back unevenly, and clubs often aerate early to help them. That produces bumpy, sandy surfaces for two or three weeks. Putt firmly through the break, accept it, and book the important round for June.
Summer: firm, fast and running out
By late July fairways are firm and add twenty or thirty yards of run, which turns a carry over a bunker into a carry into one. Greens get quicker and harder to stop, so the low running chip becomes the sensible shot and playing to the front of greens becomes the sensible strategy.
Autumn: the best golf of the year, and leaves
September and early October are the finest conditions Canada offers: firm ground, cool air, no bugs and empty tee sheets. They are also when leaf cover becomes the most common cause of a lost ball. Play a provisional more readily than usual and aim away from the tree line rather than flirting with it.
Mountain and coastal exceptions
The Rockies open late and close early but play spectacularly in between, with elevation adding distance the yardage plate does not mention. Coastal British Columbia plays nearly year round, soft and green through a wet winter, which is a different sport from an Ontario August.
Read the ground, not the yardage plate
Push a tee into the fairway: if it goes in easily the ground is soft and the ball will not run. Look at the sheen on the green: dull and damp is slow, bright and dry is fast. Both take five seconds.
What to change, by month
- May: one more club, aim at the centre, expect no run, and forgive the greens.
- June and July: normal golf, and the best time for the round that matters.
- August: land it short, use the run, play the low chip.
- September and October: the best conditions of the year, plus provisionals for the leaves.
The course tells you what it is doing every day. Most golfers are too busy replaying their swing to look at it.
