One course, four different games a year
Soft and long in spring, firm and running in summer, leaves in autumn, temporary greens in winter. Read the ground first.
The same eighteen holes play as three or four different courses across a year, and most amateurs score badly in spring and autumn for reasons that have nothing to do with their swing.
Spring: soft, slow and longer than it looks
Fairways hold the ball where it lands, so a drive that ran to 250 yards in August finishes at 225 in April. Greens are slow and receptive, so putts come up short and approaches stop faster than expected. Take one more club, aim at the middle, and stop being surprised: cold air explains part of the loss and soft ground the rest.
Hollow-tining: the fortnight everybody complains about
Coring and top dressing produce bumpy, sandy greens for two or three weeks and healthy ones for the following year. In that window putts bounce and break less predictably. Putt firmly through the break, accept it, and book the important round for another month.
Summer: firm, fast and running out
Firm fairways 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. On a links this is not a seasonal variation but the whole design intention.
Autumn: leaves, dew and the lost ball
Wet mornings mean no run and heavy rough, and leaf cover is the most common cause of a lost ball in October. Play a provisional more readily than usual, aim away from the tree line, and expect the ball to plug on softened greens.
Winter: mats, temporary greens and preferred lies
From November many clubs move to winter tees and temporary greens, and preferred lies come in as a local rule. The scoring is not comparable and is not meant to be. What winter rounds are good for is keeping the movement alive and working on the low ball flight, which the conditions force on you anyway.
Read the ground, not the yardage marker
The habit that separates good seasonal players from the rest is checking the surface before choosing a club. 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.
What to change, by season
- Spring: one more club, aim at the centre, expect no run.
- Coring weeks: firm putts, low expectations, no important rounds.
- Summer: land it short, use the run, play the low chip.
- Autumn and winter: provisionals, leaves, and a lower ball flight.
The course tells you what it is doing every day. Most golfers are too busy replaying their swing to look at it.
