Weather or Course?

You have the chance to play a top UK course in less than perfect weather or some water laden bore fest in Spain or Florida, what option do you take?

I would always pick the better course; links for example are playable all year round. If all I need is a few more layers then why pass up the chance for some real golf. Just think of the great rates you can get on some of the UK’s best courses in October compared to jetting of to warmer climates to play inferior courses.

So much of the fun in golf is thinking your way around the course and the weather does nothing but add to this. I do not understand the appeal of playing target golf in the sun, if the sun is all the benefit you get.

There are lots of other benefits to playing in Spain Mac...and most of them are Eastern European!

MAC, there is no such thing as real golf. Even hitting a hundred wedges at the strip is still golf, it just depends how imaginative you are with each shot you line up.
I'd probably take an October day on Carnoustie than a sunny day on a twenty dollar American course, however if someone offered me sawgrass over a dreary day on royal aberdeen there would only be one winner, and it wouldn't be the land of the sheep shagger.

Weather every time. There is no doubt here... strolling down the fairway on a lovely sunny afternoon in a beautiful setting like PGA Catalunya is so much better than battling through horizontal rain on some desolate grey wasteland somewhere near the North Sea.

Real golf is played with the sun on your back.

Mac:
Have to go for the weather too I'm afraid. Unless there's a huge difference between quality of courses. My golf is simply no where near good enough to cope with a championship golf in horrible weather conditions

Course for me, I can play in nice weather whenever I want (well, three months a year anyway).

I really should have an opinion on this given that I've done plenty of both, I suppose it depends what mood I'm in when you ask me. I love playing the best courses this country has to offer. I also value greatly the freedom I have each winter to jet off and play the best that California & Hawaii (and this year Mexico) have to offer. The weather DOES make a huge difference.

Flat calm Pebble Beach or 3 club wind Carnoustie is a tough call. But...I've also however played Pebble in a 3 club wind and driving rain where after a mere 5-6 holes I had not a stitch of dry clothing....it really does take a strange mentality to enjoy those kind of conditions. Flat calm Carnoustie is a delight I have yet to experience, not sure it ever happens though. I have played Dornoch in a flat calm and I do remember thinking..."There really is nowhere else in the world I'd rather be right now"

Apologies for twisting part of the subject matter away from Spain & Florida bore fests...again...if it was somewhere like Valderamma or Sawgrass (or their Californian or Hawaiian counterparts) then clearly they are not bore fests.

Bottom line...I much prefer my golf on top courses in perfect weather...in making a choice between course and weather I'd take course from a learning perspective but weather from an enjoyment perspective.

Not had the chance to play many courses in Spain but as a general rule I would much rather play on a cool overcast day than a hot sunny one so I reckon I'm with you Mac.

Has to be course.

Had chance to play Wentworth just before we emigrated and rolled up for the breakfast and chucking it down with rain with distant thunder.
Thunder cleared but left with heavy showers all the way round, the society I had been invited to join was the only booking allowed out.
Played off 3/4 of 9 and scrabbled 27 points to win best guest and longest drive on the 12th.
So did I ever tell you about the time I won at Wentworth

Weather for me, I play championship courses all the time, usually in wretched weather, be nice to play in sweltering heat and a flat calm for a change.

Firstly let me just say Real Golf! What a load of cr@p... There is no such game as real golf just GOLF. Whether you play on a links course or and americanised target style course, you still use golf clubs and golf balls on a golf course therefore you are plying GOLF.

I went for weather. Just because you could play say TOC on a windy dreary wet day in howling conditions does not make it fun, and just because you can say i played St Andrews doesn't make it good because likely hood is you won't have enjoyed it as your to busy battling to stay warm and dry...

Have played many top courses in this country and they are fantastic, but the choice between play TOC, RSG or Wentworth on a wet dreary day compared to playing a course in sunnier climates is a no brainer, much better to be able to get on an enjoy the game in the sun than get wet..

Florida golf for me. I play in enough bad weather that some sun would be most enjoyable!

I think I've played on 2 sunny days this "summer"! Bloomin' UK

Weather for me, I can think of much better things to do with my time than playing golf in the rain to be honest. That said whenever I have played this year in the UK its usually been sunny so cant complain.

So what combination of course and weather would you trade for one another.

So what is equivelent for you

eg;

Doak 10 (snowing) for Doak 1 (Hot, sunny)

or

Doak 8 (light rain, mild) for Doak 6 (sunny)


For me Doak 10 in any conditions is worth it.

My flipping point may be around the Doak 6's and 7's. I would happily trade down to a 5 for better weather.

With the 8,9 and 10's the decision becomes a little more difficult.

Mac,
Nice article on/interview with Doak in Golf Magazine this month . . . .
Not sure he makes himself out to be a particularly nice person, certainly controversial.

Stick doak up your a**e.
I'd prefer to play no course in awful weather. Regardless of whether its Augusta or some muni it isn't fun if you are cold, wet and miserable.

DOAK - does this stand stand for Dire Oppionated Arrogant Kock!

Doak scale can be inserted where the sun does not shine, if the weathers crap it doesnt matter where you play it's less enjoyable and if you can only measure things using the Doak scale then you really are scraping the barrel, a course should be judged on your own opinion and whether you enjoy it not someone else's ideal.

2 of the worst course's that probably do well on the DOAK scale and others fawn over are TOC and Augusta. Personally think TOC is the most over rated cabbage pile i've ever set foot on and Augusta is not even the best course in Georgia

Mav, spot on. The doak scale is complete rubbish. Put TOC in hull or any other god forsaken coastal town that doesn't have st.Andrews history in the game and it wouldn't even rate a three. Doak is a total fraud, and those who follow him are vascillating, suggestable morons.

Exactly SR, stick TOC in southend and then see how much it makes a year in green fees answer virtually naff all and would end up as the next block of council flats.

Augusta again fawned over because who was the originator of the place and the history surrounding him the late Bobby Jones. The best thing about Augusta is the plant life the course itself way over rated and so poorly designed that they have had to add so many yards to it over the years to cope with players than can hit the ball over 250 yards. If they didn't literally shave the greens the scores there would be so low it'd be a farce not a major...

East Lake is just one of a few course's in Atlanta better than it and there are many more

kwini

That article was a good read so thanks for alerting me to it. I think he says what he thinks in a way McIlroy could learn from but I am not sure if that makes him unlikable.

My least enjoyable round of the year so far was on TOC in perfect weather conditions. Made bad not by the course, but being drawn with total choppers. A wretched day.
Any course can be good if you are out with your mates and the weather is good, even one which rates as a doak 1.

Just voted for weather, if the weather is your ideal for playing golf in, then the course does not matter as all courses have there own challenge, and playing in the right weather would like being in heaven.

super_realist wrote:Stick doak up your a**e.
I'd prefer to play no course in awful weather. Regardless of whether its Augusta or some muni it isn't fun if you are cold, wet and miserable.

Agreed!

s_r, hope you've sorted some decent weather for next week?

It's not looking great at the moment D4S. Rain and a south Westerly 15 gusting to 25. Think we'll be looking at css's around 76!!

drive4show wrote:

super_realist wrote:Stick doak up your a**e.
I'd prefer to play no course in awful weather. Regardless of whether its Augusta or some muni it isn't fun if you are cold, wet and miserable.

Agreed!

s_r, hope you've sorted some decent weather for next week?

Let's hope so d4s, I've got my favourite open this weekend and bad weather just won't do.

JAS

Metcheck is looking quite good, lots of dry sunny spells during the week. But I'll settle for CSS 76!!

Where you playing at this weeked then SR. 76 CSS at Carnoustie, not to bad probably wont be far off that with a wind

I'm up at newtonmore, nearly won it a couple of years back hopefully go one better this time out. Quirky little course near aviemore. Forecast is good for Sunday according to one site I've looked at, not so good on another.