Starting Spring Golf Season

With golf being a fall and spring sport at the collegiate level, it brings new aspects to the game. These new aspects of playing can change the game completely including weather conditions and what type of shape the courses are in. These two are the main factor in determining how I will play, other than the obvious reason of my skill level but when skill goes downhill, I like to look for excuses. My season officially kicked off this weekend with my first tournament and I thought I would touch on the differences of playing in the spring.

I have only ever been used to playing in the fall or even just recreationally in the spring, but I was also a fair-weather golfer when it wasn’t for competition so playing this weekend in 15 mph winds and 23 degrees was a little different for me. The wind played a major factor Saturday but not as much today. I was thankful for less wind today even though it didn’t help me much in terms of score but at least it was more pleasant to be on the course. Also, it was a little warmer today with less wind and when the sun finally came out. But golfing in the cold didn’t help me either. There is nothing like going out in compression gear and 3 more layers of shirts on top and trying to properly swing a golf club. It’s not an easy feat to accomplish.

Another difficult thing about spring golf is course condition and this can come into play in many different ways throughout the game. For one, spring always seems to bring rain and wet conditions on the course can be difficult. The greens don’t roll, the fairways are soft, and your ball can plug, hitting out of thick rough is nearly impossible when it’s been raining. There is no worse feeling than getting ready for a big approach coming out of the fairway and sinking your club into soft ground and watching as your ball goes nowhere. It can really put a hurting on the hole because it’s just an unnecessary stroke and could’ve been used in better ways. Spring is also when the greens are still in the process of healing after being aerated for the winter. Even after some time to heal, typically there are still remnants of the holes left preparing for winter. This can cause a “plinko” like effect on the ball when you putt, making each shot unpredictable.

Overall, even though I didn’t play well, it was very cold, I got wind burnt and the course was basically a swamp, my first start to competitive spring season was a good one. I got to share it with some awesome guys and it was a heck of a start to the year and I hope for nothing but improvement as the season goes on. As coach always says, “Bear down and finish strong.”