By BRUCE MEADOWS
JANUARY 2023
Golfing in the Rain . . .
I recall reading a few months ago that January appeared to be shaping
up as a fairly dry month in Sonoma County and surrounding areas.
So much for predicting the weather !!!
Did you know what an “atmospheric river” was five years go ??? If you
answer yes, you are not in the majority.
Depending on how you see it, this rain is a good thing or not so good.
I think of all the people who have suffered from rain and flood damage,
fallen trees . .
not to mention the people who have lost their lives because
of the storms.
So it seems rather self-serving to bemoan the fact all this rain, while it
may be helpful to golf courses in some ways, is really causing problems for
those courses as far as getting players out.
A few courses who have covered ranges have been relatively busy with
golfers who, if nothing else, can hit balls on the driving range.
And a few courses drain better than others and have been able to get
people out to play, even though conditions are not very good.
All that being said, there are some golfers just have to get out on the
course, no matter how bad the weather might be.
I had a friend – a pro player – who insisted on playing in what most would
consider poor conditions – rain, wind, cold weather, etc. – because, as he
told me he had been told
early in his career, “you never know when you will
have no choice but
to play in bad weather, so you better know what you’re
capable of doing in those situations.”
DRY TOWEL
It can be almost impossible to make a decent swing if your grips are too wet,
so a supply of dry towels is highly recommended. It’s another role for the
trusty carrier bag. Hanging one from the underframe is also a good idea.
A DECENT UMBRELLA
Wind and rain is a tough combo to deal with for a large
umbrella, so make
sure your brolly boasts a good-quality, strong construction, ideally with those
vents that help stop it blowing inside out in stronger gusts.
SPARE SCORECARD
If you’re playing in a competition or want to keep score, a spare scorecard
kept safe and dry is a good idea in case it proves impossible to stop the
original getting mushed to a pulp. Writing down scores every few holes rather
than every hole will help prevent this by limiting its exposure to the elements.
ALLOW FOR LESS RUN
this needs to be factored in to how you play. Less run off the tee may mean
you can take more club on holes where you would normally hold back.
Approach shots are more likely to stop dead on landing; chips and pitches are
more likely to grab; and putts will be slower — they need to be hit more firmly.
HIT MORE FIRMLY IN THE ROUGH
Wet grass will grab the club much more than normal and slow the
clubhead’s progress. So keep everything firmer than usual through impact
in wet rough to stop the grass grabbing the club with assorted undesirable
consequences!
ACCEPT THAT SCORING WON’T BE AS GOOD
Most of us aren’t blessed with the luxury of
caddies
and even after adopting
all the above measures, it can still be difficult to keep everything dry
enough to score well in the rain. So don’t get too despondent when you
drop shots – it’s the same for everyone and others will be struggling too.
AT FOXTAIL GC
BIG GAME SHOTGUN
Feb. 12, 8:30 a.m. shotgun start
$85 per person
$75 Players Club members
$70 Limited and South Only members
$20 Annual members
Register online or at Pro Shop (707-584-7766)
Not a tournament, just a chance to play golf with friends or family before
the BIG GAME.
Each player receives golf plus a cart; warm-up balls; a sleeve of balls;
breakfast burrito, and one drink from beverage cart.
Foxtail University
According to Foxtail GM
Christopher Gay,
“We only have one session
right now as
we are using a new registration portal. I wanted to see how
this went before I started scheduling lots of events.”
The first session is Feb. 11, 11 a,m,-noon, a Beginner Clinic, where
golfers will learn about proper grip, stance and basic swing mechanics.
Cost for this session, ratio one instructor to six students, is $30.
Last year’s Saturday program included Full Swing Basics; Full Swing
Driver; Full Swing on-course instruction; Around the Green, putting;
Around the Green, pitching and chipping; Around the Green, bunkers.
For information, call 707-584-7766.
At Valley of the Moon . . .
Let’s hear from you . . .
Thanks for your comments, questions and suggestions. I appreciate
them and would like to get as many as possible. If you have
information about anything golf-related, including upcoming clinics,
activities, tournaments or sales, let me know.
And if you have questions, complaints or compliments about golf in
our area, let me know and I’ll make some inquiries. Email me
at
bmeadows4sports@aol.com