Playing in really wet conditions

[albatross]

Does anyone have some good suggestions or things to remember when playing on really wet turf. We've had A LOT of rain this week and our course is soaked but we're going to give it a try this afternoon anyway.

I obvioulsy tend to hit shots more fat with the wet turf and I'm wondering if there are any keys to hitting solid shots when it's so wet? I guess it compounds the problem that you usually have to hit more club on days like this too, because you're not going to get any bounce and roll.

What do ya think?

[rudygu]

I obvioulsy tend to hit shots more fat with the wet turf and I'm wondering if there are any keys to hitting solid shots when it's so wet? I guess it compounds the problem that you usually have to hit more club on days like this too, because you're not going to get any bounce and roll.

When I'm really worried I might a shot fat, I move the ball back a bit in my stance and stick to a more 3/4 swing. You may be surprised how far the ball will go if you really hit it solidly like this. You will hit the ball lower (unless it's windy and the shot balloons), but that's not such a bad thing since the greens will probably be much softer and the ball will still stop on them.

Just remember that since you are playing in poor conditions, your expectations need to be adjusted. Don't be too upset if you have trouble reading putts, etc. at first...just pay attention to how the conditions are effecting your game and work around it. Have fun!

[MrSandman]

learn the rule for casual water.

don't hit the ball fat. make sure you finish with your weight on the left. put the ball back in your stance if that makes it easier.

a thin'ed shot will still go approximately your desired distance. a fat shot will go half the distance, especially if the ground is wet. fat shots are the worst mistakes in wet conditions.


I started "stack n tilting" with my swing this year, and it has drastically eliminated my fat shots. this swing method is not for everybody, but you might want to check out the swing principles and why that style swing produces fewer fat shots. (your weight never gets behind the ball (on your back foot), so you never fail to return the weight to center, so you don't risk moving your swing path to a point before the ball, which is the leading cause of fat shots for many people.)

[Mr Eagle]

leave your lob wedge at home & overclub .

Oh! and dont forget a change of socks

[glebert]

Last winter here in Portland the courses were absolutely saturated. I actually posted my best scores ever taking the irons out of my bag (except the SW), adding a 7w and 9w, and taking no more than 2/3 shot unless I was on the tee.

[QWKDTSN]

I play really well when the turf is wet. I think it is mental due to how easily the club slices through the wet grass and soil. I am totally unafraid to take a divot and the club is not slowed down by hitting the turf so even if I catch shots a little fat I get almost full power to the ball. I shot my breakthrough 90 when it was pouring rain.

[birdmangriffin]

Last winter here in Portland the courses were absolutely saturated. I actually posted my best scores ever taking the irons out of my bag (except the SW), adding a 7w and 9w, and taking no more than 2/3 shot unless I was on the tee.

Portland was pretty awful last winter. I think I got lucky and had only one or two rounds where it wasn't raining.

[MellowYellow]

I love the rain.

A few of the guys that refused to go in the wet conditions always refered to me as a 'mudder' :D

Usually the courses are wide open. Even here in Seattle, where it's almost the norm.

Anyway, 1 good thing ive noticed about the rain is it helps my putting a lot, it seems you can hit the ball quite a bit harder and leave more room for error, anyone else noticed this?

I always play winter rules, if it's in a mud puddle or in SUPER soppy mud, move the ball, no reason to get TOO crazy with it, I usually would back the ball up a little when this happens anyway just so i didnt feel i was cheating. Definitely club up, and definitely move the ball back in your stance, that is EXACTLY what i learned to do.

We had SO SOOO much rain this year it was even odd for us, and I had not one but TWO occassions where I hit a nice shot in the pouring rain off the fairway, looked around and couldnt see it, I kept staring down the fairway but never saw the ball bouncing... hmm... I know the feeling of a good impact and that was it... that ball HAD to be in the fairway.. I glanced around then looked down at my divot... i got a hunch, reached into the deep mud down deep and BAM there it was burried TOTALLY out of sight about 3 inches deep, it was so wet that when I hit down on the ball instead of it exploding upward off the club face it just burried in the mud LOL.

The 2nd time it didnt take me nearly as long to find it, after that I tried sweeping it more on super soppy ground, or if it was just straight mud, i moved it a few feet away, my socks were ALWAYS soaked after...

[jamesbei]

Does anyone have some good suggestions or things to remember when playing on really wet turf.

ERMMM - Bring Waterproofs!!

[mrgilmore]

Hit a club up and go 'slow and smooth' tempo.

Its what i do to stop hitting fat shots in the soft ground

[gortyl]

Commit to the shot.

Who cares what the turf type is? You have to get ball first. If you think backwards, you'll worry about the splash and the muck. Wear rain pants and commit to the shot. I recently had a shot off of hardpanned mud around a tree trunk on my approach shot, needing a par to post my best score ever. I took the ground out of my mind, committed to the shot, knew I was going to make a divot and swung. Plopped it to 8 feet and made the birdie putt.

Commit to the shot.

[Harold]

Waterproof golf shoes and waterproof outerwear that you put on or shed quickly. Take golf gloves that you don't mind discarding after the round should they get soaked. I have found that gloves handle even heavy perspiration pretty well for a couple of rounds (I change every six holes maximum) before they get trashed. Gloves that get wet from rain in only 1/3 or a round for some reason are never the same for me.

Read less break and adjust stroke for more distance for putts.

Use aviation weather websites to get a good forecast of what the weather could be like in the next hour, 6, 12 18 and 24 hours in your immediate vicinity if you are near an airfield that forecasts. Local news weather sites tends to be pretty broad even though doppler can show what's happening at the moment.

Have fun. The courses are always less busy when weather is inclement or looks inclement.