Golf: The horror and fun of playing in a soggy course

You wouldn't play golf here but you could do it elsewhere in less extreme conditions. [File, Standard]

Golfers are simply indomitable. A current photo on social media features a group busy golfing nonchalantly as a huge cloud of black smoke billows and covers the entire background as the Kilauea volcano was erupting last week. I thought the two guys who once got marooned inside a California forest fire as they golfed and had to be rescued by air were tough, but these lava-resistant dudes take the trophy. I guess erupting volcanoes, lava flows and laze (who makes up these words?), is par for the course in Hawaii (pun intended).

Unless you play your golf on the upper slopes of the Aberdares, odds are that one of your recent rounds of golf has been affected by the current long rains. An explanation is in order.

We are told it is not raining this year on that part of Kenya due to some new unexplainable weather phenomenon resulting from global warming that has singled out the mountains for divine punishment.

 This explains the absence of water in Nairobi taps courtesy of an empty Ndakaini Dam and some semi-educated pseudo professional actually thinks Kenyans are so gullible, or brainless as to believe that!  

 If you understand how to work with nature, rather than fight it, rain and wet courses need not mess up your round. In fact, while the hackers and other high handicappers moan and decry the wet grounds because they can no longer garagaria their shots, Pro golfers and low handicappers just smile, because they know this is to their advantage and tilts the ground in their favour, against a world that is already dominated by high and mid handicappers.

The Vagaries of playing golf in wet weather.

But the reality remains that wet weather sucks and is a nuisance to golfers, who demand perfect conditions regardless of the weather. Not that they can hit the driver perfectly on the sweetspot.

 For starters, rain makes your clothes wet and heavy. Your shoes will absorb water, and possibly the water will seep inside making the feet wet and uncomfortable. The shoes will also get heavy with mud and tire you. Wet grounds will result in loss of traction, and you will find it difficult to balance. This in turn will force you to cut short your swing, leading to shorter distances and probably an unwanted slice or at best a fade.

Mitigation measures will lead you to wearing extra clothes and carrying heavy gear. Heavy tops will limit the extent of your swing and slow your swing, further cutting off distance. The course will therefore play longer. Your kinematic sequence, rhythm and tempo will take a hit, which will in turn trigger your mind to rush the shot in order to compensate. You know what happens to a rushed shot: bundus and beaches.

Your ball may get mud on it, losing rotational balance and thus may veer anywhere. The many procedures introduced in order to cope with the weather, means that the golfer now has extra procedures to execute, and the pace of slow on the entire course slows down.


In general, golfing in the rain is unpleasant, more so as you duck puddles of water and mud, and struggle to see through the rain drops. Those who wear glasses have an additional burden of rain droplets on the glasses. And to top it off, the rules of golf do not require play to be stopped just because it is raining: suspension only happens when lightening is close enough to pose a danger or the course becomes unplayable due to excessive storm water on the fairways and greens.

The one saving grace of rain and wet weather is that the water makes firm greens more receptive to approach shots. This favours golfers who know and can play their exact distances. Breaks on the greens are reduced, hence those who are challenged in reading greens get an opportunity to just hit it straight. The weather may also be cooler. Unless the sun comes out in full glory and you will be steaming in hot humid air.

Survival tips for playing golf when it is raining or ground is wet.

All is not lost though. With good preparation, one can enjoy a round of golf despite the less than perfect conditions. The first rule one has to observe is to never venture into the course if there is lightening. No round of golf is worth meeting your maker prematurely. Use the Flash-to-Bang formula and the 30/30 rule to figure out whether it is safe. Google that. If it is safe to start golfing, keep monitoring the storm.

Next, equip yourself with the proper golf gear. The first item you must have is an umbrella. And not just an ordinary one, like those offered as a bonus at Nakumatt. Golfers use the extra wide double-canopy 60-plus inches umbrella that you can only buy at a golf shop.  The double canopy incorporate a window for wind to blow through, otherwise the rain will turn the brolly inside out or break it. 

A rain suit is the best idea. The jacket should preferably have short sleeves. The short sleeves work quite well if it is not cold. Specially designed golf jackets are wide and allow free movement. In particular, they have a wide area under the armpits. The bottom, which should be big enough to cover your trousers, should have a zipper at the bottom to allow easy wearing with shoes on, since you might have to dress in the suit while on the course.

Wet shoes are uncomfortable to play in. Next time you are buying golf shoes, ensure that they have waterproof soles and uppers.  It helps to have an extra pair if you play twice or more in a week. Drying the shoes in a warm well-ventilated area is advisable. But exposure to direct sun will crack up the leather.

A rule of thumb is to replace the softspikes on your shoes at the begging of the rain season. Be warned: many have suffered the indignity of swinging their driver, then slipping and falling on their behinds due to worn out spikes leveraging on wet ground.

Not just your head and bod; keep your golf gear dry

The grip serves as your point of contact with the club. This is a good time to replace the worn out grips on your club. Water on leather golf gloves makes them slippery and hence are not suitable for rain weather. Get some all-weather synthetic gloves.

As you protect yourself and your grips from the rain, the same should apply to your clubs. For starters, always make sure the cover for your golf bag is on and that your caddy keeps it zippered up. Next, get a water-proof golf bag cover to keep everything dry.

The biggest secret when playing in wet weather is carrying several towels and keeping them dry. The best place to keep the towels is to hang them inside the umbrella. Use one towel for wiping the clubs and balls, and one for your hands and face. Yes, you face shall get wet. In fact, instead of the regular baseball style golf hat, wear a round brimmed cricket bowler hat instead. It offers better protection. Waterproof ones are a plus.

Swinging it out on a wet course

When it comes to the actual play, you need to make a few adjustments. First, you may find it necessary to grip down on the club a bit, about a quarter to a half inch, in order to promote solid contact and to compensate for your feet slightly sinking into the ground.

 Taking more club also allows you to swing at less than full speed, and thus avoid slipping or losing you balance.

Because the ground is wet, the ball won’t run as far. I recall the late M.E Musa at Vetlab, muttering “take one more club” whenever it rained. For some, it might be two clubs. On the other hand, since the effectiveness of the grooves on the clubface is compromised by the water in the grooves, you won’t produce as much backspin on the ball, resulting in semi-flyer shots, so avoid overclubbing.

You will still need to smack the ball harder when in the rough due to the heavy wet rough. On the green, the dimples fill up with water creating drag that slows the ball. You should expect less roll distance and less break.

Horrors are likely to happen in the bunkers. When hitting the ball out of wet sand, the ball comes out faster and flies farther than out of dry sand. To avoid hitting over the green, swing easy with good balance.

Know the rules

As usual, knowledge of the rules matters. It is legal for your caddy to cover you with an umbrella up and until you are about to swing. He should then step away. On the green, he can cover you as you take your stance, but not when putting. Lucky for you, it is legal to hold the umbrella with one hand as you putt with the other. You can even stuff the umbrella handle down your shirt! Remember to keep your ball protected from the rain as long as possible: only replace it on the green when it’s your turn to putt.

And finally, don’t stress yourself out. Accept that the scores may not be your best. But keep smiling, the others are struggling too. Who knows, you just might turn out the best duck and win that day! 

The writer Mike The Pro  Kibunja

 

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