Just swinging in the rain
November 27th, 2011 by Doogs
Moonah Links - rain, rain and more rain
Golfers are an optimistic bunch. So although the forecast was for rain, and the weather radar resembled a huge mutant swarm of zombies attacking the whole of South eastern Australia, golf was on! Met Nige, Russ and Tim on the driving range at Moonah Links and even as we hit a few practice balls in the steady rain we were hopeful that by the first tee all would be clear.
The next nine holes were the wettest golf I have ever played, there was no break in the constant heavy rain. By the time we got to the 10th tee, we were all soaked, everything and I mean everything, was soaked. And with no sign of the rain clearing, the thought of another 9 holes drenched to the skin, cold and shivering, was too much and we reluctantly made for the clubhouse.
Last week I was able to watch some of the World’s best golfers play in similar conditions at Royal Melbourne in the Presidents Cup. Whilst they weren’t able to bail after 9 holes, they did have the services of a caddy and multiple sets of clothes, gloves etc, to stay dry – ish. Rain adds another element of difficulty to an already difficult game. And watching the Professionals deal with it shows their level of concentration and skill.
Our foursome also managed the conditions very well. Before long grips become slippery, and gloves have the gripping properties of oil. One benefit of this is forcing the swing to be more controlled to avoid the club flying out of your hands onto the next fairway. This resulted in most of us sacrificing some distance but accuracy was improved. Putting becomes an interesting lottery, with some areas of the green slower than others because of the rain.
Rain can be the golfer’s worst nightmare, but such is the nature of a game played thats exposed to mother nature. Dressing and playing to the conditions can allow you to make the most of the conditions and not let the weather rain on your parade.
