Scottish course management provides a staggering amount of rainfall during the winter

Scottish course management provides a staggering amount of rainfall during the winter.

 

Scottish greenkeepers have drawn attention to the effects that the UK’s excessive winter rainfall has had on golf courses.

 

Since 2013, Peter Smith, the course manager at Bathgate in West Lothian, has kept track of rainfall totals every month. He has noticed a consistent rise in recent years, with the peak occurring in the winter of 2023–2024. The track received 611mm of rain between October and January, which is the same as 2.5 average-sized swimming pools.

 

Similar increases have been noted at other golf courses across the nation, but the issue isn’t simply with the number. Head greenkeeper Alan Boyd of Bothwell Castle in Lanarkshire clarified, saying, “The downpours that come in are what cause us the problems, not the annual rainfall.”

 

“When you get 10-15mm a day, then 1-3mm per day for a week after that, that’s when you get problems. We could handle 1-3mm every day no problem.”

 

In a poll conducted by the British International Golf Greenkeepers’ Association, numerous greenkeepers in the UK also mentioned higher rainfall amounts.

 

Golf course drainage systems are frequently out-of-date and unusable. Because of this, one of the main tasks for greenkeepers during inclement weather is to dig out channels, clean them of debris, and make sure water can run off the course.

 

In the end, many golf courses will need to make significant investments to improve their drainage capabilities. However, this is an expensive endeavor, especially since many golf courses also need to make investments in their irrigation systems to help them deal with the rising frequency of prolonged summer droughts.

 

When the signs that indicate “course closed” appear, golfers could be critical of their greenkeepers. However, the course’s long-term viability is always considered while making this decision. Another important factor is golfers’ health and safety.

 

In addition to being a greenkeeper, Boyd is a golfer. Since I played golf as a child, I understand the members’ emotions. However, since we are maintaining the course for its long-term health, I have had to become immune to the feelings of the members in my role as greenkeeper. I don’t take this decision lightly, but it’s critical to use your intellect rather than your emotions when making decisions.