Every golfer wants to perfect playing conditions when out on the links. I know I do! Of course I am smart enough to understand that this is not possible and try not focus on things I cannot control. Yet, I do have a preference for playing conditions and from the responses I received, so do you!
If we are to exclude normal playing conditions, there are two opposite ends of the spectrum:
If you asked me, I would prefer playing in conditions that are bone dry because they are more forgiving. Unlike, wet and soggy, my club will skip across the fairway and there less of a chance of hitting a poor shot. My ball has a greater release and I can generally adjust to the a dry course. However, there is bone dry and then there is ‘bone dry’!
I remember about 15 years ago I was playing in Golf Regionals at Hartlen Point in Shearwater, Nova Scotia. This is a military base course and we were fortunate enough to play a 54 hole event on an extremely well kept track. Unfortunately, Hartlen Point had not received any rain in two weeks prior to our arrival. Being a coastal course, this lack of water hardened everything to a point where controlling distance on shots was an extreme challenge.
The greens were not receptive and approach shots were akin to The Open at St Andrews. We had to run everything up from about 30 to 40 yards out and hopefully stop our ball on the green. I knew I was in a bit of trouble when I hit my 5 iron, 235 yards from my location. That is 180 yards in the air and a 55 yard roll! Of course every hole was not like this, but at least 14 proved very difficult; this course was ‘bone dry’! (On a side note, I finished 4th overall with an average of 76 stokes per day)
Even though that course was extremely tough, I would take bone dry over wet and soggy any day. I have never been able to adjust wet and soggy because I do rely on some roll because I am not a long hitter. Additionally, if I have swing issues, I usually swing too steep. So, digging in is not good for my score.
Course conditions do play a role in how well I play. Of course ideal conditions are the best, but when dealing with extremes I prefer a bone dry course of wet and soggy because the dry conditions are best suited for my overall game.
Which do you prefer, bone dry or wet and soggy?
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
Jim, I’ll take my martini and golf course bone dry, thank you 🙂
Brian
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Nice! Thanks Brian!
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Having played for a number of years, I’ve experienced many different conditions and would say I think I prefer the course wet and soggy to bone dry. If you are making ball first contact, wet conditions are so much easier to score well on than bone dry ones. And having played a couple of years in drought conditions, I would also say that the wet can be easier on your body. Rock hard ground is not fun taking a divot from. It sends shock waves all up your hands, wrists, arms and shoulders.
I believe that I complained here recently that the new greens at Chi Chi’s course were rock hard the last time I played there. It was impossible to hold them if you landed on them. Land the ball just one foot on and the ball didn’t stop until it was in the rough behind the green. That makes for a very tough day. It didn’t matter much whether you were hitting a tall sand wedge shot from 100 yards out or a 6 iron tee shot on a 165 yard par three. There was no stopping the ball on the green that day. If the rest of the ground were as hard, it might have made it easier to bounce one on by landing it short, maybe, but the combination of being rock hard only on the green made it a real challenge.
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Kevin
You did mention this before about Chi Chi’s course. I think the conditions people like really depend on they type of swing they have. I continually work on mine and as I mentioned, I generally have a steep swing and the bodes poorly for a wet course. Now, give me soft greens with a very dry fairway…..now we are talking!
Cheers Jim
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