Well here we are, a couple of weeks in to the start of another season.
I wish you all well with the season ahead and hope you manage to reach your goals of a lower handicap, new swing or even getting rid of the s word….yes the shanks!!
So what’s new on the courses at Carnoustie.
On the Burnside Course, the newly re-contoured 5th green will come in to play at the end of April. We are still looking for the temperatures to rise a little to knit things together and there is no point making the turf struggle by putting play on the green too early.
In other news, did you know that green is the new red?
Those of you that have played the course recently will have noticed that the tee markers on all three courses are now the same colours – white, yellow and green. This is to provide a bit of consistency over the three courses.
Green, I hear you say.
Yes, green has now replaced the red course. Golf is for everyone, whether you are old, young, male or female and that means you can play off any tee as well.
Now that we’re on the theme of red, there are some changes with regards to penalty areas on the course.
In the past there was a mixture of red and yellow hazards, but now in line with the new rules of golf on all courses we only have two yellow penalty areas – on the 3rd hole of the Championship Course and 5th hole of the Burnside. All the other areas are red.
DIAGRAM #1 17.1d: RELIEF FOR BALL IN YELLOW PENALTY AREA
When it is known or virtually certain that a ball is in a yellow penalty area and the player wishes to take relief, the player has two options, each for one penalty stroke: (1) The player may take stroke-and-distance relief by playing the original ball or another ball from a relief area based on where the previous stroke was made (see Rule 14.6 and Diagram 14.6). (2) The player may take back-on-the-line relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in a relief area based on a reference line going straight back from the hole through point X. The reference point is a point on the course chosen by the player that is on the reference line through point X (the point where the ball last crossed the edge of the yellow penalty area). There is no limit on how far back on the line the reference point may be. The relief area is one club-length from the reference point, is not nearer to the hole than the reference point and may be in any area of the course, except the same penalty area. In choosing this reference point, the player should indicate the point by using an object (such as a tee).
DIAGRAM #2 17.1d: RELIEF FOR BALL IN RED PENALTY AREA
When it is known or virtually certain that a ball is in a red penalty area and the player wishes to take relief, the player has three options, each for one penalty stroke: (1) The player may take stroke-and-distance relief (see point (1) in Diagram #1 17.1d). (2) The player may take back-on-the-line relief (see point (2) in Diagram #1 17.1d). (3) The player may take lateral relief (red penalty area only). The reference point for taking lateral relief is point X, which is the estimated point where the original ball last crossed the edge of the red penalty area. The relief area is two club-lengths from the reference point, is not nearer to the hole than the reference point and may be in any area of the course, except the same penalty area.
It’s all new for The Nestie
A little bit of work was done on The Nestie during the winter to make the tee areas and the greens a little better. As is the case with all turfing jobs we are looking for a bit of help from Mother Nature in the way of some heat to allow the turf to knit in.
Further to the work that has been carried out by the greenkeeping team to improve the quality of The Nestie itself, new flags and upgraded tee furniture are also in place. The aim is to open up The Nestie by the end of this month and remember it’s free for all to play, regardless of ability, so I look forward to seeing you all out there.
And that is that with all things new on the course.
Once again, I would like to wish you a great season and I can promise you this won’t be the last you hear from over the course of the year.