Oh, blow it! Internet says not good day for round of golf

THANKS to the internet, organising a social round of golf with your mates is not what it used to be.

In what has become a bane for clubs as they try to increase the rounds at their courses in difficult economic times, the first thing most golfers do when deciding to book a four- ball is to check the weather websites on the internet.

For example, last weekend my weekly round did not materialise because we were two short and our regular golfing mates were not available. But even if we had found a four- ball, we might have called things off after checking the weather forecast, now so freely available.

On Friday evening, as a test, I checked the website Windguru for its prediction of Saturday's weather in Port Elizabeth. It forecast winds of 45km/h, gusting beyond the 50km/h mark, with a bit of rain. Sunday was the same, with more rain thrown in.

When the forecast proved correct the next day, I was so grateful I was tucked up on my couch taking in another type of golf – the Ryder Cup on TV.

But it has become a worrying problem for golf clubs, who are all feeling the economic pinch. One of their best revenue streams is feet through the clubhouse door, but officials say players are already checking the conditions from Monday before putting their names down for a weekend game.

Admittedly, it is not much fun when the weather turns nasty. For instance, I knew we were in trouble one Saturday when I used a pitching wedge for my second shot on a par-five from about 180m – my normal distance with a wedge is about 100-110m – only to see the ball scamper over the green and into the bushes beyond.

That was after my pull-cart had been blown out of my hands three or four times while I was walking down the fairway. We gave up the unequal contest after nine holes.

Club officials wish their members were more hardy. It's a rule of thumb that once you gather at the clubhouse, if one of the four-ball wants to play you are obliged to join him or her.

It is always interesting to note your mates' reactions, the most common of which is: "I'll play, if you play." That is a cop-out which actually means: "I don't want to play, so please don't say you want to play."

Quite often, the four-ball end up not playing.

Recent experiences made me wonder how much the conditions actually affect our scores. On one windy day, in excess of 50km/h, I went around Humewood in 98 shots off my 17 handicap. About three weeks later, in the most perfect conditions, I went around the same course in, correct, 98 shots.

Naturally, golfers differ, but maybe it's the discomfort factor that worries us more than our scores blowing out. As club officials would like to see, perhaps it's time to toughen up!