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Playing in Florida for first time

ziggy.365

ziggy.365

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Hey guys
in a week i leave to play in florida at the world golf hall of fame, the two courses there. i was wondering if any of you had any tips on how it is different from playing on the west coast of Canada. any suggestions on how to keep cool, hydrated, and how the playing conditions are different would much be appreciated.
thanks,
ziggy
 
My biggest advice for staying cool is hydrate ahead of time. People always want to drink alot on the course, but at that point its too late. You need to start hydrating a week ahead of time. Drink LOTS of water everyday before you go. Of course keep drinking when you are on the course. If you are waiting on someone else to shoot or standing aroud for any other reason, find shade.
 
I live here man and all I can say is just drink lots and lots of water before you play, while you play, and after you play. It has been so ridiculously hot the past few times I have played. Shorts and one of those dry-fit polo's are what I usually play in and never really bothers me to much. Bring sunscreen, bug spray, and bring a little sunshine while your at it. "The Sunshine State" has not been living up to its name lately. But seriously, we have great beaches and great golf courses, so just have fun and I doubt you'll be disappointed.
 
The grass will be different and it seems to play with my mind a bit when I get there. Less trees is a great thing. The greens are Bermuda quite often, so you'll have the grain to think about. Sand. Lots and lots of sand. Water too.
 
Well as a west coast Canadian who just got back from playing in florida...NO. Kidding of course, courses from my limited experience there have far less trees, say 1* of what our courses do. The biggest difference for me, was chipping and pitching around the greens. The bermuda grass feels almost like it has glue in it, you cannot try and kill a chip in the fringe and then let it release to the hole, it will just stop in the grass. Also the fairways are a little different, the ball almost feels teed up, but it doesn't make that big a difference. Finally playing grain on the green is weird but you can get used to it fairly quikly if you know what you're looking for.
 
don't go after your ball in a water hazard! I heard gators love canadian bacon.
 
Definitely make sure you have appropriate clothing. Lightweight, breathable golf clothes are you friend. Also, it goes without saying that you should slather on some good sunscreen.
 
I live in Florida and in my golf bag I permanently keep spray on sun screen with an SPF above 50. Bug spray. Gold Bond body power. A hand held battery operated fan. I always have at least 3 golf gloves to rotate per round. I only play in dry-fit polo's.
There's a good chance it will be 100 degrees with 95% humidity when you play unless you play real early, and sometime in the afternoon a massive thunderstorm will come through lasting for about 30 minutes. The two courses there have a decent amount of water but not all (or even most) courses in Florida have that much water in play. And this time of year world golf village is empty so you should have the run of the place to yourself. If you're there for a while get out and play some other courses. The LPGA Q school course isn't far from there, has two courses, is cheap this time of year and in good shape and the staff has always been incredibly nice.
Also, the PGA Tour Stop store is real close to there too and it's a massive golf store.
 
The two courses I played I didn't have any issues with the grass (fairway, rough, etc.). The greens were a different story though. It took some getting used to but in the end I loved them. I putted pretty good there.
 
I can't tell you anything that has not been covered. Dress cool, drink water/gatorade, eat prior to playing, don't fish for balls in the water, carry a club in the woods (snakes), sun screen, sun glasses, hat/visor, remember that the greens you will be playing are grainy greens. Reading the grain on the greens, you will be playing, will help you with your putting, speed and breaks in the greens. Oh yea, it rains almost every afternoon.
Have fun and hit it straight.
 
Thanks for all the tips guys! I will only be able to play these two courses while I'm down there as we are down for a charity
Tournament. My brother who has played there before says that the ball seems to just drop because of the humidity is that true? And does the roll make up for the lost carry?


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
 
Where are you playing?

As others said, dress light, breathable shirt, it gets got. Drink water, lots of water, stay hydrated.
 
rpjohs said:
Where are you playing?

As others said, dress light, breathable shirt, it gets got. Drink water, lots of water, stay hydrated.
Click to expand...

He mentioned he is playing at the World Golf Hall of Fame.
 
ziggy.365 said:
Thanks for all the tips guys! I will only be able to play these two courses while I'm down there as we are down for a charity
Tournament. My brother who has played there before says that the ball seems to just drop because of the humidity is that true? And does the roll make up for the lost carry?


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


The ball won't fly as far as places with dry air and elevation. Not really anything you will notice. If you haven't played in bermuda before try to get plenty of time chiping on it. Low bounce clubs tend to get sucked in if you are chipping into the grain. Very grainy and grabby. Don't replace your divots as it will make it worse. Just throw sand into the divot and make it level. The rest above is true about sunscreen and water. Dri-fit is a must for everything including your socks (swiftwhick) and underwear.
 
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