Lessons learnt from 2006

It’s that time of the year again, and we’re looking forward to another Open Championship taking place at Royal Portrush after Shane Lowry’s dramatic finish in 2019.

We’ve been reminiscing about how harsh and varied the weather conditions can be at The Open. 2023 was a particularly drizzly time at Royal Liverpool, but who remembers how the course fared when Tiger won The Open there back in 2006?

As those of you who watched The Open that year will remember, the weather was exceptionally hot over that particular July weekend, and the course certainly suffered as a result.

Rather than being lush and green, the fairways were bare and firm, fundamentally changing the nature of the game for players battling for the Claret Jug.

This can make the course a lot more difficult to judge, so today we want to help you consider how the conditions you’re playing in have a direct impression on how your shot travels.

How hot weather changes the game

Golf is an eternally changing game as the seasons and weather are always varying, and while wet muddy winter golf is a challenge, so too is golf in very hot conditions. The grass deteriorates in the heat, losing its colour and firmness. This firmness dulls the turf’s natural sponginess, causing your ball to run further as the grass is providing less resistance in stopping it.

When Tiger won The Open in 2006, he did so having used his driver just once the entire tournament. Rather than taking the big stick off the tee, Tiger would strike controlled stingers with long irons, the longer distance he now gained from his shorter, more reliable clubs factoring into his course strategy in the heat.

So, if you’re playing golf over the next few months in the summer heat, you may want to take the firmness of the ground into consideration. If you’d like to seek our professional advice about anything related to golf, you can find us as always in the pro shop.