Why we love winter golf
So many of us put our clubs away as soon as the nights start drawing in. For the NCG team though, that’s when the real fun begins. Here is our ode to winter golf. Who’s with us?
Dan Murphy
Why I love winter golf: Nobody likes getting muddy trousers and that’s why I prefer to think of winter golf as a links and heathland-based activity. I laugh in the face of a 30mph easterly and don’t mind the greens being a bit slower or having to wear base layers and a woolly hat. Playing a links course in the winter makes me glad to be alive – who’s complaining about the bracing sea air as an alternative to the office? Afterwards, feeling first flushed and then sleepy in a cosy clubhouse with an early afternoon pint in hand is just fine too.
Favourite course to play in winter: The east coast generally is the best place to play golf in the winter as it’s dry. At Hunstanton, tees are often moved so they are adjacent to the previous green – basically, to where they were originally – so you fairly race round. Obviously there is no mud and little rough either with it being a links. On the back nine, you play towards the lights of the town in the distance as the sun goes down and that comfortable old clubhouse looms behind the 18th green. It’s the perfect place to be.
Best winter golf tip: The best additions to my golfing arsenal in the winter in many years have been a bodywarmer and a snood. The former adds warmth without restricting movement – I don’t know why I didn’t work this out years ago – while the latter may raise eyebrows but you can’t really see it when it’s underneath your jacket. And even if they do, who cares? All bets are off when it’s below zero and you’re outside for three hours.
Alex Perry
Why I love winter golf: Where does your mind take you when people tell you to go to your happy place? Me? I’m on the first tee at Bude, it’s Boxing Day, and I’ve got my two best mates alongside me. It’s about 7.30am, there isn’t a cloud in the sky, and the air is that kind of crisp that makes your lungs double take. We are the first people on the tee, and will be for some time. We are wrapped up warm and we have one of the West Country’s finest courses to ourselves. Millionaire’s golf in my second hometown. Yes please.
Favourite course to play in winter: I generally spend the holiday season at home in the South West so Christmas jaunts round any of the Atlantic Links courses has become something of a tradition. I have to say Bude & North Cornwall for the reasons I’ve already explained.
Winter golf tip: Wear mittens. I can deal with any part of my body being cold, but if my hands are cold I may as well go home and get in front of the fire.
Steve Carroll
Why I love winter golf: Isn’t it nice to simply enjoy a knock, far removed from the agonies of a season spent futilely toiling for a lower handicap? The white tee markers are gone. The course seems so much more accessible. You look at holes in a totally new light. The weekend roll-ups spring back into life: down the club for 9am, spending a few glorious hours with people you’ve barely seen during the bustle of a medal campaign. Yes, you look like the Michelin man but it’s worth it. Just for that one day when you feel the fleeting sun on your face and the air has a crispness you only find in deepest January. Ask yourself, why would you want to be anywhere else?
Favourite course to play in winter: While parklands are sodden, expect crisp fairways and firmer greens by the sea – and that’s what you’ll find at Hartlepool. Like a lot of courses in the North East of England, this links is seriously under-rated and I always love sweeping shots through some magnificent dunes. A perfect view on a winter’s day.
Winter golf tip: Club up. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But I’m always amazed by the number of players who watch their flushed 7-iron fall short and exclaim ‘But I hit this club 150 yards!’ You do. In summer. For me, the heavier air and lower temperatures means I’m adding at least two clubs – and that’s before you even start to take account of wind.
Hannah Holden
Why I love winter golf: I’m probably the only person who enjoys playing golf in the rain. The thought of it is terrible, but it is very therapeutic when you get out there. Four hours with electronics hidden away from the weather is the perfect way to relax.
Favourite course to play in winter: Wet, muddy winter golf isn’t great for anyone, so playing a links-style track will always be the best here. In Yorkshire, you can’t go wrong with Ganton. It is a fantastic layout and holds out against the winter weather exceptionally well.
Winter golf tip: Let’s all save some money by switching to a different golf ball in winter. After all, you definitely aren’t getting spins when you nip a pitch off the mud, and we could all do with some extra distance in the cold. I generally swap from a Titleist Pro V1 to a Tour Soft or TruFeel.
George Cooper
Why I love winter golf: Those crisp mornings provide some of the most enjoyable rounds of the year, seeing your mates show up in some abysmal outfits all for the sake of keeping warm, then offering much-needed relief from the dulls of shorter days and dare I say, Christmas shopping.
Favourite course to play in winter: I rarely venture from my beloved Woburn and, of its three courses, it has to be the Duke’s. The prettiest of the trio, the tight fairways help keep it consistent throughout the year and pristine in all conditions. Throw in one of the club’s famous sausage rolls, and you’ve got the near perfect winter round.
Winter golf tip: Lower your expectations! We’re all guilty of it, but how many of us reach winter and find ourselves getting annoyed that we’re not scoring or hitting it as far as we did in the summer? Let’s face it, your game is going to take a hit, so just be happy you’re out there and know by the spring your golf will be grateful for it.
What’s your favourite thing about playing golf in the winter and why? Get in touch and let us know, or you can join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
