I am definitely a fair weather golf. Actually, I am fair weather anything. It’s rare that you will find me with enough motivation to come out of hibernation to participate in some winter golf.
But when I do, I will end up grumbling about the winter weather and playing conditions wreaking havoc with my game, mainly as a way of covering up the flaws in my technique.
I wouldn’t be alone in showing distaste towards teeing it up during the winter months.
So which of the following gets on your nerves the most when playing winter golf?
5. The weather
An obvious point but also extremely valid.
Not many other sports depend on favourable weather quite so much as golf.
Courses can be quickly turned to bogs in heavy rain or an ice rink in cold weather, which doesn’t make for a particularly enjoyable round.
However, there are many courses in good old Blighty that benefit from excellent drainage and can be found in good nick throughout most of the year.
4. Dodgy winter clothes
When the temperatures start to plunge you will find all sorts of wintry gear on display at your local course.
Huge coats, colourful bobble hats, snoods and even tights are the types of gear you will find dotted around the fairways on a cold winter day.
However, I can’t criticise anyone’s winter golf gear. I am usually kitted out like Hans Solo in Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back on the 1st tee during the winter months…
3. Rock hard fairways
You line up your second shot on your favourite par 4 at your home club.
You have played this hole a million times and know you can easily reach the green in two.
The ball bounces on the fairway just before the green but then skims well past and off the back thanks to the rock solid surface.
Sound familiar?
Yes, a player should take into consideration the surface before hitting a shot but it’s still very hard to judge the speed of an icy fairway.
2. Winter greens
Nothing strikes more fear into a golfer’s heart than hearing the dreaded words “winter greens”.
An uneven surface, big divots and longer grass than normal for a green sums up my typical experience with winter greens.
It makes little difference to me. I tend to three-putt no matter the condition of the surface.
1. Playing off mats
We all usually play off mats when we hit the driving range and do so without a grumble.
But when it comes to mats on the course, our mood quickly darkens.
In some cases you might be presented with a small mat in the pro shop that you need to carry round on the course or there will be a mat on the tee box.
This is done for the good reason of trying to protect the course from getting cut up during bad weather.
However, that is still scant consolation as you stare wild-eyed at the piece of astro turf that moved as you chunked the ball into a bunker or the tee peg that just refuses to fit into the mat on the tee box.
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