The 5 Most Frustrating Things About Winter Golf

By: Connor Steele | Mon 19 Dec 2022

It’s the most wonderful time of the year - unless you’re a golfer, then it’s the most frustrating.

It’s cold, windy, wet and completely unenjoyable to play any time between November and February - unless you’re mad.

Even when you do have the conditions to play, it’s a race against the clock to get your round done before 4pm to beat the sunset.

Many people put their clubs away over winter. Some face the conditions head on. But very few actually enjoy the grind.

Winter golf isn’t for everyone, but for those who do play, these are the most infuriating things faced by the brave ones among us.

The Weather

Regardless of the time of year in the UK, the weather is unpredictable and the winter takes this to a whole new level.

We’ve all been there; you check the weather app and pick the “best” day. Book your tee time. Look forward to the round for days, just to turn up and get rained off after four holes.

Playing in the rain is no easy task. Choosing between getting soaked to the bone or wearing your uncomfortable waterproofs just to blame them for every bad shot is something we all have to endure at some point - in the winter it's every round.

For many, playing in the wind is even worse.

You’re 150 yards from the green and would usually be picking out a 9 or 8 iron. Factor in 30 miles per hour breeze into the face and you’re pulling a 5 iron with the hope that you can thin it “under the wind”.

Then there’s the ones who play in the snow. The idea of playing a round in the snow is almost magical - until you’re daft enough to try it.

From losing a ball every other shot because you forgot to get yellow ones to enduring the vibrations from miss-hitting off an icy fairway, golf in the snow is not fun.

Winter Golf

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography - Gog Magog Golf Club)

Temporary Greens

Temporary greens are a given for most golf courses over the winter, as clubs look to protect their regular greens - but this doesn’t make them any less frustrating.

Unless you have a rangefinder or a helpful friend who you don’t mind bugging before every shot, when it comes to temporary greens, you’re standing over the ball with absolutely no idea how far away you are from the pin.

You could be 150 yards away or you could be 200 yards away, it can become extremely frustrating.

Even if you do guess your yardage right, the chances of making your putt are very slim - unless you take your 15 foot “gimme”.

Pitch Marks

We all claim to fix our pitch marks, yet we have all been hindered by an unrepaired pitch mark on our line. Someone isn’t telling the truth.

Winter pitch marks are even worse due to the sodden greens, with most good shots disappearing halfway into the aerated turf.

Fishing your submerged ball out is a task itself, but repairing that three-inch divot you just left on the green is a whole different story.

Most putts become hit and hope - and as much as you try and avoid it, nine times out of ten you will still hit that dreaded pitch mark.

Shorter Days

Conditions aren’t the only difficult part about playing golf in the winter - in a lot of cases, rounds become a race against time.

In the summer, golfers can almost play whenever they want with most courses offering tee times from 6am up to 9pm.

In the winter time available is almost halved, with many clubs offering tee times no later than 3pm - which makes it impossible for the your average golfer to play.

Driving Ranges Being Your Only Option

This is where driving ranges come into play. Driving ranges are like marmite, you love them or you hate them - but in the winter it can be the only option.

There’s not many better feelings or sounds than flushing an iron 160 yards off the mat in a crowded range.

This feeling quickly disappears when you get back on the course and start hitting all of your irons fat…

So, next time you are feeling the golf itch in mid-January, after you’ve got that new driver or putter for Christmas, look outside and remember this article. But also remember your woolly hat, since you’re just going to play anyway.

What’s your worst winter golf experience? Let us know in the comments.