Why you have to question the sanity of winter golfers

The British weather - don’t you just love it? 

I have just returned from a two-week holiday in Egypt, where I celebrated Christmas and New Year with my significant other half. The weather was glorious, with daytime temperatures of around 25C and glorious blue skies every day. 

And while we were away, my golfing buddies took great delight in telling me about the freezing weather, snow and ice back in Norfolk that I would be returning to. Having spent a fortnight away, I have been suffering from golf withdrawal symptoms. We arrived back at Luton Airport at 10pm and an hour later I was scraping ice from my car windscreen. 

I was meant to be back on the golf course the following day. Not a chance. The snow meant that the course was closed. To be perfectly honest with you, having finally walked into our home at just before 2am I was not too displeased to discover that my Thursday morning game had been called off because the greens staff did not expect the course to be playable.

Are Golfers Crazy For Playing in Bad Weather?

Except that when I woke up I discovered that five hardy souls from our group had actually gone out and somehow managed to play nine holes. To put this into perspective, it meant somebody making a call at 6.30am and then messaging the rest of the group to tell us all that  the golf course at Dunston Hall was going to be partly open. This came the day after somebody posted a picture on social media of the fountain outside our hotel frozen solid.

I should also point out that one of our group had suggested that even if the course was not fit for play why didn’t we all turn up anyway and head for the driving range, where the Trackman technology would allow us to play 18 holes at Augusta National - in temperatures hovering around 0C!

There had also been serious talk of clearing the snow themselves using snow shovels!

When I finally came to life I stuck my head out the door. It was bitterly cold, but I experienced genuine feelings of regret that I had not joined my golfing buddies. As somebody who had to hang up my clubs because of a long-term injury issues, I now take every opportunity I can to get out there, and I am well prepared for everything that the British winter can throw at me - I have both heated mitts and thermal gloves, I have assorted bobble hats, fur-lined long johns (really!), thermal trousers, thermal tops, thermal socks, amazing waterproofs.

Now those of you who put your clubs away for the winter might well be wondering at the sanity of this. And you certainly will after you have read the following:

While in Egypt, I had read that the worst of the snow fell in Norfolk on Saturday, January 3. I have a friend who is a member at Barnham Broom and Saturday is the day that he and one of his mates always play 18 holes. Come what may. They set off in bitterly-cold conditions. After a few holes the snow started to fall and the powers-that-be stopped anybody else going out and effectively closed the course. 

But my mate and his playing partner were already out there and NOTHING was going to bring them in. Incredibly, they completed all 18 holes, walking off the final green closely resembling human snowmen. Unsurprisingly, they had the course to themselves - and when they sought the sanctuary of the clubhouse bar they received a round of applause. 

The worst of the snow has now disappeared for the time being. I have sated my desire by heading to the driving range and pounding 200 golf balls. After my break, it was not especially pretty.

It just all goes to prove that golfers are a hardy and determined bunch of people. I can fully understand why so many opt to give winter golf a miss but for me this remains a 12-months of the year sport. Feel free to question my sanity!