When will golf courses fully open again?

We may only be a handful of weeks into 2026, but those of us in the UK & Ireland have already been struck by several named storms, with strong winds and heavy rainfall having a significant impact on golf courses across these islands.

It can already be a struggle for venues throughout winter as frost and snow becomes a recurring concern, but when persistent deluges are part of the equation too, the formidable challenges facing greenkeepers only heighten further.

Many of you nonetheless continue to play golf when you can - and we applaud you for it - but there is a likelihood that you will have encountered courses that are compromised in some way in terms of closures and restrictions to the layout.

What Happens to Golf Courses During Winter?

Saturated ground - and even flooding in places - may have briefly closed your local course lately, but other measures can be more long-standing as staff attempt to ensure that the surfaces are in the best possible playing condition for the peak months of the year.

We've recently discussed the presence of temporary greens and fairway mats, a necessary evil in many respects, which is something that - at best - can only simulate the overall experience of playing a complete round of golf.

It's also not uncommon to see a number of holes being completely shut. When I was a member at King James VI Golf Club in Perth, the low-lying nature of this unique layout that rests on an island surrounded by a river meant that a portion of the course was routinely unplayable during the winter.

You may also see artificial or winter tees in use, while bunkers can be roped off either due to essential maintenance or substantial amounts of water gathering within them.

Every reasonable golfer can understand why this happens, but that doesn't mean we have to love it as our attention turns to those glorious days in the future when our courses will be fully open without any limits.

But when will that be and could that moment be delayed?

When Will Golf Courses Fully Open Again?

When you're in the midst of the drudgery of December, January and February, it's fair to assume that most courses will have restrictions or measures in place, but that isn't universal, as there are some lucky places (often links or heathland) who are able to present golfers with a complete experience even in the darkest months of the year.

However, that is undeniably a minority, so for most of us we are likely to be gazing forwards to March, when temperatures rise on average to highs of 9-10°C in the UK, which is a modest but noteworthy increase on what you typically see in February.

It's often colloquially said that the true start of the golf season on these shores coincides with the glory of the Masters and Augusta National gracing our televisions in early April, which comes just a couple of weeks after the clocks have sprung forward, meaning the return of evening golf as the last vestiges of winter have given way to the magic of springtime.

That is usually a strong indicator of when normality shall return, the mats and temps are removed, and everything is how it should be, but that isn't always the case. 

Could We See Extended Winter Restrictions?

If you reflect back just a couple of years ago to 2024, one of the wettest winters on record set courses back weeks - and arguably months.

Such was the widespread negative effect on venues nationwide, England Golf revised its Winter Golf Checklist, extending the period in which clubs were permitted to deploy preferred lies on their course all the way to the end of May.

That meant genuinely peak season conditions weren't in place at some golf clubs until the beginning of summer.

And who is to say that we won't see a repeat in 2026? It's becoming more likely as winters have consistently turned wetter of late.

But April is a good measure to work from. 

I play my golf in St Andrews and that is when the peak season officially returns. Between November and the end of March, fairway mats are required on each of the courses here, with further complications this winter coming in the form of the widespread irrigation works and "enhancements" being made to the legendary Old Course. That has seen routine hole closures, temporary greens and forward tees make a rare appearance.

Ultimately, we might just have to wait for Rory McIlroy to defend his Masters title for courses to fully open and lift all restrictions, but should this foul weather of late be a factor for another few weeks, there could yet be a further extension to some measures.