We have spent weeks talking about it but now it has finally arrived. We have had Halloween. We have had Bonfire Night.
And now…winter golf is upon us.
How do I know? Are you kidding me?
Blue/winter tees
We are now into November and that means we have turned up at our courses to find that winter tees are in play - or, in some cases, blue tees from which everybody has to play. It means we often have to play from mats, many of which are not fit for purpose. Many of them come with driving range-style tees but often they are either not high enough or, conversely, not low enough to hit an iron or fairway wood from. This time of year is all about compromise because, of course, most of these mats do not take a normal tee.
Wet fairways
Do you remember those long hot summer days when our fairways were bleached white and the ball ran for miles and miles? We wondered if the grass would ever recover. Well, it has. All parts of the country have now seen decent amounts of rain and that means grass has grown. The rain has also soaked fairways and we are no longer seeing any roll on the ball. Often, a towering drive will land in the middle of a fairway and stop dead in its tracks.
Soggy, bumpy greens
Most of us were spoilt by the fabulous conditions of our greens during the summer months. Velvety smooth putting surfaces, with the ball running straight and true. Not now though. Our greenkeepers have started work on our greens to get them ready for the 2027 golf season (how far away does that seem?) and our greens have been hollow-cored so now it’s a lottery. Even worse, some of you may be faced with a spell where you are putting on temporary greens, hitting the ball and hoping it will end up somewhere close to the target. And have you ever tried hitting an approach to a winter green?
Preferred lies
The other sure sign that winter has arrived is preferred lies. This equates to just one thing in my mind - bitterly cold and wet days. On many courses the actual challenge is being able to find a better lie in the fairway.
Tumbling handicaps
So, we have blue tees and that means our courses are shorter during the winter period. My official handicap is 12.2 but from the blue tees I am expected to play off seven at my course. Yes, it is shorter. But is it five shots easier? NO WAY! It basically means that from now until the return of normal play I can forget about winning any competitions. I know it is the same for everybody but there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that winter conditions favour higher handicap golfers because although the course may not be as long there is also far less roll on the ball and, quite clearly, conditions are more challenging at this time of year.
Dirty balls
I defy anybody to keep their golf ball clean at this time of year, even allowing for the fact that preferred lies allow us to clean them between shots.
Falling leaves
(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)
My course is tree-lined. We have thousands of trees. And very pretty they look too. But what do all trees have in common? Leaves. And what do leaves do? They turn brown and they tumble to the ground. Thousands of them. Tens of thousands of them. And where does this happen - mainly in the rough. It is a fact of life that most of us miss fairways from time to time. What happens when we do so when there are so many leaves on the ground? We lose our ball. The only chance we have of finding it is if we stand on it.
Trolley wheels
Mud gets everywhere. Let’s start with the wheels of our trolley. They spend four hours and more trudging through fairways, rough and paths and by the time you have played 18 holes your trolley wheels will almost certainly be caked in dirt. And that has to be removed before you put it in the boot of your car.
Shoes
Please don’t get me started on keeping golf shoes clean and dry at this time of year. Put simply, it is a pretty thankless task. When you finish a round your shoes are filthy and the soles are caked in wet mud. Do you remember to take them in and clean them when you get home? Probably not.
Dirty trouser bottoms
No matter what you do, no matter what precautions you may take, at this time of year the bottoms of your golf trousers always end up covered in dry mud.
Filthy clubs
This is the time of year when keeping your clubs clean and dry is a proper challenge. The grooves in your irons fill with mud and dirt. Keep them clean if you are to have any chance of controlling the golf ball.
Shoe cleaner that doesn’t work
At the very time of year when you most need the shoe cleaner to be working, you can almost guarantee that when you switch it on absolutely nothing happens. You make the pro shop aware of this (every time you play) and they finally have it repaired in April!
Cold showers
This will be the time of year when, after a round of golf played in bitterly cold and wet weather, many of us will seek the sanctuary of a hot shower and a change of clothing. So, this will also be the time when you turn on the shower and discover that there is no hot water. You report it. Yes, you have already guessed it - they finally get around to repairing it in April!
X / Twitter
Instagram
