All of us should probably play more golf in winter. It’s far too easy to over-eat and under-exercise during the winter months, but you’ll certainly reap the benefits if you make yourself play more.
We say this year after year, but it rarely happens—however, be sure to make this winter your busiest golfing one yet.
Here are 10 reasons to keep playing golf in winter.
1. Extend your season
If you live in the UK, you’ll be considerably shortening your season by putting the clubs away over the chillier months. Pick the right day and wear the right clothes, and it doesn’t have to be the miserable experience that some often predict.
If your course is open to start with, that’s generally a sign that you should be out there having a laugh, racking up a few pars and making the most of the game.
2. It’s the perfect form of exercise
You’ll appreciate this after even just a couple of holes. The blood will be pumping, and you’ll be so pleased with yourself that you’re no longer stuck to the settee.
Many of us spend large chunks of our weeks sitting in offices, in front of laptops or glued to our phones, but golf is the perfect stimulus to declutter your brain and forget about all of that.
You don’t need to check your emails every five minutes—they’ll still be there when you’ve tidied things up on the 18th after a five-mile walk in the great outdoors.
3. Play whatever you want
Golf doesn’t always have to mean 18 holes. During winter, courses are unlikely to be packed, so you can get out there, play your favourite loop of holes and call it a day.
Clubs will often put on shorter competitions and introduce fun formats at this time of year, which makes a welcome change from banging your head against the medal brick wall. There’ll be team competitions, perhaps a chance to meet some new faces, or even to try and rattle up 80+ points in a two-from-four better ball (and then discover that you’ve still come up 10 points short!)
4. Lighten the load
Winter golf is a great opportunity to use a half set and familiarise yourself with what’s in your bag.
Go with your even-numbered irons one week and then the odds the next. You’ll soon start seeing your home course through a different set of eyes, and you’ll need a bit of creativity and strategy to tackle certain holes.
You could even leave the driver at home and hit some different clubs into some greens. Hit chips with different clubs, take two extra clubs on the par 3s and learn a bit more about your game. Also, it’s a lot easier to carry a bag with seven clubs rather than 14, and it will speed up your decision-making, too.
5. Winter golf is flattering
You might not be getting any run, and it might only be a few degrees in temperature, but the course will be set up shorter and still be very playable.
Be sure to pack your pitchmark repairer, though, as the ball will generally stick wherever you’ve put it.
Hit a great shot, and you’ll get a great reward. Get the right conditions and you can shoot some very tidy scores playing golf in winter, with balls staying on fairways, the odd bunker being out of commission and preferred lies in operation. Fill your boots!
6. Golf in winter is cheaper
You don’t have to try too hard to find a great deal at this time of year and play a great course at a fraction of the summer green fee.
If your local course doesn’t cope too well in the winter months, you could do much worse than heading to the coast and treating yourself to a day on the links. If you strike it lucky with the elements, you won’t regret it, and you can tick off a fantastic day out, too.
Many clubs will even have deals with other local clubs for a Play and Stay Sunday-Monday offer where you can chalk off two great tracks.
7. The afters
If you can get out to play golf in winter, you should be pleased with yourself. Your mental and physical health, friendships and golf game will get a huge boost when you might otherwise just be sitting at home.
And as such, you can treat yourself accordingly with a couple of well-earned drinks afterwards, or even take advantage of the club carvery. Your work is done for the day. Not to mention, you’re also getting more from your membership.
8. Perfect lesson time
You may hear this a lot, but winter is the perfect time to finally sort your game out. Again, there will be offers, and, more importantly, there is time to take advantage of them.
Many clubs now have indoor facilities so you can grab a coffee, block off a midweek evening, and improve your golf. You can work on any element of your game to start knocking shots off your handicap. The technology these days is incredible, and the PGA pros will tailor your lessons to your requirements.
For many of us, golf is our favourite hobby, and golf lessons are an investment to enjoy it even more.
9. Break out the winter wardrobe
The chance to layer up and still look great is one of the game’s great pleasures. You’ll generally know if you’re going to get wet, so you can dig deep into the wardrobe and make the most of your insulated tops.
Modern golf gear is spectacularly good—so much so that there’s almost more chance of getting your temperature right in the winter than when the sun’s out. And who doesn’t love a good golf bobble hat?
10. Get your money’s worth
Last but not least, being a golf club member can be a pricey affair, and if you’re only going to play for seven or eight months of the year, that makes it even more expensive.
However, even just by getting out two or three times a month during the winter, you’ll be doing yourself a favour on many levels.
