8 Reasons Why You Need To Keep Playing This Winter
1/ If ever there was a time in our lives when we all need our mates it’s now. Some of us can’t meet up in pubs or restaurants but we can still see our golfing mates. Make the most of it. Hopefully we’ve all got a bit of spare golf time to set aside one morning a week so why not use it to give an old mate a ring and get him/her out of the house and invite them for a game.
2/ There are some amazing deals to play some amazing courses in the coming months. Most of us put together mental bucket lists of where we’d most like to play so why not add a bit of much-needed joy into your lives and get to the coast and play an incredible links. And all for a fraction of the normal price.
3/ Again, if there’s a time in our lives when competition golf and 0.1s don’t really matter it’s now, and there’s a more social element to club golf in the winter months. Get stuck into the betterball competitions, enjoy the thrill of cheering on all your fourball and don’t worry about your handicap. You can do all that when the new Handicap Index kicks in when you can post your best scores any time.
4/ The nights might be drawing in and the clocks might be going back soon but there’s still plenty of daylight hours to get your fix and, if you plan things right, to still get in 36 holes. Why not be the first on the tee at 8am and whip round by 11ish. After all that fresh air you’ll be starving and it will be acceptable to have a pint or glass of wine with your lunch and then you can do it all again. Everything moves forward so you can be tucking into your evening meal at 6ish and come 9pm you’ll be exhausted which leaves 10 hours to lie in your pit and recharge for another 36 the following day.
5/ ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather… only unsuitable clothing’. It’s really no excuse these days not to come prepared for a round of golf. Get layered up and put a bit of thought into things and you will be richly rewarded. For many of us a bobble hat is the greatest style accessory ever invented, then there’s your base layers, gilets, mid layers and jackets. The UK winter seems milder than ever these days so keep your golf going.
6/ The course set-up is ideal for many of us in winter. Think back to what your course has looked like in June with bundles of rough and a never-ending search for balls. Thick rough doesn’t really belong on a course and it will be nowhere to be seen in winter. Then there are the forward tees, preferred lies and friendly pin positions - winter golf rewards those of us who brave it and can be flattering when it comes to scoring.
7/ Likewise the courses aren’t generally very busy. We all want to get round and keep moving and be done in three and a half hours and the formats don’t mean that we’re marking a card. So we’re all a bit more lenient and we’re happy to see a ball getting dropped and just getting on with it. Rules go out the window and it’s all quite liberating.
8/ It’s not perfect, putts bobble and our hands might have lost any feeling by the 4th but we all love a ready-made excuse and in winter there are loads of them. Keep the swing ticking over and you’ll reap the benefit when the competitions and knock-outs get going next year – and it’s good for the waistline when we might not be doing much else.