Winter Golf In Scotland – Here’s Our 17 Point Checklist!

 

Winter golf in Scotland has many benefits – you can, at times, have the course to yourself, you can get around a lot quicker, green fees can be 30-70% cheaper than summer time, to name a few.

However, whenever playing winter golf on any Scottish course, there are 17 things you may want to consider before heading off, it’ll help manage expectations.

The Home of Golf’s
WINTER CHECKLIST

The Winter Golf Course

• Conditions may require you to use fairway mats when golfing in the winter months.
• Are there any winter tees or winter greens in play?
• What condition are the greens in?
  ie: have they been recently cored? left uncut to protect from frost, etc?
• Are there any major winter course works in progress at the moment?
  ie: Is the full course available or is it a composite/winter course?

Times / When to Play Winter Golf

• Can we play at weekends? (many clubs restrict visitors on Saturdays to allow members to play)
• What are the earliest/latest times for teeing off? (restricted daylight hours in winter)
• You may want to consider teeing off a bit later, as frost can hit many courses early in the morning, resulting in the use of winter greens for the first few hours.
• Another reason for considering a later tee time is that fog/mist (haar) can also delay an early start on our coastlines, particularly on the East coast.

The Clubhouse 

• Will the clubhouse be open when we arrive or when we get back in? (restricted hours in winter)
• When does the kitchen close/last orders?
• Are there changing / showering facilities for visitors?
• If the clubhouse is not open, is there a professional shop?

Other Stuff When Playing Winter Golf

• Does the club require us to bring along handicap certificates?
• Be aware that Buggies are not always available due to wet &/or icy conditions.

• 

  Take some extra layers; it can get cold out there, particularly if the wind gets up!

• Take a dry set of clothes with you……. just in case!
• What is the club’s cancellation process – in terms of frost, fog, etc?

Green fees are substantially reduced when golfing in the winter, which means that if there are restricted tee times or mats required and winter greens in play, then these are the reasons for the discounted rate.

Wrap up & enjoy Scottish winter golf!

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