Golf in rain and cold: what works, what does not, and where to go instead

In Switzerland golf is rarely cancelled by rain and often by frost. What really ends a round is a different list from what most people think, and for almost every kind of weather there is an answer that is not giving up. Here is what works in what weather, what to wear and where to go instead.

What works in what weather

Weather	Course	Range	Bay
Light rain	yes	yes, under cover	yes
Steady rain	possible, unpleasant	yes, covered	yes
Around freezing	yes, if the ground is open	yes	yes
Frost in the ground	no, the course closes	usually yes	yes
Thunderstorm	no, leave at once	no	yes
Snow	no	rarely	yes

The last column is why Switzerland has 110 indoor venues: it is the only one that always says yes.

Frost is the real opponent

It is not rain that closes Swiss courses in winter but frozen ground. Walking on a frozen green breaks the blades, and the damage shows up in spring. So the greenkeeper decides in the morning whether play is on, and the answer is on the website or the noticeboard.

Many courses carry on to winter greens instead, as long as the ground is open. What applies then, from the wrong green to preferred lies, is in Winter greens in golf.

Thunderstorms: the one rule without exceptions

When there is a danger of lightning you do not belong on a course. The Rules expressly allow play to be discontinued then, and a committee may suspend it (R&A, Rule 5.7). A golf course is open ground, a golf club is metal, and a single tree is the worst shelter there is.

In practice: at the first thunder, head for the clubhouse or the nearest shelter, and come back only when the committee says so. The round is often over after that, and that is fine.

What the cold does to the ball

Cold air is denser and slows the ball more, and a cold ball is harder and returns less energy. Add wet ground that gives no roll at all. So take one more club than the card suggests, and keep a second ball warm in your trouser pocket, swapping every few holes.

You notice the cost in metres most with the driver and least with a wedge. More on that is in Golf in winter in Switzerland.

The kit that makes the difference

• Two towels. One stays dry under the umbrella, the other works. A wet grip is the most common reason for a pulled shot in the rain.
• Rain gloves. They grip better wet than dry, and they cost less than a lost ball.
• Layers rather than one thick jacket. The swing needs the shoulder, and a stiff jacket takes it away.
• A hat and waterproof shoes. Four hours of wet feet end any good mood.
• A spare glove in a plastic bag in the bag.

The round in the rain, practically

Wet golf is different golf, and anyone who allows for that plays better than the people fighting it.

• One more club. The ball flies shorter and does not roll, so every approach is ten to twenty metres short.
• Aim at the middle of the green. Wet greens hold the ball where it lands, which makes approaches easier and still does not make edge pins worth it.
• Putts come up short. A wet green is slow; hit the putt as you would in summer and you finish a metre short.
• Bunkers get heavy. Wet sand is firm and the club bounces less, so open the face less and swing shorter.

What the course allows in the rain

Two kinds of relief almost always come into play in wet weather. Where water stands on the ground it is temporary water, and that gives free relief at the nearest point of complete relief. And many clubs bring in the preferred-lies local rule for the winter half of the year: on closely mown areas you may mark, lift, clean and replace the ball within the stated distance.

Then there is what the course forbids to protect itself: buggies on wet ground, individual holes closed, mats on the tees instead of grass. What applies on a given day is on the noticeboard, not in the Rules of Golf.

After the round the kit gets a quarter of an hour

Dry the clubs, above all the faces and the grips. Leave the bag open rather than shutting it in the boot. Dry gloves flat, not on a radiator, or they go hard. And stuff the shoes with newspaper so that they are not still wet in the morning.

It sounds like fussing and it is the difference between a set that lasts ten years and one whose grips slip after two seasons.

When not to play at all

In a thunderstorm, in a gale with branches coming down, on frozen ground, and whenever the course itself says it is closed. None of those is a matter of judgement: the first two are dangerous, the third damages the course, and the fourth is the greenkeeper's decision.

Everything else is taste, and for that there is an honest answer: if the weather is spoiling the evening, take the bay. That is what it is built for.

Where to go instead

When the course is closed, three addresses remain. The covered driving range, often with tracking; 16 ranges in the directory follow every ball. The indoor venue, 110 of them across 21 cantons, at a median CHF 50 per bay and hour. And, on a mild day in the south, Ticino, where Ascona, Losone and Lugano play all year.

Which venue is open at this moment is on Open now; every venue with address and price is on the map.

The Swiss peculiarity: microclimates

Hardly any country has such different weather over such short distances. In November the plateau sits under fog while the mountains are in sunshine; in Ticino, Ascona, Losone and Lugano stay open all year, and in Valais, Sion benefits from a microclimate of its own.

In practice: before you cancel a round, look at how far the bad weather reaches. Thirty minutes of driving can be the difference between fog and sun, and many courses keep a webcam on their site. What works where in winter is in Golf in winter in Switzerland.

The same applies the other way round for the bay: if the fog has put you off the course, there is a venue in 21 cantons where the weather does not matter. Which ones are open right now is on Open now.

The season is longer than it looks

Anyone willing to play at ten degrees on dry ground has golf in Switzerland from March to November, and with winter greens in between as well. Anyone who only plays at twenty degrees in sunshine has three months.

What lies between them is not talent but a jacket and a willingness to take one more club. And on the days when nothing works at all, the bay remains, at the same temperature in January as in July.

More on this: Indoor minigolf or golf simulator, Golf relief without penalty, Golf rain jacket and rain trousers, When is indoor golf open?.

The honest comparison

A round at four degrees in drizzle is golf, but it is not practice: the ball flies differently, the grip slips, and after two hours nobody is thinking about swing path. An hour in a bay is not golf, but it is measurable.

If you want to improve over the winter, take the bay. If you play competitions, take the occasional round in bad weather, because a tournament is not called off for rain. The two together are why the Swiss season is longer than the weather suggests.

Frequently asked questions

Is golf cancelled when it rains?

Usually not. Play goes on in rain as long as the ground takes it and no thunderstorm is coming. What really closes Swiss courses in winter is frost in the ground, because frozen greens are damaged when walked on.

What do I do in a thunderstorm on the course?

Leave the course at once and shelter in a building or a proper shelter, not under a single tree. The Rules expressly allow play to be discontinued when there is danger from lightning, and a committee may suspend play.

How much shorter does the ball fly in the cold?

Noticeably, and most with the driver. Cold air is denser, a cold ball is harder, and wet ground gives no roll. Take one more club and keep a second ball warm in your pocket, swapping every few holes.

Where can I go when the course is closed?

A covered driving range, 16 of them with ball-flight tracking in the directory, one of the 110 indoor venues across 21 cantons at a median CHF 50 per bay, or Ticino, where Ascona, Losone and Lugano play all year.

What belongs in the bag when it rains?

Two towels, one kept dry under the umbrella, rain gloves that grip better wet than dry, a spare glove in a plastic bag, layers rather than a stiff jacket, and waterproof shoes.

Sources

• R&A: Rules of Golf, Regel 5.7 (Spielunterbrechung)
• golfsimulators.ch: alle Standorte