Golf Talk With Greg Holman – #96

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What type of golfer are you? Fair weather? Seasonal? Passionate? I’ve known good players that put their clubs away after Labor Day and don’t take them out again until April. Those are seasonal golfers. Then there are the golfers that wait for a warm day in the off-season and play nine holes. Those are the fair weather golfers. The other 10% are passionate golfers. They’ll play in a winter coat and gloves if the course is open. I used to be in that group. Not anymore, but I’m not a seasonal golfer either. I keep my clubs in my trunk year-round. We will still have plenty of nice days between now and Thanksgiving, so my suggestion is, be ready, and don’t be afraid to ask for a discount.

Many courses offer off-season discounts. They usually show up on their website like $50 April through October. $35 November through March. Most courses will not honor more than one discount. You would have to choose between off-season, senior, serviceman, junior, twi-light, etc., but it never hurts to ask.

On a 50 degree day, I played a beautiful course at Lake Ozark in November for half the regular rate, and we had a blast, except the forecast was calling for 70 degree weather and we were wearing shorts. I’m not saying you have to keep the clubs in your trunk in January, but make sure you know where they are, along with a pair of gloves to wear between shots, a heavy jacket that isn’t too wrinkled to wear, golf shoes that have been “de-mudded”, plenty of used but white and recognizable golf balls and tees and maybe some snacks.

We’ve talked about playing in inclement weather before, but just a quick refresher course. The clubhouse may be closed, so remember to “go” before you play. Take some water or a thermos of coffee and some energy bars and be prepared to walk. Some courses still use the honor system where you deposit your green fee in a locked box and you’re on your own.

Whichever type of golfer you are, keep your cool. You are going to have to contend with leaves and lost balls. You might consider just going out on the putting green and having a friendly contest with a buddy. Some of my best times on the course were on the practice green. I think it really improved my game. So play a little less break on the green and hit ’em firm!