What's the worst weather you've ever played in?

[Birdie Cat 91]

4/17/23 @ Bandon Dunes, 3rd Tee Box. Hailing with 30 mph winds, gusting over 40 mph

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by Birdie Cat 91

[GolfSpy_APH]

That's pretty good! I've had same bad weather rounds and even that's year i played in a mini blizzard.... Swear it was nice when I started the round. 

It is very often really windy and when I lived in Canada it was on the east coast where we got noreasters. 

We had one tournament round and because they thought they could squeeze it in before it got we went out in shotgun format... It didn't work. It was all calm and 3 holes later it hit. Winds were 70+kph and then winds hit. 

Much like Augusta a few trees fell 3, but thankfully everyone was okay. It was just impossible conditions however we all got through 18. Not sure if anyone broke 100. 

Love this thread idea!! 

[Birdie Cat 91]

1 minute ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

That's pretty good! I've had same bad weather rounds and even that's year i played in a mini blizzard.... Swear it was nice when I started the round. 

It is very often really windy and when I lived in Canada it was on the east coast where we got noreasters. 

We had one tournament round and because they thought they could squeeze it in before it got we went out in shotgun format... It didn't work. It was all calm and 3 holes later it hit. Winds were 70+kph and then winds hit. 

Much like Augusta a few trees feel 3, but thankfully everyone was okay. It was just impossible conditions however we all got through 18. Not sure if anyone broke 100. 

Never seen a tree come down mid round! That's pretty wild

[GolfSpy_KFT]

I have played in sleet/snow/hail one time, and that was NOT enjoyable. Last year we played into November here in WI, and the second to last time out with my 5 year old we got 4 holes in before the wind picked up really strong and it started to rain. I'd have waited it out if I was alone but I was not about to ask him to play through miserable weather. The ironic part of that round last year was that when I picked him up from school, it was mid 60s and sunny. Not even 2 hours later and it was miserable!

[BobBC78]

On the first night of league play (late April) a couple of years back, we had wind gusts of up to 50 mph. The wind actually moved the ball on the green. 

[tdroma98]

Great video @Birdie Cat 91 at Bandon Dunes.  I'd play in any condition at Bandon Dunes! That was Wicked Cool! 

Did the weather get any better later in the round?

[Birdie Cat 91]

1 hour ago, tdroma98 said:

Great video @Birdie Cat 91 at Bandon Dunes.  I'd play in any condition at Bandon Dunes! That was Wicked Cool! 

Did the weather get any better later in the round?

Yes! It actually clears up by the back 9 and was beautiful, just a bit windy

[Bradka13]

I played in a tournament in mid-May in Minnesota a few years ago that had high temps in the low 40's with wind and rain.  Couldn't ask for much more miserable conditions!  I opted for comfort over flexibility and wore so many layers I could barely swing a club.

[StrokerAce]

similarly I played in a Veteran's day tournament at Franklin Country club outside of Boston; Veteran's Day here can be gorgeous or nasty and in this case it was 40s with wind and you couldn't feel your fingers by the back 9

We won the tournament because everyone else gave up and went inside. Out of our foursome I think I was the only one that played the last 3 holes. 

Marines never quit. 

[MichaelC_81]

Years ago I played at Collier Park, Western Australia, and at the beginning of the round it looked like we might get some drizzle... by the 12th hole, the rain was coming in sideways and the flags were bending over and nearly touching the greens. My drives were almost going as far up and back as they were forward, anything over a 50% swing and you risked your club slipping out of your hands (which happened at least 5 times), my umbrella broke, and my rain jacket did nothing! From that day on I've always been very skeptical about playing during winter... but I still do...

[RoverRick]

10 years ago there were a few of us who played every weekend it was not actually raining or snowing. We once were hitting drivers bouncing balls 500 yards or as far as we could across a frozen lake. I’m more picky now. 

February 2022, by boss flew down from Salt Lake, and we were going to The Tribute in Dallas. It has replica holes from The Open Championship courses. It was 70° on Sunday, but 30’s and howling wind on Monday when we met. We decided it couldn’t be any more authentic than in a howling wind and near freezing temperatures. To add even more reality to our Open Championship it even sleeted on us for about 15 minutes. 

It we would have been playing The Old American Course right next to it, we would have had a nice brunch and he would have returned to Utah having never unpacked his clubs. 
 

[JerryB]

Ya'll are nuts!

We didn't get a ton of winter weather this past winter so I tried to get out at least once a month.  Turns out I'm not a fan of being cold while I golf.  

[Tom the Golf Nut]

It's been so long since I played in bad weather I don’t remember. My typical statement is "It never rains when I play golf, because I don't play golf when it rains." 

Its also the reason I put in a simulator. Perfect weather on those not so perfect days outside.

 

[fixyurdivot]

Madison Meadows GC, Ennis, MT... own #1 and #2 spots. 

#1 was a small micro-burst T-storm that came from out of nowhere from a mostly sunny 65F day.  We took shelter in one of the two "take shelter" huts on the course.  The temperature started to plummet, winds started howling, and then the hail.  All I could think about was my truck .  It was absolutely pouring ice-balls and the noise on the steel corrugated shack was deafening.  It last about 10 minutes but felt like an hour.  Once it was over, we sloshed through the 2+ inches of snow and ice cubes back to the parking lot. My truck was, amazingly, fine.

#2 was a late October round that started cold (45F) and ended in a near whiteout with winds 20+ mph and temperature in the low 20's.  I boot-scooted my walk in the last few holes.  Rocky Mountain weather... love it or hate it, you must respect it .

 

[Jmuellerm57]

2 different rounds In college, one we have freezing rain throughout the round. Course had a system that automatically went off anytime lighting was within 25 miles. Got called off the course 4 times in 9 holes. 
 

2nd round the wind was blowing a constant 45 gust to 60. Two pins broke during the round. 

[Par4Par]

In 2002 in Phoenix, we went out and on the first 5 or 6 holes it was beautiful but you could see a monsoon building in the distance. By the 6th hole it was a sand storm and the winds were well above 50 mph. We were going to head in, but figured if we were going in, we might as well play our way in. By the 8th hole you could hit a Lob wedge and have it land behind you, which we played around with a couple times . Needless to say we didn't finish the front 9 and needed to wash our eyes out by the time we got in. Ahhh to be young and stupid again, lol.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

[DiscipleofPenick]

I've played winter golf numerous times, so temps in the upper 30s and trying to snow on us on and off for the whole round. Most recently, this happened last Sunday where me and @MattF were playing. I'm talking about rounds in December or January, and this year it was April. 

And I'm not one to complain about heat, but last June I played in the hottest temps I can recall. It was a tournament day, and the temps were in the upper 90s with humidity in the 80% range. This made the real feel well over 100. It was a long afternoon. I know there's plenty of AZ and FL guys where this is normal, but for Cleveland, even in the summer, this was an outlier.

[MaxEntropy]

About 10-ish years ago, I was visiting a friend in Chicago around spring break. Weather was beautiful for our Friday round, but a front rolled through that night. Saturday was brutal. I told my friend "I didn't drive 6 hours to sit on your couch. I'm game if you are." Since neither of us have ever been accused of being terribly smart, to the golf course we went. Temps were in the mid-30's and the wind was blowing hard (ponds had white caps - somewhere I have a video). Snow started falling at one point - we had to hang our heads out the sides of the cart to see where we were going from all the snow stuck to the windshield. Fortunately it didn't last long. One of the par 4's was completely into the wind. Dr, 3W, 4i (all of them were decent) and I was still short of the green. I always swore I would never do that again, but did it again with @DiscipleofPenick a year and a half ago in similar conditions.

[DiscipleofPenick]

17 minutes ago, MaxEntropy said:

About 10-ish years ago, I was visiting a friend in Chicago around spring break. Weather was beautiful for our Friday round, but a front rolled through that night. Saturday was brutal. I told my friend "I didn't drive 6 hours to sit on your couch. I'm game if you are." Since neither of us have ever been accused of being terribly smart, to the golf course we went. Temps were in the mid-30's and the wind was blowing hard (ponds had white caps - somewhere I have a video). Snow started falling at one point - we had to hang our heads out the sides of the cart to see where we were going from all the snow stuck to the windshield. Fortunately it didn't last long. One of the par 4's was completely into the wind. Dr, 3W, 4i (all of them were decent) and I was still short of the green. I always swore I would never do that again, but did it again with @DiscipleofPenick a year and a half ago in similar conditions.

That scramble at Gray Hawk where we had about 30 seconds of sun that day? Struggling to stay above 35 and 30 mph winds all day? Though I don't recall it ever snowed.

[MaxEntropy]

47 minutes ago, DiscipleofPenick said:

That scramble at Gray Hawk where we had about 30 seconds of sun that day? Struggling to stay above 35 and 30 mph winds all day? Though I don't recall it ever snowed.

It did not, but everything else was pretty close to my Chicago adventure.

[GolfSpy TCB]

I'm not sure if this counts as "bad weather" because the skies were clear.... but my home course was open year round (muni).  Central Washington is a 4 season part of the state, so I could find myself playing in 104 degree heat in the summer, and as the snow falls in the winter.  But the most severe conditions were during the winter months between snow fall accumulation so nothing on the ground but....  2 degrees, with a breeze blowing (news said the wind chill was -10.  Even with blades and a balata, it felt like hitting rocks with a fire iron.  But OH! THOSE BOUNCES off the fairway!!!  (Like bounding it down the freeway).  I was young and stupid, and paid for it with some wrist injuries to my tendons, but at the time... it was a blast.    

[Alan Scalzi]

Snow falling but wasn't sticking to the ground ( back in college) and or a very wind day last weekend. But it better than sitting at home!

[BRDIETWN]

I played in the D3 men’s preview in 2019 at PGA National and it was horrible for the first 2 rounds. It was early September so the storms were brewing and there were easily 20 mph winds with 30+ gusts. Shot 91, 84. Worst score in college but heck of a fun time.

[Shlax]

On 4/26/2023 at 11:39 AM, Birdie Cat 91 said:

4/17/23 @ Bandon Dunes, 3rd Tee Box. Hailing with 30 mph winds, gusting over 40 mph

Someone in the forum said something along the lines of: "I would play in the rain, in the wind or in the cold but never more than one of them at once" a few days ago. I agreed but I would definitely make an exception for Bandon!!!

This must have been a pretty memorable experience! Glad to hear that the weather subsided on the back nine.

Edited May 4, 2023 by Shlax
Typo

[Jim Shaw]

i played in a local tournament called "battle of the elements" it is always in October, anyway the elements were brutal, cold, wind and rain.... and the course was playing from the tips... my partner and I were standing on the 13th tee box freezing cold and wet, not happy and not wanting to be there, we manned up and finished but that was the only good takeaway...

[GolfSpy_BEN]

I’ve played a handful of times when the snow was falling sideways from the wind. But the absolute worst was the last day of a weekend golf trip at Salt Creek Golf Club in Nashville, IN. The morning started out mild and sunny. That particular trip had a Ryder cup theme and Sunday morning was the match play portion.

When we teed off it was clear, by the third hole I was 3 up and a massive thunder storm was threatening. We teed off on 4, hoping it would blow over. In the time it took to get from the tee box to the fairway, the storm seemed to double in intensity and the first, heavy drops started to fall. Lightning struck a tree off property, but close enough to get our attention. In looking toward that tree in the aftermath , one of us noticed what can only be described as a wall of water speeding across the course from the southwest. It was decided that the trip was over in that moment, we didn’t even bother to pick up the balls and drove back to the club house like hell was chasing us.

We didn’t make it. When I tell you I’ve been drier in a swimming pool. It was a long, soaked crawl of a 2 hour drive home after that. I’m not certain which was worse; that the storm stayed with us the entire drive home or that the way I was playing that morning, I might have won 10 and 8. 

[MadHatter]

I've never had the chance to play in the hail before, but I have played many a time with temperatures in the 10s and 20s. Used a pitch fix to make a little hole in the frozen ground for a tee to go in for drives. I've also been playing when monsoon like conditions hit where you can barely see 30 yards in front of you. Just make sure to get a good grip on the club and hope your ball doesn't wash away with the streams forming on the fairways.

[richk9holes]

37° in November, drizzle rain turned to hail on hole #10, was sticking to the putting surfaces on #11. I skipped 13 and 14 that played to the furthest part of the course and dropped in the 15th fairway to play out the final 3 1/2 holes.

[CP Golfer]

A hurricane at Doral in Florida

[Daniel Carrier]

Played so many times in bad weather I cannot choose one.

- october, below 40, drizzle rain, change to hail and snow. Common sideway to us, had to keep your mouth shut. Was a links style course, open to the elements (the Victorien, in Mirabel, Qc - do not exist anymore)

- summer 2004, Crowbush course, PEI. Fog came in from the sea. Couldnt see the ball at 10 yards (even in the fairway.)