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

[Daniel Carrier]

9 hours ago, GolfSpy TCB said:

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.    

For sure, you are ready for Canadian golf. We love those bounces off the fairways! 

[Randall Robbins]

Butler National during severe thunderstorms with tornadoes in the area.

[MajorCavalry]

My foursome went to Ireland for a golf week.  Played some memorable courses including Tralee, Ballybunion, Waterville and Old Head.  Our itinerary did not allow for rescheduling.

We arrived at Old Head on a cloudy, rainy day.  This beautiful course sits on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic ocean with 300 ft cliffs surrounding the border. As we started the round the rain and wind picked up.  30-40mph winds with sideways rain.  Full head to toe rain gear did nothing to keep us from getting soaked.  The wind was so fierce that I could not get a stable stance over the ball and my glasses, aside from being pelted with rain, were being blown off my face.  Some of the tee boxes were closed due to fear we would be swept off the cliffs.

We went back into the clubhouse after the front nine to warm up and get a coffee.  No worries about losing our place on the back.  The bartender could not believe we were out playing in this weather.  She decided I needed a bit of Jamisons in my coffee.

Worst, most fun, best stories round of golf I have ever played.  Wouldn't do it again!

[Tom Hall Jr]

I remember playing a Elon College Division 3 golf match in Greensboro,N.C. and when we started the temperature was 36 degrees and the wind cut right through you. By the 5th hole the snow began to fall and the saving grace was 3 of us had hand warmers so you could hold the club and putt. I shot 78 and we won the match against 3 other schools. Th Coach took us to a restaurant for the victory and that made it worth it that day. Being from Greensboro I was used to the cold weather golf and we would swap the hand warmers back and forth so everyone could play that day.  At homecoming we still laugh about that day and the Victory. I am sure lots of College golfers have bad weather stories as well.     

[Woodrow72]

Well there have been three times that tie for the worst , two on super bowl Sunday , had a group when we were young that were determined to play at least 9 holes on super Sunday in Cbus Ohio , first year it started snow / freezing rain 2 holes in , by the end of 6 holes there was 6 inches of stuff on the ground , move the snow out the path and putt it , the next Super Sunday it was -6° with a 12-15 mph wind and we managed to get 9 holes in , brutal , the third was the Thursday prior to Mother’s Day ( Ohio again ) , playing a mandatory 2 man match play round so the only day to do it was Thursday prior . It was 42° , raining sideways and we were matched against a plus 3 hdcp, and a scratch both in their 20’s , my partner and I were low double digits and he was in his 60’s and I in my 50’s , needless to say being down 7 at the turn , no relief in rain and temp dropped to 39° , we decided that they were the winners and pulled the plug after 9 , the only time I ever stopped mid round 

[ZackS]

I had to play a tournament round in a rain that was hard enough where despite the foot joy rain gear I had on I was soaked after 5 holes. One of of the holes on the back 9 the whole fairway was standing water. So despite a perfect drive, I had to go drop in the rough. 

[MadMex]

Williams AFB AZ, in the 80’s, 115 in the shade.

Torrejon AB, Spain , about 45 degrees, 20 mph gusts and torrential rain, but the flowing sangria kept us warm.

[HeathS16]

First competitive individual tournament last year: 109 degrees in the morning with 30 mph winds. The round took 5 hours and by the end it was raining and still 100 degrees

[Shinnman]

Pinehurst #4 March 2022.  Torrential downpour once we hit the 10th tee.  Caddie told us to get our rain gear on as he was monitoring the weather and 3 min after rain gear was on the heavens opened up.  It kind of felt like the priest in caddyshack.  Greens had “rivers” running thru them, cups were full of water, and “ponds” on fairway due to inability to drain fast enough.  We finished the back as there was no reason not to, but every club grip was soaked and needed to be dried out in the hotel room overnight for 36 the next day.  

[buckpillar]

The worst weather that I have played in was at Nemacolin Woodlands in Farmington Pa, It was snowing with thunder and occasional lighting.

[Thin2win]

I worked at a ski resort in Colorado,  and we did an Employee fundraiser every year after the lifts closed for the winter.  The holes were hula hoops painted orange,  the 9 hole course was laid out over the beginner area and the base area. It was a 9i event only. And given that the course was literally 3' deep snow you had to dig to find each shot.  Played that 1 year in 14°f and snowing. But was dressed for it,  and it was always fun.

[ctg44]

I played when it was 38 degrees, misting, and had winds out of the north at about 25 miles per hour.  I wore a "dryfit" style beanie that didn't absorb water and regulated heat to keep my hot-headed self from sweating, several loose layers on both top and bottom (including silk long underwear, a serious game changer for staying warm without sweating I learned when working overseas), and rain pants on the bottom.  I walked and carried my clubs and put my hands in my windbreaker jacket pockets to keep the winter gloves I was wearing dry and warm with a couple of hand warmers in each pocket.   Finished in under 2 1/2 hours being alone on the course and it was amazing because that course is a lot easier when the wind blows from the north hard.

[Stuka44]

It's hard to tell but this was a day of pretty high winds, it was around 28 degrees, and on hole # 6, the snow flurries started(its hard to tell the flakes are coming down in the photo).  I have to say though this photo was taken just after I holed out for 2 on a short par 4 from about 70 yards, so it was well worth battling the elements that day.  My brother and I play often in these types of conditions in N/E Ohio.   It's either that or sit home and don't play for 4-6 months!

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2023 by Stuka44

[Fred Mitchell]

Not anyones worst ever but recently played a scramble and while on 15th green a monsoon started the far off lightning came galloping in close, nearly no time between seeing and hearing the lightning. We were asked it was up to us, 1 of the guys was ex army and I was ex navy neither would be 1st to quit so here we go fighting our way through the last 3 holes. Proof of reason women live longer than men.

[bens197]

When you’re playing D2 golf in Syracuse / NE region of the US in a fall & spring season, you learn to play in elements.  

Spring season began in mid-March and if it was above 40* we were loving life.  Fall wasn’t often a very cold season but the rain was what made life fun.  

 

Worst? I remember in 2002 opening up our season in Binghamton with a local rule that said any ball landing on a snow pile regardless of being in the rough was free relief no closer.  True story.

[KC Golf]

55 minutes ago, bens197 said:

Worst? I remember in 2002 opening up our season in Binghamton with a local rule that said any ball landing on a snow pile regardless of being in the rough was free relief no closer.  True story.

Sounds like a perfect rule for 5-7 months of year in many parts of Canada.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Most of the worst weather I have been in was wind related. That's one thing, but earlier this year I played and it started to snow. It was cold... Windy but what was crazy is in an effort to play fast I didn't have my putter cover on and hit a putt which felt awful and after looked at the putter face but it was covered in ice.

[RockerFCC]

Living in Illinois, if you want to play in the late fall it can get pretty cold. Last year I was playing in the low 40's and while it was cold, I was doing fine till it started "sprinkling", which is to say a mix. On the back, midway through, so just gutted it out, but it got pretty cold, especially the hands. Good times. 

Edited August 5, 2023 by RockerFCC

[Big moose]

We were playing the Legends of Massillon in the middle of May it was 41 degrees and it started to sleet on us. It got so bad we could hardly putt because the sleet piling up on the greens. We played Fowlers mills the next day and the starter said they had to stop play because they had an inch of sleet on the greens.

[PrismFlopper]

Worst ever was my Sunapee Golf Course… in early october. Woke up and it was a brisk like 40 degrees but bearable. Walked up to the first tee box and it had dropped to 32 degrees with a 20 moh wind and 30 gusts. It rained, snowed, hailed, and sunny, all in one round. I was ready to quit by the third hole. Only thing that kept me going was the fact my friends father in law paid like 200$ a person to play and i didnt want to waste his money. Think i went through a case of balls cause if it didnt land in the fairway or I couldnt see where it was laying I just hit another. Score card wasnt even a thought during that round

[funkyjudge]

The absolute worst was sleet freezing rain and 20+ MPH winds last year in one of my Winter Golf Tour events.  The starting field was 91 golfers, but less than 20 golfers, myself included, finished the 18 holes.

Very close behind that was the rain blowing off the Irish Sea with wind gusts up to 40 MPH last July at Turnberry's Ailsa Course on Scotland's Ayrshire Coast.

[KC Golf]

11 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Most of the worst weather I have been in was wind related. That's one thing, but earlier this year I played and it started to snow. It was cold... Windy but what was crazy is in an effort to play fast I didn't have my putter cover on and hit a putt which felt awful and after looked at the putter face but it was covered in ice.

A couple of years ago it wasn’t that cold when we started (at least for Canadians) but it started snowing at the turn.  It was melting for a few holes.  It was 2 inches on the green by the 10th so it was impossible to putt or find your ball if you didn’t see it land.  None of us had coloured balls, so we reluctantly gave up!  

Sad to say, I played in worse weather… Rain and Wind…

[APFA2315]

Pic doesn’t quite do it justice - was heavy, wet snow and I was in a sweatshirt + vest. Technically the “worst”, but it was a great time. 
 

Edit: worst weather without a picture was 25*F to start the round with 30-40 mph winds. Lasted about four holes. 

Edited August 6, 2023 by APFA2315

[Caddie1966]

My wife and I played Brackenridge Park in San Antonio TX December 30 in 2012.  Brackenridge was the home of the Texas Open in the 30s, 40s and 50s.  It was the first course in Texas and was designed/built by Tillinghast in 1916.  Byron Nelson won there.  Mike Souchak shot -27 in 1955 and that record for low 72 was not beaten on tour until 2001.  

We played in a scramble hosted by Valero Corporation for their guests at the Alamo Bowl game that night. 2 foursomes per hole.   Shotgun start at 8a.m.  It was 27 degrees and winds were 15-20.  Windchill was in the low teens. It seemed tee shots wouldn’t fly over 200 that day as the balls would not compress.   We played the last 3 holes while snow was coming down..  We finished but about 2/3 of the field did not. Our group tied for 1st at -2.  I don’t remember any other scramble I played that had a winning score of at least -14.   At about 3 p.m. the temps got to the mid 30s.  I think we warmed up about January 5th or 6th.  

[KC Golf]

14 hours ago, APFA2315 said:

Pic doesn’t quite do it justice - was heavy, wet snow and I was in a sweatshirt + vest. Technically the “worst”, but it was a great time. 
 

Edit: worst weather without a picture was 25*F to start the round with 30-40 mph winds. Lasted about four holes. 

Pictures of cold and miserable days never seem to give it justice on of how cold, miserable and wet you are!

[feralhog]

Scariest weather:  Fayetteville, AR On hole 17 a thunderstorm rolled in and lightning started striking very close with sideways rain.  We finished the round playing the fastest ready golf you can imagine.  Would not do that again.

Worst cold weather:  30 degrees with 30 mph winds and snowing at Paiute Wolf course.  Naturally the day after playing a LV muni it was 75 and wonderful.

Worst hot weather:  Dallas, TX mid afternoon round, no tree shade, 117 real feel.  Humidity was in the 60% range.  Felt like we were playing with a wet blanket around us at all times.  We now refuse to start rounds in the summer after 9 am.

[tchat07]

Was not playing in it but was actually coaching in it. 20 to 30 mph winds. Temperatures at a high of 40 degrees. Precipitation mix of snow, freezing rain. Easily one of most uncomfortable sporting experiences I've ever had and for reference working football game back in college had the water freeze in the coolers haha

[GaDawg]

Went to Scotland in 2009 and on our last golfing round we played Gleneagles. The weather was nice at the start of the round, but within 4 1/2 hours we had rain blowing sideways, wind blowing up to 40 mph, the temp went from 55F down to 35F while all the rain and wind was blowing. Additionally, it went from sunny to clouds during the round. The Championship course played the hardest I have ever been on, it was miserable golf on a beautiful golf course.

[Cagolfer]

Played in a Tournament last Oct.  It started to rain so hard the course was flash flooding.  A tree we were driving past as we drove back to the clubhouse got struck by lightning.  Scary. 

[Beardown33]

I think my worst weather on the golf course was a heavy monsoon storm in northern Arizona. The storm was brewing throughout the round and it finally let loose on the 16th hole. We waited in the club house for over an hour waiting for the rain to stop. I believe the course got 4” in a little over an hour. We didn’t finish the round. Haha