Debate: Can You Ever Enjoy Playing Golf In The Rain?

Some say a bad day on the golf course is better than a good day in the office, but does that statement still apply when the rain is falling and the conditions are far from ideal?

Can you truly enjoy the game if your umbrella is working overtime, your golf bag is packed with waterproofs and standing water is appearing on fairways and greens?

The answer will depend on your outlook and disposition. Some will answer with a categoric 'no', while others will maintain there's always joy to be found – in some shape or form – on the course.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject, so leave a comment in the box below the article. Now, over to our two writers, who have differing viewpoints on the debate...

Yes - says Fergus Bisset

Fergus Bisset

Fergus Bisset is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the north-east of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. 

The lowest medal score I’ve ever posted at my home club was played in persistent rain. It was a Wednesday competition towards the end of the 2007 season. I played brilliantly and putted like a god. I narrowly missed a putt on the final green to match the course record.

I enjoyed that round… a lot. So, yes, I can enjoy playing golf in the rain. It all depends on mindset. If you approach a rainy day on the course as a chore, you will find it to be a chore. If you approach it as a challenge, you may find it hugely rewarding.

Battling the elements and not being beaten by them is one of the great feelings in golf, as far as I’m concerned. Posting a decent score when the weather is against you is far more of an achievement than cruising round in a low number in warm, clear conditions.

I enjoy preparing myself to beat the rain. I, like many golfers, have a very fancy waterproof suit that cost quite a bit of money. I like to make use of it.

I also have a windproof umbrella, an umbrella holder on my trolley, an exceptionally good rain glove that becomes grippier the wetter it gets, a bag with waterproof zips and Gore Tex shoes that keep my feet dry in even the worst deluges.

Living in this country, if I didn’t play golf in the rain, I’d play a good deal less often. British golfers must learn to enjoy playing in the rain.

A friend of mine once made a great observation when we were hillwalking in miserable weather. “It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun,” he said. It’s so true. If the course is open, I will play and, one way or another, it will be fun.

No – says Jeremy Ellwood

Jeremy Ellwood

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002, when he started out as equipment editor. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf and a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings. He has played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries.

To make sure I wasn’t being too harsh in my opinion here, I checked a couple of dictionary definitions for “enjoy”. The Cambridge Dictionary told me it was “to feel happy because of doing or experiencing something”, while Merriam-Webster put it more succinctly: “to have a good time”.

I then reflected on my experiences of playing golf in the rain over the years. I’m struggling to think of one instance where either definition accurately describes the mood I’ve been in as I’ve trudged round in the wet, watching clubs slip from my grasp, my ball go absolutely nowhere and anything and everything that I have with me being utterly drenched by the time I squelch off four hours later looking like a drowned rat.

I have all the bad-weather gear you can shake a stick at, so that isn’t the problem. The problem is that nothing I have experienced while playing in such conditions has ever made me want to sit in the bar afterwards with my playing companions and say, “Do you know what – I really enjoyed it out there today.”

Yes, I’ve occasionally gritted out a decent score in the face of such meteorological adversity and there has undoubtedly been a real sense of satisfaction in that. But enjoy? That would be stretching it a bit.

Sometimes you have to do it, as it would be poor form to drop out of a competition (with a last-minute back injury) when Michael Fish’s modern-day counterpart points to a distinctly gloomy weather chart. But I’d never now choose to play golf if I knew I was going to get soaked, which tells me there is little, if any, enjoyment to be found in such activity.