It's late December and I haven't played golf in about a month. It's time to work up a game. It's a little harder getting a foursome now
since some of my golf friends refuse to
play in winter. I view these golfers as
weather wimps who have gone into golf hibernation caves. "Enjoy the bath," one wimp tells
me after declining to play with me just after the New Year's holiday. I manage to find a group that will play,
however, and the weather forecast is for a day of sunshine.
We're playing on a mountain course in Tochigi and despite
the sun, the weather isn't very enjoyable.
The cold mountain wind picks up a few times, once even blowing balls off the
green. The mountains and tall trees
bring a quick end to the warmth of the sun on several holes and by the time the
16th hole rolls around, I just want to finish and get in the bath. Surely the weather wimps would have smug smiles on their faces if
they knew what I was thinking now. And maybe
they're right. Maybe it's time for me to
go into golf hibernation as well, I
thought from the after round ofuro.
But that thought fades fairly quickly after the New Year's
golf outing. A few
weeks in the boredom of the golf hibernation cave brings back the itch to play. I get a cheap tee time for early February at one of my favorite courses, Old Orchard Golf Course in Ibaraki. This is certainly one advantage to winter golf here--about 20-30 percent cheaper tee times. This golf course is not in the mountains and we
can always cancel if the weather doesn't look so good. I keep a close eye on the weather forecast,
this time looking out for wind factors and not just cloud cover and
temperature.
The weather forecast before we play on February 7th: mostly sunny, high of 6°C (43°F), and little
wind.
Here's how it went, with a few
photos from the day:
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You could still find snow in the shadows, as here in back of
the first tee, but there was no snow on any of the playing areas.
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| You get used to the straw colored fairways. |
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No frozen tees, greens or ponds today. Quite good weather for golf, in fact. Temperature was pleasant all the way through the 18th hole.
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Maybe one of the best parts of golf in Japan--the after
round ofuro.
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Winter Golf in Tokyo: Tips for Weather Wimps
1.
Avoid the mountain course that do stay open for
winter--save them for the dog days of summer. Ditto the riverside courses, unless you have
checked and wind will not be a factor.
2.
Check the weather forecast everyday beginning a
week before playing. Cancel if the
weather looks unfavorable--most places allow you to do this without penalty. Some useful golf weather links:
The Weather Channel with 10 day, weekend and hourly forecasts in any language.
Several of the Japanese sites give you golf course specific weather details, including wind speed. Type or copy and paste the Japanese golf course name to bring up the weather data.
3.
Dress for the weather: At a minimum--long underwear, wind resistant
outerwear, knit cap/head warmer, a thermal sports glove for the hand
that doesn't normally wear a golf glove.
4. Enjoy the bath.
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