The Polar Vortex and Golf
It’s -8 degrees as I write this blog and it’s not supposed to get above zero for the next 36 hours or so. A Polar Vortex, they call it. A term I’ve never heard in my 49 years on Earth, and we’ve had temperatures this cold before. This year it has not only happened once, but this is the second time. You’ve probably heard or said this before, “But it’s starting to get old”. However, there may be a bright side to all of this cold weather and it’s impact on golf.It’s only January 27 and next week the Groundhog will tell us we still have six more weeks of winter. Fitting since the Spring Equinox is March 20. So that means we may still have a long ways to go before winter’s over. More days to stay inside, which means more days of cabin fever. So my prediction is that by the time the snow melts, the grass greens up, and golf courses in the Midwest open, people will be stumbling over each other to get outdoors.
Therefore, I think golf courses will see an influx of play in April and May. It may even be bigger then any other spring. No matter the temperatures, people will just want to be outdoors. It’s a good thing our course superintendents have had the long winter to get their equipment ready and recharge the batteries. More golfers means more people to work around to get the course back in shape. But I don’t think they’ll mind, they’ll just be glad to be outdoors themselves.
I hope this prediction comes true and this cold winter doesn’t mean another hot summer like 2012. We could use a break with some normal temperatures. I know I’m looking forward to getting back out on the course.
