The last few months have been tough for golf in the UK. There’s no getting away from it. We came off the back of an incredible 2025. Long, dry spells. Firm fairways. Extended summer. It felt like we were playing links golf on parkland courses at times. Then, almost overnight, the pendulum swung the other way. This winter has been relentlessly wet. Properly wet. Mild temperatures mean golfers quite rightly want to get out and play but the reality for many courses is simple: the ground is full. The water tables are high. In some places the courses are saturated to the point where there’s just nowhere for the water to go and when that happens there’s only so much anyone can do.
This isn’t just your course.
It’s all of them.
When the System Is Full
From the outside it can sometimes look like courses are closed too often or that more could be done. I get that. Everyone just wants to play golf but when the ground reaches saturation point, you’re fighting physics. You can clear ditches, you can dredge, you can aerate, you can install drainage and we are doing all of that across Link Golf UK but if the water table is sitting high, the system is under pressure everywhere.
Our teams have been flat out:
- Clearing and re-cutting ditches
- Installing and repairing drainage
- Protecting greens and key areas
- Managing traffic
- Trying to keep as much golf going as possible
But sometimes when the water is that high you are limited.
That’s not poor greenkeeping.
That’s nature.
This Too Shall Pass
I keep coming back to a simple phrase during periods like this:
This too shall pass.
It always does.
The wet weather will move on.
The clocks will change.
The ground will warm up.
Before you know it, we’ll be watching The Masters, cleaning our clubs in the garage and talking about the season ahead.
Golf is seasonal. Every year throws something different at us. This is just one of those periods.
A Bit of Perspective
I want to be really clear this isn’t a pop at The Belfry. I absolutely love the place. I enjoy playing all three courses there, the staff are brilliant and it’s one of the best venues in the country to spend time around golf.
The Belfry has huge resources. A massive greenkeeping team. Serious investment and even there, with everything they have, nature has taken hold during this spell of weather.
So when you see conditions like that at a venue with those resources, it just reminds you how tough this winter has been across the board.
If your local course has two or three greenkeepers battling away every day and they’re struggling with the wet, it’s not for lack of effort. They’re dealing with the same conditions just with fewer hands and fewer resources.
Nature doesn’t care whether you’re a Ryder Cup venue or a municipal course. When the ground is full, it’s full.
Some Courses Cope Better Than Others
All courses are different. Some drain brilliantly. Some sit on heavy ground. Some have legacy drainage systems that are decades old.
Across Link Golf UK we see the full range.
We’re lucky that some of our sites hold up really well in winter. The front nine at Marland in Rochdale, all 18 holes at Heaton Park is always strong in wet weather. London Airlinks has also been very resilient.
But we’ve got challenges too. Everyone does.
At Stanley Park there’s a section of holes on the hospital side of the road that has struggled for years. It’s something operators have tried to manage for decades. So we’re now committing to a proper drainage project there working with contractors and our team over a three week period to improve that area properly.
It’s not a quick fix, but it’s the right thing to do long term.
That’s what this job is: constant improvement, long term thinking and a bit of patience.
It’s Been a Tough Period
From an operator’s point of view, this stretch has been difficult. The teams have worked incredibly hard. There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes just to keep courses open where possible and protect surfaces where we can’t.
But overall, I’m pleased with how our courses are holding up and more importantly I’m excited about what’s coming.
Because once spring hits, things move quickly.
Growth comes back.
Surfaces firm up.
Energy returns to the game.
And the demand for golf which never really goes away ramps up again.
The Season Is Closer Than You Think
If you’re frustrated at the moment, I understand it. Everyone just wants to get out and play.
But remember this isn’t just your course struggling. It’s the whole country.
The wet weather will pass.
The fairways will dry out.
The greens will recover.
And before long we’ll be watching Augusta, booking tee times and getting back into the rhythm of the season.
Golf season isn’t far away.