When the sun sets, there is no need to pack away your golf clubs. Nowadays, night golf is an optional sport and can be a lot of fun. On certain courses, the sunset does not mean the end of golfing for the day.
What Is Night Golf?
Firstly, the lights turned on can provide a stadium-like atmosphere to the golf course. A typical 147-yard, par 3 looks and feels as if you are stepping onto the court at Madison Square Garden.
Next, using night golf courses can bring about a strong sense of competitiveness in all people playing. Teenagers can play in night golf tournaments and, despite being a highly competitive group already, will become more spirited with rivalry in the matches.
If, however, you are planning on playing a round under lights and expect to play as you do during the day you will be in for a great surprise as there are many differences. Below are three top tips to assist you so you are less surprised and enjoy time on the night golf course.
Tip #1: Trust The Numbers And The Swing
If you have ever played a sport beneath lights, particularly sports involving a ball such as baseball, soccer and football, you will understand that depth perspective is extremely different than when playing a sport during the day. To play night games correctly, you need to train your eyes to view the ball and judge different distances.
The same applies when playing night golf. A 100-yard shot can appear different to when playing golf during the day. One tool that can help with this problem is a rangefinder. However, you can also trust sprinkler heads and yard markets to help you judge distance from the hole. From there onward, you need to trust that the club selection and swing power are suitable. If you don’t have that much trust in your swing or club, this is one of the best ways to learn how using a small trial by fire.
Tip #2: Playing Controlled Night Golf
Good lessons learned when playing golf during the day are different to those during the night. For instance, a hole at Sage Valley is measured to be approximately 470 years. During the daytime, a person should use a driver or a 3-wood from the tee. For night golf, it would be better to play with a 5-iron.
Why should you use a 5-iron instead of the 3-wood?
Even when the lights are on, it is not easy to view the golf ball. The lights illuminate the fairway; however, there are specific areas in the rough and between holes that are no visible. Unless you are hitting a straight shot with your driver and are confident you won’t experience a duck hook, it is best to take safe shots where you can view the opportunities. This is also one of the safer methods. If you cannot view your ball, you can’t alert any other players if it starts heading to them. Avoid the hero shot and play controlled golf if you want to ensure everyone has fun in a safe environment.
This leads to the final tip in the article.
Tip #3: Have Fun
Regardless of whether you are playing during the day or at night, playing golf can be fun. If you are playing under lights, it is important to remember how enjoyable golf can be. Yes, you may hit a bad shot because a shadow was in the way or misjudging the distance because of light. Of course, you should remember that you are one of the luckier ones to be playing at 11 pm on a weekend night. Get yourself some led glow golf balls.
The feel, sound and sight of an expertly striped 9-iron, when illuminated by lighting, is similar to watching the finale of a Fourth of July fireworks display. Embrace the enjoyable feeling and let it fuel happiness regardless of how many perfect shots you make.
Did you want to play golf where you choose only three or four clubs for the full course? Night golf is an ideal opportunity. Instead of maintaining a stroke score, night golf involves matching a partner’s shot. You could also take the stance of a child and make the game up as you go.
