Waking up to the sound of rain when you have a tee time later can feel like a direct shot at your happiness, but it doesn't have to be a round-ruiner. In fact, playing a course the day after it rains can be a unique and rewarding experience if you know how to prepare for it. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from checking course conditions and packing the right gear to adjusting your on-course strategy for soft, wet turf.
Before you even load up your car, the first step is to confirm the course is actually open and playable. A light sprinkle is one thing, a torrential downpour that floods the fairways is another. Most courses have a system for updating players on their status after heavy rain.
Here’s your pre-round checklist:
If the course is open but warns of "wet conditions," get ready to adapt. Your normal game plan will need a few adjustments.
Playing on a soft, post-rain course isn't about shooting a career-low round, it's about accepting the conditions and playing smart. If you go in expecting perfectly dry fairways and fast greens, you’re setting yourself up for frustration. Go in with the right mindset, and you can still have a blast.
Here’s the reality of a soft course:
Accept this new reality before you even step on the first tee. You’ll feel much more relaxed and be in a better position to play smart, situational golf.
Your gear setup can make or break a post-rain round. Being comfortable, dry, and prepared gives you a massive mental edge. Packing a few extra items will take you from miserable to masterpiece.
When the ground is soft, your ball is going to pick up mud. A significant glob of mud on one side of the ball will cause it to fly unpredictably - usually ducking in the opposite direction of the mud. To account for this, most courses will implement "winter rules" or "preferred lies."
This local rule allows you to lift your ball, clean it with a towel, and place it back on the ground, typically within one scorecard-length or one-club length of its original spot, no closer to the hole. The rule only applies to balls in the fairway (or parts of the course that are "closely-mown"). You cannot lift, clean, and place from the rough or a bunker.
Before you tee off, confirm with the pro shop or the starter if preferred lies are in effect. Playing by this rule not only helps your score, it makes the game more enjoyable by removing the element of pure luck that comes with a mud ball.
This is where the rubber meets the road - or rather, where the club meets the wet turf. Simply playing your normal game won't work. Making intelligent adjustments to your strategy and shot selection will help you score better and have more fun.
Since you’ll get zero rollout, your carry distance is all that matters. This might mean taking an extra club off the tee. If you normally hit a 3-wood on a tight par-4, consider hitting driver to ensure you have enough distance to carry the fairway bunkers or get to a comfortable yardage for your approach.
The number one mistake golfers make in wet conditions is hitting the ball fat. Wet soil and damp grass will grab your clubhead if you make contact with the turf before the ball. This completely kills your power and results in a shot that comes up miserably short.
The soft turf around the greens can be your friend or your enemy. While you can throw darts at the pin with full shots, short game shots can be tricky. The wet grass will grab the leading edge of your wedge and slow down any shot that isn’t struck perfectly.
Wet sand is nothing like dry, fluffy sand. It’s compact, heavy, and plays more like firm dirt. Traditional bunker technique - using an open face to splash large amounts of sand onto the green - will not work.
If there’s one certainty, it’s that wet greens will be slow. Water on the surface and in the grass creates more friction and requires more force to get the ball to the hole. Be aggressive. Your number one goal should be to get the ball past the hole. Short putts don’t go in.
Playing a soft course comes with responsibility. You're a guest, and it’s important to minimize your impact so the course can recover quickly.
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