How to Play Night Golf

Playing golf after the sun goes down is a completely different game, but it's an incredible experience you won't soon forget. Swinging under the stars, watching a glowing ball arc through the pitch-black sky, is a unique thrill that adds a whole new dimension to the sport. This guide is your complete roadmap to playing night golf successfully, covering the essential gear you'll need, the strategic adjustments you must make, and the on-course tips to keep you safe and playing well.

Gear Up for the Glow: Your Night Golf Essentials

You can't just show up to the course after dark and expect to play. Night golf requires a specific set of equipment to light up the game. Getting this part right is the first step toward a fun and successful round. Here’s exactly what you and your group will need to bring.

Glow-in-the-Dark Golf Balls

This is非-negotiable. Standard white golf balls disappear the second they leave the clubface. You have two primary options for glowing golf balls, each with its own pros and cons:

• LED Golf Balls: These balls contain a small battery and LED light that activate upon impact. They are incredibly bright, often staying lit for 8-10 minutes, making them almost impossible to lose. The downside is they tend to feel harder off the clubface and may fly a bit shorter and with a different trajectory than your usual gamer ball. They are fantastic for casual fun rounds where scoring isn't the main objective.
• UV-Charged Golf Balls: These look and feel much more like a regular golf ball. They have a special phosphorescent coating that absorbs light from a UV flashlight and then glows brightly for several minutes. They offer superior feel and performance, closely mimicking a standard ball's flight. The trade-off is that you need to "charge" them with a UV light before every shot, and their glow, while initially brilliant, will fade faster than an LED ball's.

Coach's Tip: If you're a serious player who cares about feel and performance, go with the UV-charged balls. If you're out for a social event focused on maximum fun and visibility, the LED balls are a perfect choice.

Lighting Your Way

You need to see more than just your ball. A personal light source is mandatory for navigating the course safely and finding your gear. Everyone in your group should have at least one of these:

• UV Flashlight: If you're using UV-charged balls, a powerful UV flashlight is essential. You'll use it to blast your ball with light on the tee and before subsequent shots to ensure it's intensely bright. It also has the cool side-effect of making anything white, like tee markers or your golf shirt, pop in the darkness.
• Headlamp or Standard Flashlight: This is for general navigation. A headlamp is particularly useful because it keeps your hands free to carry clubs or drive the cart. Use it to read the ground for your stance, find your bag in the cart, watch where you’re walking, and avoid unseen hazards like sprinkler heads or uneven terrain.

Marking an "X" on the Course

Knowing where your ball is going is just as important as knowing where it came from. Before you tee off, your group should spend a few minutes lighting up key targets on the course. This will turn a confusing black hole into a playable and enjoyable environment.

Get a pack of cheap glow sticks or specialized golf course markers. Use them to create a visual map of the hole:

• The Flagstick: Tape two or three glow sticks vertically to the pin. This gives you a clear target for your approach shots and putts.
• Tee Markers: Place glow sticks at your teeing area so everyone knows where to hit from.
• Aiming Points & Hazards: If there's a bunker guarding the green or a dogleg, consider tossing a glow stick (or a different-colored one) to mark its location. Placing one at the 150-yard mark on par 4s and 5s provides a vital yardage reference.

Personal Comfort and Prep

Finally, a few personal items can make the difference between a great night and a miserable one.

• Bug Spray: When the sun goes down, the mosquitos and other bugs come out to play. Be liberal with your application of insect repellent.
• Extra Layers: Even on a warm day, temperatures can drop significantly after sunset. Bring a long-sleeve shirt or a light jacket to stay comfortable through the entire round.
• Water and Snacks: The clubhouse will likely be closed. Bring your own drinks and snacks to keep your energy up.

Rethinking Your Strategy: Course Management After Dark

Playing golf at night isn't just a physical adjustment, it's a mental one. Your depth perception is compromised, the air behaves differently, and your normal strategies may not apply. The best night golfers are the ones who simplify their approach and play smart, conservative golf.

Clubbing Up Is Your New Best Friend

When the sun sets, the air becomes cooler and denser. Cold, dense air creates more drag on a golf ball, meaning it won’t fly as far as it does during the daytime. Furthermore, it's psychologically harder to make a full, committed swing when you're hitting into a dark abyss. For these two reasons, you should almost always take more club.

Coach's Tip: As a general rule, take at least one extra club for every approach shot. If you would normally hit a 7-iron from 150 yards, take a 6-iron. This will allow you to make a smoother, more controlled swing and still have enough power to reach the target. Taking more club is the single best adjustment you can make at night.

Simplify Your Swing

Night golf is not the time to be practicing that high, feathery cut or a hard-drawing hook. Your ability to visualize complex shot shapes is severely limited in the dark. The goal shouldn’t be perfection, it should be solid contact.

Focus on a simple, repeatable motion. Think about a smooth tempo and good balance above all else. Shorten your backswing to about a three-quarter length. This will improve your chances of hitting the center of the clubface and a straight shot. A ball that's on the ground 20 yards short of the green is infinitely better than one that's lost in the dark woods to the right.

Recalibrate Your Expectations

Let's be honest: you're probably not going to shoot your personal best score during a round of night golf. And that's completely okay. The purpose of playing in the dark is to experience the game in a totally new way, enjoy the company, and watch those glowing orbs fly.

Shift your focus from score to enjoyment. Laugh at weird bounces. Celebrate every time you find your ball. A "win" in night golf is seeing your shot sail toward the glowing pin, regardless of the number you write on the scorecard. Embracing this mindset will relieve pressure and allow you to have a much better time.

On-Course Execution: Practical Tips for Playing in the Dark

With the right gear and a new strategy, you're ready to hit the course. Here are some practical tips for handling specific shots during your round.

The Tee Shot: Launching Into the Void

Standing on the first tee in the dark can be intimidating. The fairway disappears into a black canvas. The key is to trust your setup and focus on a small, visible target instead of the unseen landing area. Aim for a spot on the ground a few feet in front of your ball that is on the correct line. Again, favor a smooth, balanced swing over brute power. A ball in play is a massive accomplishment on every tee shot.

Approach Shots and Judging Distance

This is arguably the most difficult part of night golf. Your depth perception is a fraction of what it is during the day. This is where your pre-round prep pays off. You'll rely on those glowing markers you placed. Trust the yardage to the 150-yard market, trust your "club up" strategy, and commit to the shot. Don’t second-guess yourself. Pick your club, make a confident swing toward the glowing flagstick, and hope for the best.

The Short Game: Finding Your Touch in the Shadows

Chipping and putting can be surprisingly manageable. Around the green, the glowing flagstick provides a fantastic reference point. For putting, you can often see the contours reasonably well as you get closer to the illuminated hole. Chipping, however, is still tricky. My advice is to stick with the most basic shot you can: a simple bump-and-run with a less lofty club whenever possible. This takes the guesswork out of judging carry distance in the dark and relies more on a simple, repeatable ground stroke.

Staying Safe and Keeping Pace

Safety is a top priority. Always know where the other members of your group are before you swing. Keep your flashlight on when walking to give others a sense of your location. Stick to the cart paths whenever possible to avoid twisting an ankle in an unseen divot hole or stumbling over tree roots. Finally, keep up the pace. Searching for balls can take time, so be efficient with your pre-shot routine and be ready to hit when it's your turn.

Final Thoughts

In the end, night golf is a fantastic break from the norm. It challenges you to rely on feel, trust your swing in a new way, and focus less on a perfect score and more on the pure enjoyment and novelty of the experience. With the right gear and a conservative mindset, it’s an adventure every golfer should try.

While the fun of night golf comes from simplifying your strategy, daytime golf often presents more complex questions and decisions. For those rounds, when you're looking for an expert opinion on a tough lie, trying to pick the right club, or determining the best strategy for a tricky par 4, we built an AI coach to help. Caddie AI gives you a personal, on-demand golf expert in your pocket, helping you navigate any situation with confidence and play smarter, more enjoyable golf – day or night.