Elliott L. Dowling | Published on 11/6/2026
Originally published by USGA
If a course is firm or frozen, a handful of walking golfers playing on a winter day is unlikely to cause problems. When conditions are soft or carts get involved, the risk of damage increases significantly.
By: Elliott L. Dowling, regional director, East Region
Every year around this time, I'm asked how players should use the course during winter. Should they play to the primary greens? Should they move to temporary greens? Should the course be open at all? My response is that firm ground or completely frozen turf is generally resistant to damage from a limited number of rounds. Foot traffic on a solid, frozen green will typically not hurt it, and the effects of a limited number of rounds are unlikely to be noticeable in spring. Where courses need to be very careful is after wet winter weather or during rapid temperature swings that leave playing surfaces soft and vulnerable to damage for an extended period of time.
If you're wondering what to do with play on greens this winter, my recommendation is to do what you normally do. If you cover greens for protection, continue to do so. If you play to your normal greens all winter, keep doing so. And, if you move flags to temporary greens in the fairway, that is fine too. There really isn't a correct answer here. Some very highly regarded courses in the Northeast that I see on USGA Course Consulting Service visits play to their greens all winter with no injury, while others move to temporary greens as a precaution.
While I believe that a limited amount of walking play during winter is unlikely to cause issues, carts are a different story. They concentrate large amounts of weight and wear in a lot of the same areas, and dormant turf cannot recover from it. As with putting greens, traffic on frozen fairway and rough turf may be OK, but the risk comes during and after stretches of warm or wet weather. As the top inch or so of soil thaws while the ground below stays frozen, the surface turns soft and wet since water has nowhere to drain. This is when courses should exercise caution since every footprint or tire can damage crowns and roots.
If your course is planning to have play this winter, I would strongly encourage golfers to walk rather than taking carts, keep the rounds limited, and be careful if the ground is soft. Knowing what to expect and exercising a little patience and common sense this winter will keep the course in good shape for next spring.
Northeast Region Agronomists:
Darin Bevard, senior director, Championship Agronomy – dbevard@usga.org
Elliott L. Dowling, regional director, East Region – edowling@usga.org
Brian Gietka, agronomist – bgietka@usga.org
Information on the USGA's Course Consulting Service
Contact the Green Section Staff