The Final Round

About the data

We analysed historical daily weather data from 2016 to 2025 to identify how many days would be deemed unplayable for golf across the UK and Europe’s most popular golf holiday destinations.

A day was deemed unplayable when the maximum daily temperature exceeded 31°C or daily precipitation exceeded 30mm, according to guidelines from the International Golf Federation² and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction³. The number of unplayable days was calculated by dividing the cumulative number of lost days by 365.

By analysing each region individually, we were able to reveal the locations that have faced the most disruption from extreme heat and rain across the United Kingdom and Europe while predicting the impact it will have over the next 15 years.

How extreme weather is impacting golf in the UK

Extreme weather is making it harder for golfers to get out on the course, and these conditions have led to the equivalent of 94 years of lost golf across the UK over the past decade.

Heavy rainfall leaves fairways waterlogged and unplayable whereas heatwaves and droughts are damaging the grass and turf. Consistently high temperatures also put players at risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

Since 2016, an estimated 34,359 of golf have been lost to extreme heat and heavy rainfall, including 34,056 due to excessive rain and a further 298 days at temperatures above 31°C.

In 2025 alone, UK golf courses lost an estimated 3,226 playable days to extreme weather, the equivalent to over eight a half years of golf.

The impact is also widespread. The average course has lost almost a month (30 days) of play each year due to hot or wet conditions. Across five UK regions, courses have each lost more than 100 playable days each year since 2016.

The UK locations to experience the most disruption

England

Across England, 16,333 days were deemed unplayable due to high temperatures and heavy rainfall over the past decade, amounting to over 44 years. The average English golf course has been losing 32 days each year to weather-related disruption over the past decade.

In Cumbria, this figure was notably higher, with over a third (36%) of days in the calendar year (132) deemed unplayable annually.

Neighbouring Lancashire was the second most impacted, losing a forecasted 124 days each year to extreme weather. This is followed by Devon, where, on average, 105 days have been deemed unplayable each year since 2016.

Scotland

Scottish courses are estimated to have lost 12,626 days, the same as over 34 years' worth of playable days since 2016, with the average course having 30 days per year considered not playable.

Courses and players within the Argyll in Strathclyde region have been the most affected, with 121 days each year considered unplayable. The Ross and Cromarty region is the second most disrupted, losing an average of 102 days annually. Perthshire in Tayside region, which loses 91 days each year, is the third most susceptible to extreme weather.

Wales

Wales, which has 180 golf courses across its 170 miles, has seen 3,512 days of disruption over the past decade, with rain predominantly causing the loss of almost 12 years of play.

Heavy rainfall contributed to 3,500 unplayable days in Wales, with just 12 days lost due to temperatures reaching 31°C or above.

Courses and golfers in Gwynedd have suffered the most weather-related disruption, losing an average of 676 days (18.5%) since 2016. The Powys region follows this with Powys North having lost 604 days and Powys South 384 days, the second and third-highest.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, golf courses and players have lost 1,888 days exclusively to extreme rainfall over the last 10 years.

Tyrone has faced the most unplayable days, losing an average of 64 days annually to heavy rain. This is followed by Down, which has lost 46 days and Fermanagh, where 36 days are lost each year.

The effects of extreme weather on golf in Europe

Golf holidays are in high demand, with more than 940,000 UK Google searches for ‘golf holiday’ between January and June this year⁴. Yet extreme weather could be putting golf getaways at risk, as golfclubs4cash found that 16,793 days of play have been lost across some of Europe’s most popular golf holiday destinations.

The 10 popular locations to suffer the most disruption since 2016:

Turkey

Serik in Turkey, which has had over 60,000 UK Google searches for golf holidays this year, has experienced the most disruption. An average of 122 days each year are considered unplayable due to extreme heat and wet weather, equating to 39% of days in a calendar year.

A further two popular Turkish destinations have lost over 100 days each year, with Belek and Antalya seeing 108 days lost to a mixture of extreme heat and wet weather.

Spain

In Spain, Seville has suffered the most notable weather-related disruption, amid 63,800 searches for golf holidays for the Southern Spanish city so far this year. A forecasted 115 days were lost each year, predominantly due to extreme heat.

14 of 25 locations analysed in Spain have seen at least one month's worth of play deemed as unplayable each year since 2016. Murcia, Granada, and Rioja have all lost 80 or more days on average.

Portugal

Portugal, which is incredibly popular for golf holidays and has had over 136,000 searches so far this year, has seen minimal disruption. Although heatwaves have been more frequent over the past couple of years, just 1,289 days have been lost over the last decade at its most popular golf tourist spots.

Across nine commonly visited golfing holiday locations. Lagos (27 days), Lisbon (25 days), and the Algarve (21 days) are the three most affected per-year, despite weather-related disruption being minimal.

Where is extreme weather forecast to impact golfers the most in the future

As temperatures continue to rise and weather patterns become more volatile, disruption is unfortunately set to become even more frequent. But where will be impacted the most?

In the short-term, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire are facing significant disruption. Both locations could see high temperatures and heavy rainfall wiping out an additional month of play (31 days) in 2030.

In 2040, 13 locations are expected to lose at least one additional month of play compared with 2025. Overall, UK courses are forecasted to face a 17.7% increase in days lost to extreme weather, losing 570 more days. In 2040, 3,796 days are due to be lost versus 3,226 days in 2025.

Forecasted number of days lost to extreme heat and heavy rainfall in UK:

Courses and players in Scotland’s Lanarkshire county will experience the most notable change, as they lose an additional 67 days compared to 2025—the equivalent of over two months.

The UK locations forecast to see the biggest increase in days lost in 2040:

A similar pattern is forecast across Europe’s most popular golf holiday destinations, where the number of unplayable days in 2040 is forecasted to rise by 35.2% compared to 2025.

Forecasted number of days lost to extreme heat and heavy rainfall across popular European golfing destinations:

Among Europe’s most popular golf holiday destinations, the three locations forecast to experience the biggest increase in days lost to extreme weather in 2040 are all in Spain, a destination that has received 64,820 UK Google searches about visiting for a golf holiday this year.

Across Spain’s 25 most popular golf holiday destinations, 1,832 days are expected to be unplayable in 2040, an increase of 441 days, or over a year’s worth of disruption compared with 2025.

In Turkey, 845 days are forecast to be lost across eight popular destinations, an increase of 288 days, the equivalent of almost 10 months.

The popular European locations forecast to see the biggest increase in days lost in 2040:

By 2040, changing weather patterns could reshape when and where we play. Early-morning and late-evening tee times may become the new normal, particularly abroad during the summer months, as daytime temperatures can be unsafe.

Where we play may need to change, too, with golfers seeking destinations less affected by extreme weather. Ireland, with its 400+ courses, for example, could become an even more attractive option. Just 279 days since 2016 have been lost to extreme heat and rainfall across its most popular golfing locations, with only 77 days forecast to be lost in 2040.

Portugal could also remain a popular choice. Although the Algarve is likely to see an extra month of play (36 days) lost to unplayable weather conditions in 2040, just 194 days are expected to be lost across the nine locations analysed.

Major tournaments and events could also be impacted. This year’s Open at Royal Birkdale was unusually dry following a prolonged heatwave and lack of rainfall, leaving greens across the famous Southport course resembling a desert.

That backdrop could become even more common, including for the 2035 Ryder Cup, which Bolton in Greater Manchester is bidding to host.

Only five English locations have experienced more unplayable days than Greater Manchester. Over the past 10 years, its courses and players have lost 19.67% of playable days to extreme weather. By 2035, Bolton is forecast to lose 68 days of play—an increase of nine days compared to 2025.

The impact of increasingly extreme weather on your equipment

This weather will also require golf equipment to be given greater care and attention. High temperatures can warp the glue that holds the clubheads, grips, and shafts together, impacting your game in the short term and resale value in the long term. Graphite-shafted irons and clubs are especially vulnerable.

Heavy rain can also damage your clubs. Dampness in golf bags can impact clubheads and shafts, as moisture can cause rust and rot. This sort of damage can heavily impact the resale value of golf clubs.

According to our predictions, extreme weather is here to stay, and ultimately golf must be ready to adapt.

Methodology and sources

Golfclubs4cash analysed historical weather data for regions across the United Kingdom via (UK MIDAS) and Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Turkey (via Open-Meteo) over the past 10 years (2016-2025) to assess how climate change could impact golf playability.

Using daily weather records from the last 10 years, we identified the number of days each year where conditions were considered unsuitable for golf, based on either of the following thresholds: Maximum daily temperature exceeding 31°C, or daily precipitation exceeding 30mm, based on health recommendations from the International Golf Federation Extreme Heat Guidelines and MeteoSwiss’ definition of 10-30mm of rain per-24 hours as heavy rain with occasions thunder, as-per the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

These thresholds were selected to represent weather conditions likely to make a round of golf unplayable. Using the historical dataset, we modelled long-term trends and forecasted the projected number of unplayable golf days for 2030, 2035, and 2040, allowing us to estimate how changing weather patterns may affect golf destinations over time. Forecasts were rounded to the nearest whole number.

For the United Kingdom, the methodology comprises 115 regional locations. In Scotland, where local government has led to some regional re-organisation, for the purpose of geographical consistency historic regional subdivisions were retained. The same methodology was applied to Wales, excluding weather data for Dyfed and Clwyd, where data for Flintshire, Denbighshire, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion were individually available.

Estimated figures for months lost are based on the average month being 30.44 days, and for years lost based on each year having 365 days.

For golf courses in Spain, Portugal and Turkey, only places that had three or more golf courses (as per GolfInSpain, 1golfEU, PortugalLive and GolfLists) were analysed. Travel search data relates to the number of google searches for ‘[INSERT LOCATION] golf holidays]’ via keywordtool.io for January-June 2026.