Golf at night has grown in popularity in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, largely due to its convenience. It’s safe to say that Night Golf attracts a different kind of golfer due to its great timing and unique atmosphere. Your typical night golfer values being able to come home from work, have dinner, and head out for a full game.
Today, we’ll walk you through exactly what night golf is, where you can do it, and how to make the most of your experience.
What Is Night Golf?
There are two main ways to play night golf.
The first is playing with floodlights. This is where they light the course up like a Christmas tree with stadium like lights allowing you to play the same course well into the night. This is typically done on a three par course, but is more rare due to the cost.
The second and more common way to golf at night is glow in the dark. This is where you play with glow in the dark golf balls, there’s some lighting around the hole and tee, and you’re forced to use your instincts a bit more to get the ball in the hole.
Learn to Trust Your Game Even In The Dark
When the course is dark, disorienting, and full of unknown obstacles, you have to rely on your game to get you to the hole. Gears touts the most powerful, precise, golf swing motion capture system in the world and our users are frequently awestruck by the clarity and practicality of our analytics. With our system you can not only compare your motions with a pro’s, but you can enjoy a glorious 3D rendering of every angle and speed of your body movement so you know exactly where you should be improving. You don’t have to lose 20 golf balls when you play night golf. Try gears to play your very best game!
Differences Between Night Golf and Regular Golf
Most Courses Are Short
Night golf courses are typically shorter than regular courses for obvious reasons. The expense of running so many lights doesn’t exactly justify longer play.
For night golf, you should typically expect a 3-5 hole course, 9 in rare cases.
GPS Help May Be Necessary to Gauge Distance
Your Wayfinder won’t work in the Dark. Using a GPS to read the actual distance to the hole can be helpful.
Remember everything looks different in the dark so plan accordingly.
Glow in the Dark Balls Don’t Go as Far as Your Titleist
The core construction of glow in the dark golf balls is typically poorer, so don’t expect awesome rebound and soaring flight.
In most cases glow balls fly about 30 yards less than normal balls.
Remember, you’re golfing at night. Everything will look and feel different at night so keep that in mind before you rush out there expecting to shoot birdies at every hole.
A little bit of grace and a willingness to laugh can make for a better experience. Night golfing is about socializing with friends and just having fun! Leave serious training for the daytime.
Besides a Glow Ball, What Gear do I Need?
Glow Balls
There are actually a couple different types of glow balls you can consider.
- LED Balls: These light up on impact. Just make sure you don’t miss it!
- UV Light Balls: These are powered using a UV flashlight
- Redneck Glow Balls: Go to Walmart and get a 32 pack of cheap practice balls. Get yourself a bag of glowsticks. Put 10-15 of the golf balls in a grocery back cut the glowsticks, pouring the juice over the top. Shake the bag for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy.
Glow Sticks
These are super useful for lighting up the course, putting paths, etc. They are fairly cheap, so buy as many as you’d like.
Glow Tees
Glow in the dark tees can be a good addition to your toolkit depending on how well lit the tee area is.
LED Flashlight
Just in case things get hairy, buy a small LED flashlight that your friends can hold in case you need to see something more clearly(swing, obstacles, takeoff angle, etc.)
Who Plays Night Golf?
Night Golf breeds a unique crowd. You won’t find the grouchy old golfer or the club marshal breathing down your neck–instead expect lots of drinks, groups of friends, and a whole load of fun.
Night golf has grown tremendously in popularity because of its accessibility. It’s much more convenient to golf during evening hours than calling in sick to work(though there’ll be plenty of that). The best part is you can skip the sunscreen and the heat.
Night golf is great for beginners because of its warm and forgiving atmosphere. Feel free to bring along friends, family, and significant others!
Where Can I Golf At Night?
Angel Park Golf Club, Cloud 9 Course, Las Vegas, NV
The Cloud 9 Course was one of the first night golf courses built in the world. And frankly, there’s no better place to play night golf than Vegas. Lit in part by the famous Las Vegas Strip, the 12-hole course offers par 3’s that replicate famous golf holes from around the globe.
The Lakes Course At Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta, Ciudad de Puerta Vallarta, Jalisco, México
This course is known for a stellar night golf atmosphere–but there’s a catch. Many golfers walk in with a bag of balls and out with an empty one. The player with the most balls remaining buys drinks!
Emirates Golf Club, Faldo Course, Dubai, UAE
Ever see a nighttime international tournament under the dazzling lights of the Burj Khalifa a while back? Ya, it was here.
The 7052 yard course features 18 tournament level holes 24 hours a day on the edge of the Arabian Desert.
Make no mistake, a round here can cost you a fortune, but there’s nowhere else quite like it.
Most of All, Have Fun!
If you don’t overthink it, glow in the dark fun can be a great way to get better at the game you love and make friends while doing it! Don’t get overly serious about it, like anything else you’ll get better as you go!
