Was that not the longest January ever?
It certainly felt like it, didn’t it?
I managed to get out and play 13 holes during the week, but my full round count for January 2026 is one round and after having my first lesson of the year on Friday and chatting to my pro it got me thinking – is this a good or bad thing?
I’ll tell you my thoughts and reasoning in a second.
Just How Bad Was January For Golfers?
I did have to use the Golfshake tracking system and here is one of the great benefits of tracking rounds via Golfshake.
Just for pure curiosity, I wanted to check just how ‘bad’ January 2026 had been for playing golf. How does January 2026 compare to years gone by? How does my one measly round of golf compare?
Well, this is where Golfshake comes in really handy – just one of the ways, obviously.
Using the Analyse > Yearly Reports > 5 Year Analysis section, I can see that during January 2025 I actually played golf eight times.
2024, it was seven times, likewise in 2023, while I played on eight occasions in 2022.
So quick in my head maths tells me that over the previous four years, I have averaged 7.5 rounds of golf in January. How could this possibly be a good thing?
Allow me to dig deeper.
Why Playing Less Golf in Winter Might Not Be a Bad Thing
My stats would also suggest to me – and not to my surprise – that I don’t play my best golf during the winter months. In fact, far from it. Not that I am not able to ‘go low’ in winter, in fact much the opposite. But my bad rounds are a LOT worse than what a bad round would look like in the summer.
And I get it, wet conditions, greens not as smooth and quick, bad lies, wet bunkers – you know the drill here.
I remember specifically, last year I wasn’t enjoying my golf during the winter months. By the time April/May came around I found I was already in a bit of a rut with this beautiful game, and it really hindered my performance. Especially when competition came around. Then you try harder, lose faith, double guess yourself and a few other things and before I knew it, my index went up far higher than I would have wanted it to and if truth be told, I got a bit lost.
This year feels different.
Yes, I miss being outside, yes I miss the fresh air and exercise, yes I miss making birdies, but deep down I know that I have faith and trust in what I am working on with my coach, sending a few videos over back and forth and grinding away at the range – and this year that is a much better place to be than trudging round in the wet and mud.
My single +8 gross round of golf in January is the worst it’s going to get, not the +16 I had shot the same time last year and at least, right now, I am really looking forward to getting back out on the course, rather than dreading it – a feeling I had far too often this time last year.
To wrap this one up, as I sit here on Sunday evening with Justin Rose dominating at Torrey Pines, I am looking forward to the week ahead for a couple of reasons.
Winter Fourballs at Felixstowe returns on Tuesday – due to the new clubhouse being built there wasn’t one of these monthly winter events in January which are extremely popular.
It could also be delivery day for my new clubs…
Matt Holbrook is a long-serving Golfshake ambassador known for his course features, opinion pieces, and product reviews. A dedicated golfer from Suffolk, he is an active member of Stowmarket and Felixstowe Ferry Golf Clubs and frequently travels to play in open competitions. With hundreds of rounds logged through Golfshake, Matt is committed to continuous improvement and enjoys sharing insights from his experiences on and off the course.
