Lightning safety on the golf course
A golf course puts you in exactly the wrong place during a thunderstorm: open ground, scattered tall trees, and often a long way from a building. Here is what the National Weather Service recommends, and how to apply it to a round.
Lightning reaches farther than the rain
Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles from the rain under a storm. Many lightning injuries happen before the rain starts or after the storm seems to have passed. Blue sky overhead does not mean you are safe if you can hear thunder.
That is why "let's finish the hole" is a bad idea. By the time a storm is close enough to see the rain, you may already be inside its strike zone.
What counts as a safe shelter
According to the NWS, there are only two kinds of safe place in a thunderstorm:
- A substantial, fully enclosed building with wiring and plumbing, such as the clubhouse or pro shop.
- A hard-topped metal vehicle with the windows closed, such as your car in the parking lot.
The following do not protect you:
- Golf carts, which are open-sided and usually have a fiberglass or plastic roof.
- Rain shelters on the course and other open-sided structures, unless the course has specifically built and marked them as lightning-protected.
- Trees. Standing under a tall, isolated tree is one of the most dangerous places to be.
If you can't reach shelter in time
There is no safe place outdoors in a thunderstorm, but some places are less dangerous than others. If you are caught far from the clubhouse:
- Get away from isolated tall objects such as trees, flagsticks and poles, and off high ground.
- Get away from metal fences, wires and water.
- Spread your group out, so one strike can't injure everyone.
- Keep moving toward real shelter. Don't wait it out in the open.
How long to wait before going back out
Wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back on the course. Each new rumble restarts the clock. Many courses use a siren or horn to suspend play. A common system is one long blast to stop play immediately and two short blasts to resume, but signals vary, so check the scorecard or ask the pro shop. If the horn sounds, stop even if you can't see the storm.
How common are lightning deaths on golf courses?
Less common than many people think, partly because golfers have learned to take storms seriously. A National Weather Service review of U.S. lightning deaths from 2006 to 2019 counted 418 deaths. 10 of them involved golf. Almost two-thirds happened during leisure activities, and fishing alone accounted for about four times as many deaths as golf. More than 70% happened in June, July and August, when people spend the most time outside.
The lesson is not that golf is safe in a storm. Leaving the course when thunder starts works.
Plan around storms before you book
- Check the thunderstorm risk for your whole round, not just the tee time. In spring, Texas storms often develop in the afternoon and evening.
- On stormy days, an early tee time often finishes before storms form.
- Know where the nearest building is from each part of the course.
- Ask the pro shop about the course's rain-check policy before you go out, so leaving early isn't a hard decision.
Golf Weather Intelligence flags thunderstorm risk during each tee time, so you can see when a round runs into a likely storm window.
Sources
- National Weather Service — Lightning safety one-pager
- National Weather Service — Analysis of U.S. lightning deaths, 2006–2019
- National Weather Service — Lightning safety tips
More golf weather articles