How the GWI score works
Every course and tee time on Golf Weather Intelligence gets a score from 0 to 100. Here is what the score is designed to tell you, what it pays attention to, and why it often disagrees with a general weather app.
Why score a round instead of a day?
A daily forecast describes the whole day: a high temperature, a chance of rain, an average wind. A round of golf takes about four hours on an open course, and conditions can change a lot in that time. A 40% chance of afternoon storms means very little for a 7:00 a.m. tee time. It matters a great deal at 1:30 p.m.
So for every possible tee time, GWI looks at the forecast for the whole time you would be on the course, from the first tee to the 18th green. Two tee times on the same day can score very differently, and that difference is the point: it helps you pick when to play, not just whether to play.
What the score pays attention to
The GWI score looks at the conditions golfers actually notice on the course:
- Rain: not just the chance of rain, but how much is expected, how heavy it gets and how much of your round it covers. A passing sprinkle and a soaked back nine are very different rounds.
- Wind and gusts: steady wind and sudden gusts both change how the ball flies and how a round feels.
- Temperature and comfort: heat that builds through a round, cold mornings and wind chill all affect how comfortable you'll be.
- Thunder risk: storms near the course are a safety issue, not just an inconvenience.
- Cloud cover: some shade is welcome on a hot day; sunshine is welcome on a cool one.
- Daylight: whether there is enough light to start and finish your round.
These factors don't act alone. Golfers know that wind-driven rain or a cold, gusty morning feels worse than either condition on its own, and the score reflects that. How each factor is balanced is GWI's own model, built and tuned specifically for golf.
Safety comes first
Some conditions make a round unsafe or impractical however good the rest of the forecast looks. When thunderstorms are expected during your round, GWI shows a clear safety warning and keeps the score low. Heavy rain, dangerous wind, extreme heat or severe cold do the same, as does a round that would start before there is enough light or finish after sunset. A high number should never make an unsafe round look appealing.
Reading the score
- Higher is better. Compare scores across tee times or courses on the same day to find the most comfortable conditions.
- Look at the alerts. GWI shows golf-specific alerts, such as lightning risk, strong gusts or heat, only when they matter for your round.
- Use the recommended window. GWI highlights the stretch of tee times with the strongest conditions of the day. You usually get a range of good times rather than one exact minute, which helps when tee sheets are busy.
- Check the timeline. The round timeline shows how temperature, rain and wind change from your first hole to your last, so you can see why a tee time scored the way it did.
Where the data comes from
Forecasts come from Open-Meteo, which combines models from national weather services. Course locations and maps use OpenStreetMap data. Live tee times come from the courses' own booking providers and link straight to them to book.
What the score can't do
The GWI score is planning guidance, not a safety guarantee. Forecasts get less certain further out, and summer storms in particular can form quickly. Check the forecast again on the day of your round, follow your course's alerts, and leave the course immediately if you hear thunder.