Season start checklist: your first round after the winter

The course is open again, the summer greens are back in play, and you haven't had a club in your hand since November. That's normal — and no reason to postpone your first round until "everything clicks" again. It never comes back on its own. The following list will get you back on the course in one to two weeks, without your first round turning into a frustrating affair.

Check your equipment

Start with your bag before you book your tee time:

Finding your swing again

Please don't go straight to the first tee. Two range visits before your first round is the minimum, three is better.

The mistake here: many grab the driver straight away and hit 60 balls at full power. Afterwards your back hurts and the swing is less smooth than before. Better the other way round — start short. Wedges, half swings, feel your tempo and contact. Only then the mid-irons, and at the very end a few woods.

And at least as important: Short game. Twenty minutes of putting and a few chips from the edge of the practice green will give you back more strokes on your first day of golf than any driver session. Your feel for distance and green speed disappears over the winter faster than your swing does.

Approaching the first round the right way

Paperwork

Before you start keeping score, sort out your paperwork: has your membership card for the new season arrived? Is your handicap correct in the system? As a reminder: under the World Handicap System, the best 8 of your last 20 scored rounds count towards your handicap (as of August 2026) — so one weak opening round won't drag your handicap down.

If you want to work on your handicap early in the season, EDS rounds (Extra Day Score) are the right tool: rounds registered in advance that count for handicap, played outside of tournaments (source: DGV (German Golf Association)/WHS, as of August 2026). Register before teeing off, otherwise it won't count.

And: at the start of the season, take one look at the current rules information from your club or association. Adjustments do happen, and it's more pleasant to find out about them before your first scored round rather than after.

Conclusion

Check your equipment, two visits to the range, nine holes from the forward tees — that's all the start of the season needs. The rest will come back on its own over the coming weeks.

If you want to try out a new course for your first round: in the GolfRanger directory you'll find golf facilities in your region along with details on the guest policy. Quickly check whether and when guests are allowed to play — then book your tee time and off you go.