Winter Green
A winter green is an alternative green that is played instead of the regular green during the cold season.
Winter greens protect the sensitive main greens during the frosty and wet season. Frozen or waterlogged grass tolerates foot traffic and play poorly, and damage would remain visible into spring. That is why the greenkeeping team creates alternative surfaces, usually on the Fringe (Apron) or on a separately prepared surface in front of it. The grass there is longer and more robust than on the real Green, and the flag accordingly stands closer to the player. How long winter greens remain in use is decided by each facility depending on the weather.
In practice, your round changes noticeably. An example: you are playing in January and the flag stands twenty metres in front of the actual green on a more closely mown surface. The putt rolls slower and less smoothly than in summer, and you read breaks roughly rather than finely. If your approach shot accidentally lands on the closed main green, you may not continue playing from there. You lift the ball free of penalty and drop in the nearest free area, not nearer the hole.
The most widespread misconception: the winter green is not a penalty zone but perfectly normal in play. Only the unused main green is out of bounds for play. Also wrong is the belief that winter greens make the round worthless. Depending on the rules, results can still count for handicap if the course conditions allow it. The side effects of the cold season, such as improving the lie on the fairway, are governed by the facility's Winter Rules.
FAQ
Do I have to putt differently on the winter green?
Yes, because the grass is longer and the surface is less finely maintained than the summer green. The ball rolls slower and is more likely to jump, so read breaks roughly and putt more firmly than usual. A short feel session before the round helps you adjust to the length quickly.
What do I do if my ball lands on the closed main green?
Then you must not continue playing from there under any circumstances, not even just putt. You lift the ball free of penalty and drop it at the nearest point off the green, not nearer the hole. During this time the main green counts as a protected area of the greenkeeping team.
Do rounds on winter greens count towards my handicap?
They can, because winter greens alone do not automatically make a round invalid for handicap. What matters is whether the course conditions are generally normally playable and the committee declares the round as handicap-relevant. If in doubt, the answer is on the notice or the scorecard.