By Liz Oakes
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Golfer Steve Shepard, 46, of Fairfield had to make a mound of snow to tee off on the frozen ground Sunday amid 20-mph gusts and a wind chill that made it feel like 30 degrees outside.

And that's just the way he likes it.

Steve Shepard, of Fairfield, and Gregg Uebelhor, of Fort Thomas KY, stand out on one of the greens at The Golf Center Center at Kings Island Sunday afternoon. (Steven M. Herppich photo)

"I love the bad weather. For me, the worse the better, because there's nobody in front of you," said Shepard, who wore six layers of clothes for the outing.

Shepard; Mick Crain, 55, of Union, Ky.; Gregg Uebelhor, 37 of Fort Thomas, and Mark Huber, 47, of West Chester; were the only ones hitting the links all day at the Golf Center at Kings Island on Sunday.

They're members of a loose-knit group from across the region that has played every Sunday that a course would let them for more than 10 years.

"It's a little bit goofy, what we do here," said Crain half-jokingly. He drove more than an hour to get in 18 rounds on the championship Grizzly course Sunday. Jonathan Williams, 23, an assistant pro at the Golf Center, which is open year-round, said he's seen people playing in pouring rain and lightning.

"If you're a diehard golfer, you'll be out there pretty much in anything," Williams said.

Four other golfers played at the Mason course Saturday, when the high reached 22 degrees, he added.

Shepard said he has played in 4 inches of snow and 8-degree weather.

One handicap: Sometimes he's had to wait two hours for the sun to melt frost off the greens before being allowed on the fairways.

"That's the worst part of winter golf - the frost delays," Shepard said.

But he'd still rather contend with cold and the inconvenience than play indoors.

"I called seven (courses) yesterday, and this was the only one that would let us in," he said.

Other area courses open year-round, depending on the weather, include Little Miami Golf Center in Newtown, Miami Whitewater in Harrison, Meadow Links in Forest Park and the Mill Course in Greenhills.

At Miami Whitewater, employees said they sometimes allow golfers to tee off in snow but not ice, which can tear up turf.

At the Golf Center on Sunday, Uebelhor and Huber fell on the ice, and the snow made putting tough, the golfers said.

Next Sunday, National Weather Service meteorologists are forecasting highs in the upper 20s. But "we'll play, if they let us," Shepard said, laughing.

Tips from winter golfers

Wear loose-fitting layers of clothes.

Skip the golf shoes. Wear boots.

Get winter golf gloves. Wear mittens on top.

Use orange golf balls.

Rent a golf cart with a cover and heater.

---

E-mail loakes@enquirer.com