A forecast code cannot clear the course
A model point may miss a nearby developing storm. The absence of a thunderstorm code does not show that lightning is absent. A dry hour can coexist with a reason to stop, so a favourable rain forecast is not a reason to ignore thunder or a course evacuation instruction.
Agree on the course’s shelter and suspension plan before starting. If proper shelter is far away, that affects the decision to set out. Do not leave the question of where to go until the first nearby storm.
Do not mistake rain cover for lightning shelter
An umbrella, an open shelter and a golf cart should not be treated as the enclosed vehicle or substantial building described in NWS advice. The practical question is how everyone reaches proper shelter, including anyone who moves more slowly or is separated from the group.
The model’s illustrated thunderstorm penalty remains severe even when temperature, rain and wind are otherwise benign. That cap prevents those favourable numbers from cancelling the storm flag. It still cannot decide when the course may reopen; follow the course plan and the official shelter guidance.
Worked examples from the existing scorer
These complete hypothetical hours run through the same scoring functions used by the live tool. They are not observations or forecasts. The displayed effective score includes any cap.
| Example | Effective score | Verdict | Model reasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benign illustrative hour | 100/100 | GO | No model penalties |
| Storm code 95 | 10/100 | NO-GO | thunderstorms — course closed · NOGO cap |
| Storm with otherwise mild weather | 10/100 | NO-GO | thunderstorms — course closed · NOGO cap |
Exact example inputs and units
temp and feels: °C; wind and gust: km/h; precipitation: mm/h; visibility: m; rain probability, cloud and humidity: %. Weather code is WMO; UV is an index. Pressure, where shown, is context in hPa and does not affect this scorer.
[
{
"example": "Benign illustrative hour",
"inputs": {
"temp": 15,
"feels": 15,
"precip": 0,
"pop": 0,
"wind": 10,
"gust": 15,
"vis": 20000,
"code": 0,
"cloud": 10,
"humidity": 60,
"uv": 0,
"pressure": 1010
}
},
{
"example": "Storm code 95",
"inputs": {
"temp": 15,
"feels": 15,
"precip": 0,
"pop": 0,
"wind": 10,
"gust": 15,
"vis": 20000,
"code": 95,
"cloud": 10,
"humidity": 60,
"uv": 0,
"pressure": 1010
}
},
{
"example": "Storm with otherwise mild weather",
"inputs": {
"temp": 18,
"feels": 18,
"precip": 0,
"pop": 0,
"wind": 6,
"gust": 10,
"vis": 20000,
"code": 95,
"cloud": 10,
"humidity": 60,
"uv": 0,
"pressure": 1010
}
}
]Planning bands and the limits of the number
The existing model starts at 100, subtracts its condition penalties and applies critical caps. GO is 70–100, MAYBE 45–69 and NO-GO 0–44. A MAYBE cap limits the effective score to 64, and a NO-GO cap to 40. These are application suitability bands, not certified safe operating limits.
Rain branches are alternatives: matching probability, intensity and weather-code triggers do not mean adding the same rain penalty repeatedly. Separate factors can combine. A cap prevents benign temperature or dry weather from cancelling a critical flagged condition. Use the reasons beside the result to understand what changed.
The model requires complete numeric weather inputs. Missing visibility, rain probability or another required value returns Insufficient data; it is never filled with an invented favourable value. Local warnings, closures, equipment instructions and actual observations can change your decision even when the model returns GO.
Read the full golf methodology and thresholds. The model and these examples were cross-checked on 18 October 2026. No physical field-test or safety certification is claimed.
Equipment and an alternative plan
Know the nearest appropriate shelter and follow course suspension instructions promptly. Leave the equipment decision secondary to reaching shelter. Use an indoor alternative while play is suspended and do not restart because a shower stops or an isolated forecast cell changes colour.
Questions about Golf and lightning: stop play and reach proper shelter
Can I keep playing if the app says GO?
No score overrides audible thunder or the course’s storm instructions.
Is an umbrella suitable shelter?
No. It is rain equipment, not the proper shelter described by the NWS.
Does the page track lightning strikes?
No. It uses a forecast weather code and provides no live strike detection.
Sources and limits
The numeric application bands come from the existing GoNoGo scorer and methodology. External guidance is linked for its stated context; it is not presented as endorsement of this model.
Live forecast data is supplied by Open-Meteo. An illustrative model output is different from a live forecast, and a forecast is different from a local observation.