Is it ever too cold to play golf?

Is it ever too cold to play golf in Charlotte?

Apparently not.

"We had about 12 players on Saturday and maybe 18 on Sunday," Chris Eichstaedt, general manager at Highland Creek Golf Club said today.

It's been about the same at The Divide, where the frosty weather has slowed play but not totally stopped it.

"We have a few players every day. They're hearty," said Mike Musialowski, general manager of The Divide.

With temperatures staying at or below freezing for most of January, the local golf business has essentially gone into hibernation. Play always drops off this time of year but it has plummeted with the temperatures recently.

At The Divide, Musialowski said the only golfers on the course are members of the semi-private course.

"No one's paying to play golf right now," he said. "We might get a few people on the range once in a while."

There hasn't been much window of opportunity for golfers recently. Most courses don't open until late morning to allow frost to burn away or frozen greens to thaw. With darkness coming early, the temperature starts falling around 4 p.m.

If you've ever mis-hit a 5-iron on a cold day, you know it's not much fun.

At The Golf Club at Ballantyne (formerly Ballatyne Resort), the course has been closed all but one day this year. To make sure no serious damage is done to the layout's new bermuda grass greens, the putting surfaces have been covered with tarps, something that will continue to be done if the forecast calls for extended periods of time with the temperature below freezing.

With an improving forecast this week, director of golf Woody Allen said the tarps will come off Tuesday and, hopefully, remain off the rest of the winter.

There is hope on the horizon. The forecast for Friday calls for temperatures in the mid to upper 50s, a veritable heat wave for local golfers.

"We're going to have that one really nice day and then you won't be able to find a tee time," Eichstaedt said.