Dorset adapting to weather changes in summer-based sports

Sports clubs across Dorset are adapting their focus to account for the harsh changes in weather going into the winter months.

With storms like Austen and Boelo battering the south coast, traditional summer pursuits like cricket, tennis and golf have had to adapt to continue throughout the year.

With bookings slowly decreasing after the busy months, these sports are now adapting with technological and social changes.

Dorset’s indoor cricket leagues turns the game into a higher-paced sport under cover, played with a smaller team.

Golf clubs have now turned to Trackman, a technological system which allows players to look at their data and insight into their shots at the driving range.

Trackman also allows players to play famous courses such as Augusta as it tracks distances and the line of the golf ball which gives you an accurate scorecard.

Steve Rilly, Golf operations manager at Bulbury Woods Golf Course in Poole, said: “You’ve got lots of people come and play, it gets them in the fresh air with all age groups especially with it being a social sport.

“I think potentially with health there’s a big drive with using nature and the facilities with the added fresh air.”

Poole Park Tennis Court have now reopened with a brand new resurface work which allows them to stay open for longer.

With more people focusing on being healthy and getting involved in sports they also adapting alongside social attitudes.

However, even though tennis is an all-year-round sport they have slowly struggled to deal with the added competition and the frozen courts.

According to Sporting Insights, participation has fallen by 28 per cent since 2016 with added competitions from other racket sports such as padel and squash.

Padel and squash are both sports that can be played inside or outside allowing their player base to play the sport all year round while tennis is mostly an outside sport.

Tennis have had a net loss of 183 courts since 2023 while padel especially have had a huge gain in courts as over 1,800 padel courts have opened  as reported by The Guardian

Even with the creation of the dome, it is a difficulty for tennis clubs to implement them as according to the Lawn Tennis Association it could cost anywhere between £85,000 to £155,000.

However, this does not affect everyone, the younger generation are more likely to stay resilient during the winter months compared to the older generation according to Sport England.

In the United States, the National Library of Medicine found that older sport participants, such as senior golfers, physical activity levels have a 24 per cent increase in summer compared to winter.