Cold weather golf

[sheppy335]

At your age NO one should question what temps you want to play in. 

[llewol007]

Chilly for us on the west coast is anything less that 60 degrees,  haaaa haaaa haaa. On those chilly days, a buddy of mine came up with a cool idea for mits. He had a couple of extra head covers that he threw some hand warmers in and sure enough, it did the job. Pretty smart move. 

[SamboRoll]

Coldest and one of the most fun rounds for me was in the beginning of December, when I played a three man scramble with a teaching pro and a another guy who had played the local tour regularly. The temperature was between 1 and 2 degrees celcius (35 fahrenheit), thank god it wasn’t windy that day and the course wasn’t yet totally wet. Some icy puddles on fairways but nothing to stop or prevent us playing. We shot 59 that day and won the scratch competition.🤣 Bombing drivers on all par 4’s and 5’s as at least one of three balls would always be in play.😄 Was a fun round, going for it with every shot and without pressure as team’s success didn’t rely on my consistency for once.

 

My takeaways for playing golf in a cold temperature: Warm beanie, layered clothing, long johns and wintersoft golf gloves are a must.👍🏻 Thermos bottle in the bag full of hot drink that will remain its temperature during the whole round is a game changer!💪🏻 Positive attitude and adventurous spirit helps a lot too. Never mind the bad shots, it is great to be able just to enjoy playing golf outside this time of the year. I live in Scandinavia, so better to take the weather as it is and enjoy the positive things! 

Edited January 1, 2021 by SamboRoll

[BallerNate]

Coldest rounds I played this season were between 0 C to -4 (32 to 25 F)...has less to do with a man card than a desperation to play card (or insanity), Lol!! Wish I could get one of those rounds in right now though...2 feet of snow on the ground and my last round was November 29th! 

Edited January 1, 2021 by BallerNate

[FairwaysToHeaven]

is it unusual for a course to close for the winter? December - early March? 

 

is this to take care of the grass/fairways/greens or is closing just giving the staff a break from showing up at course. 

 

as a member i'm more than willing to play at 40 degrees but can't because the course is closed and enforces no play. 

[platgof]

Seen the forecast, going to 45*F so off we go. Got there (Western Hills, Hopkinsville, Ky,) and it is 37* F, and cloudy with mists as well. I have the mitts, and stuck warmers in them to help. After a few holes it did get better because it was cart path only, and the walking warmed us up some. The high at the end was 41, a real warm spell, not. I am rather surprised at how well I did in this cold weather, as we did the modified tee box swap, playing the whites where appropriate, and going to the senior tees when needed. We used the senior tees less than we thought we would. The ground was a mess, nothing but mud below, so I had to take two extra clubs for every shot, and they still came up short, but we both were going to play regardless. I am sore from the extra clothing. 

[BallerNate]

16 hours ago, FairwaysToHeaven said:

is it unusual for a course to close for the winter? December - early March? 

 

is this to take care of the grass/fairways/greens or is closing just giving the staff a break from showing up at course. 

 

as a member i'm more than willing to play at 40 degrees but can't because the course is closed and enforces no play. 

Guess it depends where you’re located? Where we are in the Toronto Area most courses closed in early to mid November and won’t re-open until it warms up in April/May. I would imagine it’s the same in cold-weather states in the U.S. and in Europe etc, but not sure how it would be in some of the borderline warm states that don’t get snow but might still be chilly?

[8602081]

Cincinnati, ohio

Most courses are open all year..

 

[Munich77]

Washington DC area. The courses are open year round except for frost or too much water.  Got my first round of the year in yesterday although with a high of 56 it was not winter golf. 

[deadsolid...shank]

Since my number of rounds has become drastically reduced, I’ll play in almost anything. If there is no snow on the ground and the wind isn’t  howling I’ll give it a go if it’s at least mid to upper 20’s. Probably won’t be a full round, but at least a few holes. 

[elwhippy]

Minus 2 this lunchtime. Played in a 2 ball (Covid rule). Thermal vest, wool sweater, wind jacket. Hard and bouncy. Winter greens. Hit it ok. Good conversation and away from the apartment. 

Findings. 1 I need thermal underwear. 2 I need a warmer wind jacket. 3 Carrying 9 clubs is a good idea.

[lefthack]

Today was perfect. 44, overcast but still light. No rain, mild wind and not another person on the course.

 

 

[BallerNate]

On 1/3/2021 at 10:16 PM, lefthack said:

Today was perfect. 44, overcast but still light. No rain, mild wind and not another person on the course.

 

 

😍😍 Very jelly, Lol!! Was shovelling snow for an hour this morning and the snow banks are almost 6 ft high here!!

[blitzgolf]

I usually tell the guys that we play so many rounds in a year... why force the bad weather unless we are travelling etc. 

 

I just prefer enjoyable weather than toughing it out just to say we played. 

[I_HATE_SNOW]

Lack of wind and full sunshine make a huge difference.

[PappyVanWinkle53]

I had a rule of thumb.....if I can see my breath, it's too cold to play.

[platgof]

It was 48*F today, but the sun was on full blast and felt so good. I over dressed expecting the worse, and started pulling off clothes. I decided to try thermal pants, and the legs were never cold at all. So when the forecast is 50's or lower, the thermal pants go on. I had a wool shirt underneath, and a down vest as well. I pulled the puffer jacker off once I warmed up. Never was cold at all!

[jordan2240]

9 minutes ago, platgof said:

It was 48*F today, but the sun was on full blast and felt so good. I over dressed expecting the worse, and started pulling off clothes. I decided to try thermal pants, and the legs were never cold at all. So when the forecast is 50's or lower, the thermal pants go on. I had a wool shirt underneath, and a down vest as well. I pulled the puffer jacker off once I warmed up. Never was cold at all!

Don't know where you are, but 48 around here this time of year (South-Central PA) would see packed courses.  I don't use the thermals until it gets into the mid 30s.  The last time I was able to golf (too much snow now), my buddy and I were discussing just how cold would be too cold, as it was in the mid 30s and neither of us were feeling cold at all.  We determined we could easily do below freezing with no wind - only problem with that is frozen greens, which make it a lot less fun to us, so we concluded mid-30s in sun was about our low limit. 

[platgof]

You were obviously born with antifreeze in your blood system, not me. 

[lefthack]

It's been low 30's here. It's more getting to the club as the road gets sketchy and if there is anything backing stuff up, there isn't a way around.

 

But thermals and a hoodie, any more and my swing is affected and playing isn't as enjoyable.

[platgof]

The thermal pants were the big surprise. They work way better than advertised. Plus pushing the trolley helped as well. After walking a few holes I was plenty warm, and then the puff jacket came off. 

 

[me05501]

Modern fabrics make soooo much difference compared to thirty years ago. 
 

When it’s cold I wear a pair of FootJoy rain gloves. Today my base layer of Nike Pro Combat top and bottom, then thick khakis and a long-sleeve golf shirt was just about perfect. I also wore a vest for much of the round but mostly for the pockets. 

 

Great round of 44-47* sunny skies with calm wind and I was comfy throughout.

 

Now of the wind gets up, that’s another conversation. 

[platgof]

20 hours ago, me05501 said:

Modern fabrics make soooo much difference compared to thirty years ago. 
 

When it’s cold I wear a pair of FootJoy rain gloves. Today my base layer of Nike Pro Combat top and bottom, then thick khakis and a long-sleeve golf shirt was just about perfect. I also wore a vest for much of the round but mostly for the pockets. 

 

Great round of 44-47* sunny skies with calm wind and I was comfy throughout.

 

Now of the wind gets up, that’s another conversation. 

I find the puff jackets are the ticket. They are light and very flexible. I put on a down vest and puff jacket, combined with thermal pants, totally unreal. I did have a wool under garment on as well, itchy!

[Sons_of_Pitches]

On 12/3/2020 at 11:09 AM, gripandrip said:

This. When the temperature drops it is all about sun and wind. A balmy 34 deg (F) day is fine if sunny and minimal wind, but 44 with no sun and 10-15 mph is pretty rough. I play in the 30's quite a bit, but you definitely need the right conditions.

+1 ^^^ Im in my 50's and in order to play year round in VA you need to make some adjustments.  I can't say I enjoy playing in cold weather (30's and below), but with the right equipment it's actually doable.  We have had a few days where it has been windy, cloudy, and in the low 30's, but with a golf cart cover, heater, and hand warmers it was rather pleasant.  The cart cover/heater makes all the difference.  My gear consists of the following....

 

Doorworks Cart Cover - https://acegolfcartcovers.com/products/champion-four-sided-throwovers?variant=15387216379997 <-- absolutly love this cover.  Very easy to put on and off and actually stores back in the bag it came in.  

 

Mr Heater - https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-MH4GC-Golf-Cart/dp/B011TRLWH2 <-- is ok but it is very sensitive on bumpy terraine and has a tendency to turn itself off.  That said, if you go this route get one of these expandable cup holders - - - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PMHPJJF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - - - as the cup holder that comes with it is useless and will fall out.    

 

G-Tech Heated Pouch (hand warmer) - https://gtechapparel.com/collections/heated-pouches/products/heated-pouch-stealth-2-0-x-military-grade <-- really like this and lasts the entire round and carry extra battery just in case.

[mesquite2]

My last round was on November 3rd, so 3 months without golf. At least another month or so to go, I don't play unless it's at least 55* when I tee off & it must be sunny with little wind. I work weekends as a starter at a very busy 36 hole facility & we don't close unless snow covered. The last Saturday that I worked it was 15* with a wind chill of 8* & over 50 golfers played that day. none of them looked liked they enjoying themselves, I just don't get the necessity to go to the golf course no matter what the weather, I don't get the addiction.

[BallerNate]

On 2/5/2021 at 10:30 AM, mesquite2 said:

My last round was on November 3rd, so 3 months without golf. At least another month or so to go, I don't play unless it's at least 55* when I tee off & it must be sunny with little wind. I work weekends as a starter at a very busy 36 hole facility & we don't close unless snow covered. The last Saturday that I worked it was 15* with a wind chill of 8* & over 50 golfers played that day. none of them looked liked they enjoying themselves, I just don't get the necessity to go to the golf course no matter what the weather, I don't get the addiction.

My last 2 rounds were November 25th & 29th with temperatures in the 25 F range. I think a lot of us try to squeeze as many rounds in as possible before the snow falls because we know it’s going to be a long winter.

 

For me I much prefer playing on a real course than going to a simulator or indoor driving range, so I’ll play in pretty much any conditions as long as the course isn’t covered in snow.

 

Only problem I saw was that the fairways and greens were rock-hard, and the ground was so frozen in some Tee boxes that regular wood Tees were breaking while trying to put them in. Wish I could get some of those rounds in now though since we have 2 feet of snow on the ground! 🥶

[8602081]

It's been 2 weeks since I last played..  Snow and ice has shut down all local courses.  I don't see it being open for next couple more weeks..  Feeling sucks..

 

🥶

[nfogle]

As long as the wind isn’t too bad I will play in 30s. We are currently having an ice storm so no golf in the near future. 

[BigTerf]

On 2/3/2021 at 9:36 PM, me05501 said:

Modern fabrics make soooo much difference compared to thirty years ago. 
 

When it’s cold I wear a pair of FootJoy rain gloves. Today my base layer of Nike Pro Combat top and bottom, then thick khakis and a long-sleeve golf shirt was just about perfect. I also wore a vest for much of the round but mostly for the pockets. 

 

Great round of 44-47* sunny skies with calm wind and I was comfy throughout.

 

Now of the wind gets up, that’s another conversation. 

Totally agree!  The base layers are amazing and the lack of bulk in the outer layers keep one flexible and warm!  Fun to be able to golf in a wider range of conditions!  I have golfed while it was snowing and it was still quite comfortable!

[curt_jr]

If it's sunny and low 40s, I'm gonna be out there. Native Texans think that's way too cold (they're not always wrong), so us transplants from the north get 3 hour rounds.