How much does cold weather impact distance?

[edwelly]

Hello all. I played on Sunday and it was 48-54 and pretty windy. My GIRs was abysmal. I had so much trouble judging the distance. So what is your formula for calculating weather and golf ball distance. 

For example, 1 degree strong is around 3 yards longer, etc. 

Is there something you use to calculate cold weather distance?

 

thanks

-Erik

[ThinkingPlus]

2.5 yards per 10° F delta temp vs. your stock yardage temp.

 

Example: Your normal temperature you know your yardage is 80° F.  You go play on a cool day and the temp is 55° F.  So your shots will fly ~6 yards less.

[edwelly]

1 hour ago, ThinkingPlus said:

2.5 yards per 10° F delta temp vs. your stock yardage temp.

 

Example: Your normal temperature you know your yardage is 80° F.  You go play on a cool day and the temp is 55° F.  So your shots will fly ~6 yards less.

Thank you. That is what I was looking for! 

[jholz]

@ThinkingPlus nails it on the science. You can expect marginally shorter shots when the temperature drops.

 

But then there's the "not science" part of it.

 

How many layers of clothing are you wearing? What impact does that have on your mobility, and hence speed?

 

How tight do your muscles feel? How does that impact you ability to put energy into the ball?

 

As a rule of thumb in colder weather, I'll start my deliberations on club selection with an assumption that I will pull one more club than usual.

 

Most players don't take enough club to begin with. Err on the side of being long until you are hitting it 10 yards over the green consistently.

Edited February 6, 2023 by jholz

[LeoLeo99]

I'm finding cold weather is about zero to half a club shorter in the wedges to one club shorter in the short irons to 2 clubs shorter in the longer clubs.  

[FormerBigDaddy]

Yeah the science says around 2 yds per 10 degrees.  But as someone else mentioned I think it's more than that depending on how layers and the temp affect your body and swing.  It's difficult to feel loose and fast the lower the temp goes.  The non scientific measurement is going to depend on the person.  For me I can feel pretty loose and quick as long as I'm walking but still feel like I feel faster with less layers.  For me I typically figure sort of a 2/1 ratio so about 3 yds per 10 degrees.  

[caniac6]

Just starting back after shoulder surgery, and not hitting out of my shadow, so hoping the cold is to blame!

[Greenie]

W

Just now, caniac6 said:

Just starting back after shoulder surgery, and not hitting out of my shadow, so hoping the cold is to blame!

 

That's a big part of it. Every injury and or surgery I have had over my life always shows up when it gets colder. Now that I am in my 60's my poor back doesn't want to bend when it is cold.

 

 

When it is around 50 I start out using a club extra and go from there.

 

Last week it was in the 40's and my friends says "you are hitting them well today. I thought the cold kills you." I replied that it sure does. I am using two clubs stronger today to get there.

 

[Ferguson]

On 2/6/2023 at 11:41 AM, ThinkingPlus said:

2.5 yards per 10° F delta temp vs. your stock yardage temp.

 

Example: Your normal temperature you know your yardage is 80° F.  You go play on a cool day and the temp is 55° F.  So your shots will fly ~6 yards less.

 

You're referencing sensible temperature only and for this conversation, I will let it slide.   There are other factors to consider such as the fact that a true WRX'er could potentially gain distance in the cold and loses nothing from the tee.  

 

[goudok]

For me personally layers affect me way more than the temp.  

[amace04]

I swing so fast that the coldness actually increases my distance due to higher ball compression.  

 

Makes the ProV1 play like a ProV1TX

[Denny100]

Youll lose a little for the cooler temperatures, but then youll also lose out through:

 

1) Less swing speed - more layers, less flexibility

2) Feeling more uncomfortable - less traction on the ground from your shoes, fairway mats possibly etc

3) Lack of run - ball will pitch and stop. Even tee shots might go backwards

4) Course will be in s*** condition - harder to hit the middle of the club regularly

 

All adds up and you lose more distance than you might think

[getitdaily]

1.5 yards per 10* drop in temp for your stock distance. If your stick distance is based on 90 degrees and you play in 60 degree weather then you lose 4.5 yards of carry on wedges through about 9i.

 

Past 9i is starts getting closer to 2 yards per 10*.

[Is Golf Fun or Work]

I play with some pretty good ball strikers who are pretty long....during cold temps they always come up way short.

 

Based on 40 years of golf experience I think the 1.5 yard per 10* temp drop is grossly under reality....YMMV

[Lasorcier]

I find I definitely come up short in terms of carry.  However, hard ground tends to make up for it.  Winter is harsh here and when a 45-50 degree day comes along, the ground is very hard and rollout is tremendous.  Greens don't hold at all and it sounds like bouncing on concrete when they land.   The landing is clearly audible from a distance.  The ground will be frozen roughly a third of an inch down,  if that.   

 

It is winter golf and it is just fun and a way to get outside.  I place little stock in it and don't take it seriously.  

 

If I par 9-11 holes, I am basically satisfied.

 

Caveat:  winters here are not wet.   Dry and cold. 

[NHenson815]

My swing speed actually increases when the weather drops below 50 degrees (within a reasonable limit as it will start to drop again when getting below the freezing point).  The only explanation I can come up with is that it is a comfort thing.  I don’t like temperatures above 60 (unless the sun isn’t out - then 60s are ok).  I’d set the thermostat at home to 50 in the winter if my wife would let me get away with it, lol.  The heat causes me to feel a bunch of tension and I can no longer swing comfortably.  At the end of the day, I need to drink more water, lose 40 lbs, and slowly raise the thermostat over time to acclimate myself to heat or I won’t be able to play this game when everyone else wants to.

[Sean124]

38 minutes ago, NHenson815 said:

My swing speed actually increases when the weather drops below 50 degrees (within a reasonable limit as it will start to drop again when getting below the freezing point).  The only explanation I can come up with is that it is a comfort thing.  I don’t like temperatures above 60 (unless the sun isn’t out - then 60s are ok).  I’d set the thermostat at home to 50 in the winter if my wife would let me get away with it, lol.  The heat causes me to feel a bunch of tension and I can no longer swing comfortably.  At the end of the day, I need to drink more water, lose 40 lbs, and slowly raise the thermostat over time to acclimate myself to heat or I won’t be able to play this game when everyone else wants to.

Don’t ever come to Phoenix. 
 

You’ll be uncomfortable in “winter.”  The other 10 months, you’ll die. 

[NHenson815]

5 hours ago, Sean124 said:

Don’t ever come to Phoenix. 
 

You’ll be uncomfortable in “winter.”  The other 10 months, you’ll die. 

Phoenix probably has at least some hope of sweat evaporation on a typical day.  The 80-90 percent days up here in Chicago make that impossible.  Either way, the sun can’t be avoided, so I would still be uncomfortable.  

[Sean124]

24 minutes ago, NHenson815 said:

Phoenix probably has at least some hope of sweat evaporation on a typical day.  The 80-90 percent days up here in Chicago make that impossible.  Either way, the sun can’t be avoided, so I would still be uncomfortable.  

Yeah I really don’t like humidity.
 

To me, the “dry heat” deal is true up to about 105. It doesn’t matter after that haha

[avguy]

I'm sure there are also studies on the effect of golf balls cold vs. heated out there....

 

For sure, heated vs rock hard cold Titleist flies further.