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Well, once again, November is breathing its chilly breath on all golfers in the northern latitudes. I’m not happy about it, but what can you do?<\/p>\nWell, once again, November is breathing its chilly breath on all golfers in the northern latitudes. I’m not happy about it, but what can you do?<\/p>\n
Now, those of you with true four-season golf weather will have trouble relating to this one. But for all my fellow northern golfers who have either already put up the clubs for the season or are contemplating doing so in the near future. To them, I say, don’t do it.<\/p>\n
Yes, the best golf of 2008 is probably behind us, but we can still get out there and win a few bucks from our friends, or, at the very least, chase a few Canada Geese around the fairway. I say, if you can get out there without icing up, why not tee it up. Throw on a few, or several, layers. Start with a warm, thin mockneck and build from there.<\/p>\n
Not convinced that cold weather golf can be fun? Here are five reasons to play golf all year long. There’s a certain cachet to playing cold weather golf – and I’m talking the 30-40° here or less – but just don’t expect everyone (or most people) to understand. If you can shoot a decent score on a frozen course in February when the holes haven’t been moved since late November and your nose has been running since you stepped out of your car, that’s definitely something to proud of.<\/p>\n Number Four: Tempo, Tempo, Tempo<\/strong> Cold air throws off your tempo by making your transitions quicker. Swinging your arms away from your body exposes your torso and underarms to more cold air, making you want to get done with the swing as quickly as possible. Keeping your body under control in these kinds of conditions will pay dividends when the mercury rises.<\/p>\n Number Three: Boing… Boing…<\/strong> There’s nothing like the relief – and humor – that results from getting a good bounce off a frozen creek or pond. Balls that dribble out onto the ice can slide forever. If the ice is thick enough, you might even be able to save par, but it’s generally not worth chancing the dunk in ice cold water.<\/p>\n Number Two: Getting Ready for Next Summer<\/strong> The second reason to play cold weather golf: it’s good for you. As the mercury drops, your body burns more calories just maintaining it’s own normal temperature than in it would in warm weather. It’s a minor workout just being out in the cold. Make it even better and keep yourself warmer, by shunning the cart (even if you have a cart heater and one of those cart covers) and walking. If you dress in layers, you’ll find that you’ll probably have to shed a layer after walking a few holes. You may find that temperatures that you’d never considered golfable are actually fairly comfortable, provided the precipitation stays away and the wind isn’t too strong.<\/p>\n
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\nNumber Five: Prove You’re a Man (or an Idiot)<\/strong>
\nOK, so this one is a little like the scene in Tin Cup where Cup is bragging that he just shot par on the back nine with a 7-iron. When Cup asks Simms if he’s ever parred the backside with a 7-iron, Simms replies, “Well shoot, Cup, it never occurred to me to try.”<\/p>\n![\"Bare](\"\/b\/imgs\/courses\/eagle_sticks_03_tee.jpg\")
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\nPerhaps the most important factor in a golf swing is tempo, but most of us struggle to keep a our swings in tempo, even in warm weather. So what can cold weather do for you and your tempo? Very simply, if you can swing with a reasonable tempo as the wind chill hits something in the 20s, that should only help you when summer finally comes around.<\/p>\n
\nDo you struggle to hit the ball over water? Are you one of those people who routinely dig out an old ball on par threes with a pond fronting the green? Winter might just be the time of your golfing life.<\/p>\n
\nThere are a few ways that you can actually improve your golf game, even when you’re wearing too much thick clothing to make a truly free and proper swing. The first, tempo, we’ve already covered.<\/p>\n
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There are three factors to take into account on top of the obvious (is the course covered with snow?): sun, wind, and precipitation. If the sun is out and the wind is low, you may that temperatures as low as the 20s are cold but playable. As the wind increases and the amount of sun decreases, your comfort factor will drop appreciably. Playing golf as it snows is a pretty cool experience, and can be reasonably comfortable to do. But playing in the rain, especially if it’s windy as well, can be a miserable experience.<\/p>\n