Cold Weather Golf

[golfaddiction]

Tomorrow's going to be in the low 40's, but I've decided the golf season has started so the chill isn't going to keep me off the course. When I played in November it was in the low 50s, and I noticed my ball traveled significantly shorter distances.

I'm not going to have time to go to the range and figure out how far I'm hitting each club. Is there a guideline for this? For example, if I normally hit my 5 iron 200 yards, would it go 190 in 50 degree weather and 180 in 40 degree weather?

[Dgolfer]

"Is there a guideline...."

I'm not aware of a guideline on distance in cold weather, but I'm very familiar with cold weather golf. I've found the variation in distance depends in part on the ball. Rocks are rocks, whether cold or warm, so I would bet (not having studied this more than just witnessing a few of my own shots in colder weather) there is less variation with a firmer ball for my swing speed. I play a multi-layer ball, generally, and I notice a bigger difference in colder weather.

[Fourputt]

  golfaddiction said:

Tomorrow's going to be in the low 40's, but I've decided the golf season has started so the chill isn't going to keep me off the course. When I played in November it was in the low 50s, and I noticed my ball traveled significantly shorter distances.

At 40° you will also be wearing more clothes than normal, so your swing is a bit restricted. That will contribute even more to hitting shorter shots. I'd say play defensive golf. Over club if there is trouble in front until you get a feel for how the ball is carrying. Like Dgolfer, I don't know of any formula other than to just play the first couple of holes carefully. You should get a handle on it pretty quickly. It's like putting on a new course, it just takes a few putts to get the feel for the speed of the greens. The same theory applies to feeling out how far you are hitting your irons.

[Harp]

i play a lot of cold weather golf in new england and i have tip to "cheat" the cold. i alway keep hand warmers in my jacket pocket to keep me warm and not lose any touch. i keep one ball in my pocket and it stays nice and toasty warm while i'm playing the other. obviously i don't change out balls on the hole, but when it comes to the next tee, i have a nice warm ball ready to play. plus, my hands stay warm.

[Fourputt]

  Harp said:

i play a lot of cold weather golf in new england and i have tip to "cheat" the cold. i alway keep hand warmers in my jacket pocket to keep me warm and not lose any touch. i keep one ball in my pocket and it stays nice and toasty warm while i'm playing the other. obviously i don't change out balls on the hole, but when it comes to the next tee, i have a nice warm ball ready to play. plus, my hands stay warm.

Hope you don't do that in competition.... Under the rules you are not allowed to warm the ball artificially after the round starts.

[Chief Broom]

I play a lot of cold weather golf. Our season goes all year, but it does get cold (relatively speaking). They keep us off the course when it drops below freezing but above that it's game on. I've never really noticed much of an impact on distance due to the cold. Clothing can restrict you so you have to dress in layers that allow for movement. I also will play a soft ball. I tend to play balls that I've picked up anyway but when it's really cold I'll put a lady's ball in play, so that might help offset distance loss due to the cold's effect on the ball?

[angdeer]

Nice question that I would have never even thought of. We live in a fairly mild weather climate. When we are able to play golf it seems that its around 60 at least or else we would still have snow. And last summer we didnt hit much over 70 the whole summer, if you can call that a summer. I guess I'm new at the game and still have LOTS to learn!

[glk23]

I used a TF D2 feel all fall and winter and noticed very little distance loss. Maybe try a 2 piece low compression ball.

[joepro23]

  Fourputt said:

At 40° you will also be wearing more clothes than normal, so your swing is a bit restricted. That will contribute even more to hitting shorter shots. I'd say play defensive golf. Over club if there is trouble in front until you get a feel for how the ball is carrying. Like Dgolfer, I don't know of any formula other than to just play the first couple of holes carefully. You should get a handle on it pretty quickly. It's like putting on a new course, it just takes a few putts to get the feel for the speed of the greens. The same theory applies to feeling out how far you are hitting your irons.

Great answer and I definitely agree.

If I'm playing a course with which I'm already familiar, the adjustment is even easier. I know my usual spots and recognize if the ball is ending up short of those. Personally, I have never noticed that much of a difference in distance when it's cold (around 40 deg). The most I have lost is about half a club maybe. Obviously the ball doesn't compress as well when it's cold, but I think the stronger winds this time of year are more of a factor in distance loss. Remember: Under Armour, hand warmers, winter hat - much more enjoyable with these

[tomohr]

I just bought some under armor cold gear golf pants... it's about 40 deg. here in IL right now and I'm gonna go play 9... will give brief review upon return... But, from experience anything under armor has always help me stay really warm in colder conditions.

[trog2233]

40 degrees isnt too bad... you guys are acting like its 20 below lol.

But anyways i've noticed a couple weeks ago that playin in temps in the 30s that i was about a club short on everything. Just clubbed up and i was fine.

[Par Fore]

My personal expeirence:

Below and around the 50 degree range is a full club difference (below 40 and I don't play at all)
Below 65ish, about half a club

Also, early in the year, I usually lose distance anyway because my swing is not grooved, the right muscle groups are a little weak, and I miss the center more often....

[ApocG10]

Try a ball with a little lower compression then what your used to. But you shouldnt notice a huge difference.

But surely you can spare an extra 20 minutes to go to the range and get an idea. You should only need to hit about 20 balls.

[golfaddiction]

I wish I could spend 20 minutes at the range but that's not possible at the public courses. I'm going to start out taking a whole extra club each shot and see how that goes. Other than that, I'm going to take advice from real "athletes": wear a standard winter jacket whenever I'm not actually swinging. 40 degrees is really lovely weather if you're in a parka, hat, and gloves. I'll also definitely be walking, so that will keep me warm from hole to hole.

Let's get out there already!!

[jamo]

In my experience it is rare to have too much club in cold weather. Not only will your swing be restricted, but so will the ball flight.

[killerduck]

  Fourputt said:

Hope you don't do that in competition.... Under the rules you are not allowed to warm the ball artificially after the round starts.

There's nothing artificial about body heat. I'm sure I've seen tour players doing this. Also, I cannot find anything in the rules about heating the ball, artificially or otherwise.

Could you point out which rule you are referring to? Because this is something I know I've done, and others at my club have done! (eep)

[Fourputt]

  killerduck said:

There's nothing artificial about body heat. I'm sure I've seen tour players doing this. Also, I cannot find anything in the rules about heating the ball, artificially or otherwise.

He intimated that he was keeping the ball in a pocket with a hand warmer. Body heat is perfectly legal. Artificially created heat is not, and may not be used for warming the ball

during the round .

  None said:

14-3/13.5 Golf Ball Artificially Warmed Q. Is the use of a golf ball that was purposely warmed during a stipulated round with a golf ball warmer, hand warmer or any such device a breach of Rule 14-3? A. Yes. Use of a ball that has been purposely warmed during a stipulated round with an artificial device constitutes a breach of Rule 14-3. However, it would not be a breach of Rule 14-3 to use a ball that was artificially warmed prior to the stipulated round. (Revised)

[golfaddiction]

The temperature barely cracked 40 today, and it sure was cold. I did alternate balls on every hole, and my distance didn't really seem to be affected by the cold.