How much does temperature affect distance?

[DrvFrShow]

Yes. When it's cold my tempo gets quick. When my tempo gets quick my swing sucks. When my swing sucks I start compensating. When I start compensating the ball doesn't go anywhere.

When it's warm, my tempo is relaxed. My swing is better and more regular. I don't compensate as often. The ball goes further. 

Therefore, temperature affects distance.

[natureboy]

3 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

24 yards from 35°F to 75°F, that's over 10%... So Im guessing less than 35° the ball basically goes nowhere.

I think Trackman just used freezing as a convenient reference point since most players would not be out in those conditions. Likely there would be distance loss roughly along the same slope of the line below that, but it might not be a straight line relationship and may start a decaying loss rate.

Extra clothes / stiffness / effect on tempo makes it more than ~ 2.6 yards / 10 degrees.

Edited April 16, 2016 by natureboy

[SavvySwede]

3 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

24 yards from 35°F to 75°F, that's over 10%... So Im guessing less than 35° the ball basically goes nowhere.

That's when you break out the Callaway supersofts and get some of that distance back.

[Jeremie Boop]

6 minutes ago, SavvySwede said:

That's when you break out the Callaway supersofts and get some of that distance back.

I wish I had some soft golf balls to use when we were golfing last weekend in the cold for sure, the normal ones I had felt like rocks. 

[onthehunt526]

On 4/15/2016 at 4:06 PM, onthehunt526 said:

I've heard typically it is 1 yd per 10°... Ideal average mapping conditions are basically 70° F...

2.5 yd per 10° F could be correct, but between 68° and 77° the difference is negligible. I think it starts to drop off more the colder it gets, but it doesn't increase as much on a hot day. So a 220 yard drive on a 72° day in April in Ithaca would maybe go 228 on a hot 92° day in July, but only 195 on a 42° day in March... there isn't per se an expected difference per 10° F, but the difference is more on a cold day, than a hot day. If you say 70° F is "average", the difference on in distance from 40°-70° is greater than from 70°-100°, if that makes any sense.

[natureboy]

1 hour ago, onthehunt526 said:

2.5 yd per 10° F could be correct, but between 68° and 77° the difference is negligible. I think it starts to drop off more the colder it gets, but it doesn't increase as much on a hot day. So a 220 yard drive on a 72° day in April in Ithaca would maybe go 228 on a hot 92° day in July, but only 195 on a 42° day in March... there isn't per se an expected difference per 10° F, but the difference is more on a cold day, than a hot day. If you say 70° F is "average", the difference on in distance from 40°-70° is greater than from 70°-100°, if that makes any sense.

Well the air density part of the distance effect is there at any temperature difference relative to the temperature when you calibrated your club distances. But that's only about 1 yard per 10 degrees.

The PGA teaching manual (likely derived from USGA testing at a full range of temperatures - but not certain) estimates a value that's more than that aerodynamic contribution, but seems to be a bit less than the 'average' in the range of typical playing conditions for which ball compression response is likely optimized by manufacturers.

Yards --- Temp

226 ------- 105

224 ------- 95

222 ------- 85

220 ------- 75

216 ------- 65

214 ------- 55

205 ------- 45

196 ------- 35

IMO, it's likely that gains and losses relative to the temperature you calibrated club distance are still there, but well within your normal impact-related distance error so it's not as noticeable until the temp drops to the bottom of the typical ball's optimal performance range.