Now that the season has turned from fall to winter, most golfers are looking to move indoors for their recreational sport fix. Bowling, poker, re-acquainting themselves with the family; whatever it is I urge you not to turn your back so fast on golf. Sure, winter brings some lower temps and some rain, but if you are prepared for the occasional drizzle or frost delay there is some great golf to be had.
Here are some tips when it comes to being a year around golfer:
- Clothing: Always be sure to dress with multiple layers. Start with a microfiber or dri-fit material underneath a golf shirt that is breathable and moves sweat away from the body. On top, add a sleeveless or half sleeve waterproof pullover or vest, and a rain jacket. I prefer a half zip on the rain jacket but I will leave that one up to you. I also like to have a beanie in my bag and will wear it even if it’s raining or a little cooler. Keeping your head warm and covered is important since that’s where you lose most of your body heat.
- Shoes: Invest in a good pair of comfortable, waterproof golf shoes! There are a lot of different types to go with but I have found the athletic boot style to be the best. You can also wear a couple pairs of socks or a single pair of wool socks. The main focus here is to keep your feet comfortable AND dry.
- Gloves: There are several different styles of rain gloves on the market now and all of them seem to work pretty well. The advantage you have with the rain gloves is they work better the wetter they get.
- Equipment: The golf ball doesn’t fly or roll as far in the winter, so carry yards are important. I would recommend going with a little higher lofted driver to help off the tee, and also adding more hybrids to take the place of your longer irons. Hybrids tend to go higher but are easier to hit out of all types of lies, and in winter golf you tend to get ALL types of lies!
- Umbrella: These have gotten bigger and bigger over the years, and most on the market now have a layered effect to them so they don’t turn inside out when the wind gusts. An umbrella is a great way to keep yourself and your equipment dry when it’s not really windy. A good alternative when the wind picks up is a zip up bag cover. A trick I have learned over the years is to hang a towel on the inside of the umbrella between the supports and the umbrella itself. This way you keep the towel dry and can use it to wipe off grips or whatever you need to out of the rain.
- Towels: Make sure you have plenty of towels to use during your round. I prefer a larger one around my clubs to use on them during the round, and a smaller hand towel to use on the green for my ball or hands.
If you follow some of these tips it will make your winter golf more enjoyable and hopefully more successful. Remember – the weatherman might say 50% chance of rain but what you never hear is there is also a 50% chance of sun!
Good luck and hope to see you out on the links!
-Daryl