It’s hard to keep a golfer off of the course on the weekends (ask just about any golfer’s spouse). But when mother nature plays her part, that can be a different story.
Here are tips that can help anyone survive a round of golf in cold weather.
Take care of those hands
As soon as you start losing that feeling in your hands, you’ve lost some feel on your shot. Have a pair or two of comfortable golf gloves for your hands. Both, if you can play that way. Multiple pairs are suggested here so that you can rotate between wearing and warming your gloves. Warmer gloves means better grip.
Speaking of grip, be sure that you’re not playing with older, dried out grips on your clubs. Bad grips can mean a bad round in just about any weather. Keep those grips in good shape.
The next more obvious tip for your hands is hand warmers. Grab several and throw them in your bag. Leave some in your cart, if you’re riding. Your hands are the most important part of your game.
One last tip for your hands is a good pair of thermal gloves for the trek between shots.
Take care of those feet
Doubling up on thermal socks is an easy trick for sure, but can lead to achy feet thanks to suddenly tight shoes. A suggestion for cold weather area regulars: an extra pair of slightly over sized spikes can alleviate a whole lot.
Another big time thing to watch out for is wet feet. Keep an eye for puddles and avoid dragging your feet through wet rough. It may be a smart idea to bring an extra pair or two of those thermal socks, you never know when you may need them.
Keep it simple, stay on the fairway, avoid puddles, and keep those feet dry.
Focus on ball striking
Getting back to the hands for a second, anyone knows that a bad miss-hit can hurt in any temperature (both the hands and the ego). But in chilly or lower weather, a skulled shot can leave those digits ringing for a hole or two. Today’s drivers are forgiving, this we know, but those irons can really cause you agony… keep that head down.
Dress Warm
Sometimes you need to keep these tips obvious… dress warm. While you may have that deep-freeze parka in the closet, it’s always important to keep an eye on your mobility and flexibility. Thermal underwear tends to play higher than your fashionable outerwear.
Form-fitting long johns are a life saver and a stroke saver. Warm free-and-easy wear can be found at just about any golf outfitter, but this writer suggests saving a few dollars by checking out a sporting goods or camping supply spot first. Pro tip: look for a nice beanie as well — a warm head is a happy head.
Oh, and be sure to wear that fancy parka between shots.
Keep those insides warm
A hot coffee or tea can do wonders to keep everything a little more
Of course, as counter-intuitive as it sounds, a cold beverage has also been known to help… a few beers while out on the links with some buddies can do wonders to help you feel warmer inside and out. Grab a beer, grab a shot, and take your shot.
But of course, drink responsibly.
