This one sorta rings a bell for me. How to golf in cold weather. A high of 29 degrees the other day but no wind and you have the itch to play some golf. Well I had the itch to play golf. You are out for a drive with your wife and you see a couple of golfers out on a local course. They must be hardy. I thought the courses were all closed. Well, most golf courses are closed where I live throughout the winter. Now although I can’t get my buddies to join me on the colder days, I sometimes enjoy the cold weather so let’s play some golf.
What You Need to Play Golf in Cold Weather
Have you ever been stuck in a car in the dead of winter? They tell you to carry extra blankets, etc… Well hopefully we would be smart enough to not play golf on an absolutely wicked day but at the very least, above all else, please be safe. I wrote an article a while back because I found out that temperature affects golf ball distance. Especially cold temperatures. Obviously temperature affects those of us who play in the colder weather by taking longer to warm up, maybe not being able to make a full swing, and trembling as you are standing over the ball. Now while I don’t mean this post to come off as one big ad, I do use some of these products below and it does make golfing in the cold weather a lot more bearable.
So here is some Dawn Patrol golf in the freeeeeeeeezing weather.
Warm Up Those Balls
I found a fix for having cold golf balls. At least before the round. I oftentimes have a 30 minute drive to the golf course. By the time you check in, maybe putt a few balls, etc… it can easily be an hour after leaving the house before you tee up. And in doing that I’m probably breaking the cardinal rule of not hitting the range to hit some balls before stepping up to the first tee.
So my recommendation is to get some Hot Hands. Basically you wrap a couple of hot hands around a few golf balls you will be using and rather than hitting a for instance 38 degree golf ball you could be hitting a 75 degree golf ball. Much better distance and a warmer golf ball won’t feel like you are hitting a rock like a cold golf ball can feel.
Don’t Golf with Cold Hands
I think there is a saying, cold hands warm heart. Forget that. Now if the intention is to actually play golf and have fun instead of wearing mittens, I recommend looking into a pair of FootJoy Wintersof Golf Gloves. You will get a pair of gloves to keep your hands warm. Oh, these are made for men. Of course, I’m partial to the single Callaway wedge that I have so these Callaway golf gloves are always an option.
And of course we can’t forget the FootJoy Women’s WinterSof Golf Gloves which fortunately/unfortunately look just as cool. So maybe we will offer the ladies another option.
There is nothing like having your fingers tingling because of the cold. So if we are just playing golf for fun and are not in a tournament where you can win a turkey or in a New Years golf scramble for money, I say be comfortable. Go and grab another Hot Hands and keep it in the pocket of your jacket to keep your hands warm as well. Win-Win.
Nice Warm and Comfy Pants
I have a tough time fitting into normal human sized clothes. As a male that is 5′ tall when I stretch, you don’t typically walk into a store and just pick up a pair of slacks to wear on the golf course. Luckily my wife is able to hem these pants to fit. The adidas Men’s Frostguard Insulated Pant are meant to keep you warm. I’ve had no issues playing in temps in the upper 30’s while wearing these pants. Yeah, I personally think they are pricey but along with my single pair of rain pants, I just have one pair of cold weather golf pants.
Now for women I can’t speak from personal experience. Times like this and I wish my wife golfed. But just looking at Amazon I do see a couple of options. I would check into the reviews before making any choice.
Playing Dawn Patrol Golf, I’ve had many cold golfing days. The sun is barely up and on a typical mid 50’s day, we are most likely starting the day in the high 30’s. Still, I’ve never found a need to think about different shoes or socks. In fact, I think for me having thicker socks would cause issues when trying to walk 18 holes. Yes, I infrequently walk 18 anymore because my buddies prefer to ride but when playing alone, especially for 9 holes, you will find me walking.
However I know folks who might keeping those toes warm and they won’t be walking the course. If that sounds like you, for men I would look into this:
Cold Weather Golf Jacket
When I play golf in cold weather, I’ve been known to strip off the jacket to hit a shot. I just don’t care for the restriction in the golf swing if all bulked up with clothing. There are some less restrictive yet warm enough options when playing golf in the cold. The PUMA Men’s Golf 2020 Primaloft Stlth Jacket is an excellent jacket made with golf in mind. So it doesn’t hinder your golf swing. I would say that this jacket works well while playing in the 40’s or 50’s but I’m not sure about colder weather.
Women might want to look at a comfortable cold weather jacket as well. Again, I’m not so sure you can call this a winter jacket but in-so-far as golf is concerned, if it allows you to play in the 40’s or 50’s, we’ll call that a winner.
I suppose we should end this with a hat. Gotta keep the noggin warm as well. If you are playing golf, you want to go with a brand name that shows you aren’t supporting the closest watering hole or theme park. Of course you may catch me on the course with my Manchester United hat. This Titleist hat has a cool look.
Women might like this Callaway Hat. Several colors are available but I dig the white or dark red.