Winter Golf – 7 Tips for the Cold Season

Playing golf in winter comes with its share of challenges. We’ve put together 7 tips to ensure you can still enjoy golf even during the cold season. At the end, you’ll also find a packing list for your winter golf outing.

Tips for staying warm during your round:

Tip #1: Warm up before your round

Especially in cold weather, your body tends to stiffen up, so a thorough warm-up is essential to prevent injuries and get you in the right frame of mind before your round. Pay particular attention to your back, knees, shoulders, and wrists. You should warm these up for at least 3 minutes to bring them up to operating temperature before taking your first swing. Driving to the golf course with the seat heaters and car heater on should not shorten or replace your warm-up routine.

Tip #2: Play quickly to stay warm

Play ready golf—that is, whoever is ready takes their shot (without endangering your fellow players, of course). Try to walk briskly between shots to keep your body temperature as high as possible. If you get too cold during the round, you can stay warm between holes with short sprints or a few quick exercises (e.g., jumping jacks or shoulder circles). Try not to spend more than 1 minute looking for your ball; instead, drop it generously with a penalty stroke so you can stay in the flow of the game.

Tip #3: Carrying a golf bag

We recommend carrying a lightweight golf bag instead of using a trolley. The extra weight and the act of carrying it will raise your heart rate, which in turn raises your body temperature. Your round will go faster because you’ll be walking across the tees and greens and covering shorter distances overall. Plus, carrying your bag keeps your hands free, so you can wear mittens or warm your hands in your pockets.

Tips for playing your best in winter:

Tip #4: Rotate the balls

When playing in very cold temperatures, it’s a good idea to rotate your balls and keep one or two in your jacket or pants pocket to keep them warm. According to the official rules of golf, special pocket warmers must not come into contact with the ball (note: artificial heating of the balls). For better visibility in winter, you can play with colored balls instead of white ones.

Tip #5 – Allow for minimal roll

Due to the cold temperatures, the ground is often muddy, and the ball will roll very little or not at all. This applies to both the fairways and the greens. Therefore, it’s best to aim directly at the flag to keep your putts as short as possible. The opposite is true when the ground is nearly frozen, but courses are usually closed during frost.

Tip #5: Putting in the Winter

Be generous with your putts (e.g., a driver’s length), as the greens are often not in optimal condition and the ball can easily roll off course. This is especially true for winter greens. Additionally, putts take very little break, as the greens are usually much slower than in the summer. So be careful not to overshoot the greens.

Tip #6: Clean your club and ball frequently

Clean the clubface and the ball whenever possible; otherwise, the ball won’t fly with consistent direction or distance. If you do happen to play a ball with dirt on one side (e.g., in a tournament where cleaning the ball is not allowed), the golf ball will curve in the opposite direction: If there is dirt on the left side of the ball, the golf ball will curve to the right.

Packing List for a Winter Golf Round

In addition to your standard equipment, you should definitely bring these extra accessories. They’re sure to make your winter round of golf much more enjoyable.

• A hat, scarf, or snood, and thick gloves (mittens) to keep you warm between strokes. Keep your head and neck as warm as possible, as these areas cool down quickly and cause you to lose a lot of body heat. In cold temperatures, the body loses up to 10% of its heat through the head.
• We recommend the layering principle (multi-layer): Wear several layers of technical clothing (thermal base layer, technical sweater, windbreaker, vest), because the air pockets between the layers provide extra insulation, and you can easily take something off and put it back on. Also try playing in winter golf pants or pull your rain pants over your regular pants—you’ll be amazed at how few layers you need on top when your legs, neck, and head are warm.
• In addition to cold drinks, be sure to pack a thermos of tea or coffee and plenty of snacks for the ride (bananas, nuts, etc.), because you’ll need extra energy in cold weather.
• Waterproof golf shoes with spikes. Since the ground is often muddy and slippery, we recommend waterproof shoes with spikes to prevent slipping and losing your footing during your swing. In extremely cold temperatures, winter golf boots with spikes are the best way to keep your feet warm.
• Winter golf gloves. For several years now, high-quality winter golf gloves with leather lining—or leather on the palms—have been available. Thanks to the leather inserts, you don’t lose as much sensitivity as you would with conventional winter gloves.
• Yellow / colored balls. Unlike white balls, you can easily see the ball’s flight path even when the sun is low in the sky, and they’re also easier to spot in the foliage. Tour-quality balls are now available in a variety of colors as well.
• Driver adjustment wrench: If you have an adjustable driver, use the wrench to increase the driver’s loft. The higher loft helps because it generates more carry distance, and the ball won’t roll much due to the muddy ground.
  If the ground is hard due to frost (assuming the course is open), you can also experiment with lowering the loft of your driver to get more roll.