Making winter play happen isn’t always easy, but if you live somewhere that isn’t covered in that white stuff for the next 3 months, you can use a few of these little tips to make the most of a wet weather round – whether it’s falling from the sky or embedded in the fairway.
Get a cheaper or used ball – Let’s be honest… Playing in cold, wet weather does not require a brand new Titleist Pro V1x to shoot down the fairway. Instead, pick up a dozen Reload Pro V1x’s for about 40% of the regular price and shoot with those when the conditions won’t let you put in an optimal round. You’ll find that you’ll end up losing more balls that plug in the fairway,. so why offer up $4 a ball that could only last a few shots on course. Also, with those soft greens and the cold weather, you might even want to try a softer compression ball like the $.86 a ball Wilson Staff Zips.
Get good shoes – This should be a tip for the entire year, but there is nothing more important during the wet winter months than wearing shoes that will keep your feet dry and comfortable. It’s equally important to check the spikes on your shoes after the long summer season. Most people perform their maintenance in the spring, right before the season starts, but it’s a great idea to replace spikes and check grips before the wettest part of the year sets in. I’ll cover more on the grips next, but if your spikes are worn, you’ll have no shot of keeping a stable footing on the saturated teeboxes or fairways.
Check your grips – Again, it seems backwards to look at an equipment change when you won’t use them as much, but hear me out. During the winter months, your grips will be tested harder than any other time during the year. Cold, wet weather is brutal on them, but they will only be used a few times during the off season, which is why it’s the best time to regrip them. The softer, newer rubber on a set of new grips will help you maintain control of your clubs in the wetter weather and will easily last through the following season unless you are playing 20-30 rounds over the winter months. This will also give you a great opportunity to get a feel of the new grips before tournament season starts next season. Remember, you don’t have to spend a ton to find your grip, you just need to shop around a bit and not just buy something because you need it.
Make some hand warmers – Cold weather play can be down right sucky when you get down to it, but a few simple items can really help make it a bit nicer. One of these is a homemade hand warmer set that you can take with you out on the course. These are one of the most simple pieces to make, using just a small amount of fabric, some rice and a spice or essential oil of your choice on them. What you will do is make a ‘bag’ with one end open out of the fabric – someone that can sew is very helpful with this step, so if you aren’t sure how – get some help here. If you stitch from the inside of the bag, you can flip it inside out and have a nice clean bag on the outside. Leave one end of the bag open and fill it with the rice and some spice like cinnamon (unless you will be using oils instead) and then stitch the bag closed. Before your round starts, have the restaurant at the course microwave your warmers for you for a minute or two and go hit the front nine with nice warm pockets for your hands to go in. After the front side, swing back into the restaurant and do it again – and maybe grab a coffee to enjoy as well.
Spray your bag with waterproofing spray – Something like the Kiwi Heavy Duty Water Repellant will really help keep what’s in your bag dry when you need it to be. Most bags start off being waterproof or at the very least, water resistant. The problem is after a long summer or a few long summers, the fabric starts to break down and seams start to wear out. A simple empting of the bag and a quick spray down of the entire thing with a good water proofing spray will help keep your gear dry even in the wettest conditions. Just remember to let it dry completely before you put everything back in.
There’s a few simple ways to get a bit more enjoyment out of your cold, wet rounds this winter. If you have any questions about getting more from your winter golf practice, ask away in the comments below!
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