First, it’s 100% possible to have an enjoyable time at the golf course in frozen, wintery conditions. Proper preparation, equipment, and mindset can allow for a great winter golf experience.
Whether your goal is to have fun or improve your game, winter golf can help achieve that. In this post, I’ll talk about:
- A few things you can do to have more fun
- Things you should avoid
- Some technical tricks to play better in the cold
- How winter golf could be better than summer golf
- My own experience with winter golf
Alright, let’s jump in…
WHAT CAN I DO TO ENJOY WINTER GOLF?
The best two things you can do are to play with friends and to play a different scoring style.
When it’s cold out, you will not shoot summer scores. However, you can still have a good time or a productive practice session.
Playing with a group of friends with a similar skill level to you is a great way to keep those competitive juices flowing. The beauty of this is that everyone is playing in the same conditions. The course/weather plays the same for everyone in the group. This is also a great way to get your mind off your score, as chances are you aren’t shooting any personal bests.
Switching things up and turning away from pure stroke play is a great way to have more fun. Create unique games for yourself, like one club only, worst-ball scramble, etc, as this helps keep you mentally engaged.
I noticed when I played regular stroke play that I would constantly compare my score to my “summer” scores. “You shot higher than +3 and now you are +4 after 4!!”
By playing a different scoring style, you don’t have preconceived scoring expectations, so you have no gauge to compare yourself with. You don’t know a good vs a bad score, so you can focus on the next shot.
For more scoring styles and different games, scroll to the Conclusion below.
WHAT SHOULD I AVOID?
The first and most important thing to avoid is putting pressure/expectations on yourself.
Winter golf is an entirely different game than summer golf, so you should have vastly different expectations for yourself.
An issue I struggled with was I would continuously get mad at myself for not shooting my “summer” scores, which would completely ruin my day. Be patient with yourself, know that your game will be less sharp, and focus on enjoying playing golf.
The next thing you should avoid is trying to be too perfectionist. As I said before, winter golf is entirely different from summer golf. Here are a few key differences:
- Bumpier and slower greens
- Shorter carry distances
- Less fairway runout
- Inconsistent ball flight (due to varying friction from water)
- Less feel (frozen hands, reducing mobility from clothing)
This could lead to a potential 3-4 shot difference throughout a round. Once again, I recommend playing a different scoring style (above), as this is the best way to keep yourself mentally engaged.
WHAT SORT OF EQUIPMENT/CLOTHING DO I NEED?
I have more in-depth posts on this topic, but I will include a brief overview below;
The most important idea here is to bring more clothing than you need.
This means bringing one extra coat, those rain pants, that umbrella, those gloves, etc. You would rather “have it and not need it than need it and not have it.”
It’s much easier to take off layers once you are warm than to try to bring the perfect amount of clothing and end up being cold.
Here is a super quick clothing check for winter golf (this works for temperatures 35 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit). I’ll start from the head and then move down:
- Beanie
- Optional: snood (like a scarf for your neck)
- 2-3 base layers, I recommend the Galvin Green Insulas
- Thermal pants
- Thick socks: I know Costco sells a good pair of these
- Hand warmers: I would recommend electric, rechargeable hand warmers
- Mitts: I would recommend the Titleist brand
- Rain hat, rain pants, rain jacket, extra towels
That’s a quick and dirty list, but I recommend you check my other posts for a more in-depth list.
MY OWN EXPERIENCE
Currently, my golfing life is based in Oregon. This has meant a long, rainy off-season with temperatures ranging from 35 to 50 for most of the winter.
I have a lot of first-hand experience with this topic and practice 5-6 times during the week in winter. My best advice would be to prepare well and lower your expectations.
It is 100% possible to get better and have a good time in winter conditions, but you have to be appropriately prepared. My golf game has consistently improved from these winter off-seasons, so it is possible.
Having a group of friends you play with would help out even more. For most of my practice, I was by myself but could still get by.
HOW WINTER GOLF COULD GIVE YOU AN ADVANTAGE
I used to believe living in a sunny place would yield the best results for my game. After six years in the PNW, living in a cool place can provide significant competitive advantages.
First, winter practice is almost more for your mental game than for your physical game. Being able to consistently grind away in the cold, sometimes rainy weather makes summer seem like cheating. Suppose you have worked for hours and hours in these conditions. In that case, you build a mental resilience that can give you an edge over your competition.
I’m not denying that winter greens are inconsistent, and your physical game is probably not improving. But there is no doubt that your mental game skyrockets during the winter season.
Those select few who can get out and practice in the cold are reaping these hidden benefits.
Look at some of the world’s best right now. Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, etc. These guys are living proof that winter golf can give you strength.
CONCLUSION
I hope you learned something out of that.
Winter golf is a different beast, but it can be enjoyable once you know how.
Here is a quick summary of what you have learned:
- Actionable steps you can do to have more fun (new scoring styles, friends)
- Things that reduce your enjoyment and you should avoid
- A good idea of equipment/clothing that you need
- A mindset that will hopefully get you to see winter golf as an advantage
Please get outside your comfort zone and play/practice in horrid conditions. You might be surprised how peaceful and enjoyable the experience can be.
What are you waiting for? Get out there!!
As promised, here are some more games/scoring methods:
- Play forward tees: great way to improve scoring, also gets you in birdie/par mode depending on skill level
- Play only irons: you may be surprised to see how many shots you save from keeping it in play
- Play a scramble with yourself: take two balls and pick the best ball out of the two
- Go from the very back tees and see what you can shoot: this is an excellent grind with a group of friends
- Any other team format game, such as matches, skins, closest-to-pin, etc, helps to keep you mentally engaged
