During my second competitive golf tournament in Oregon, there was a snow delay. What a way to get introduced into Pacific Northwest golf. To top it off, during my entire round, I played with a ski jacket. Not a golf jacket but your typical bulky, and heavy ski jacket. This didn’t go well…
6 years layer with dozens more winter golf rounds under my belt, my winter golf clothing choices have improved. It was only until I figured out layering that I really started to play better in winter.
Today, I’m going to share with you my secrets to staying warm and flexible on the golf course.
*This post doesn’t lead you to any purchases and is purely for informational purposes to help you play better golf.
*To see a more in-depth post on clothing, click here
Multiple Thin layers
This is the first and most important principle when it comes to staying warm and flexible on the golf course. Remember that the goal for clothing is to keep us warm and flexible.
I see too many people wearing large jackets. While they may keep you warm, they don’t help with flexibility.
To achieve both warmth and flexibility, you must wear multiple thin layers.
That’s the secret.
So the next time you are out playing in the cold, wear lots (sometimes 3-5) of thin layers and I guarantee this will help.
This is analogous to the layers of insulation in a house. Combining lots of different materials makes for overall better insulation. And flexibility in golf 😉
And remember winter golf is more about survival than fashion. Save your best layer for the top as it’s the only one visible.
This applies to the lower body as well.
Layer up with your “non-visible” pants and keep your best pants for the top. Often at tournaments, I would be wearing pajama pants underneath my golf pants but no one notices!
What matters is that you are comfortable. And that you can play your best golf…
Helpful advice to stay warm
Sometimes, perfect preparation is not enough. This is due to attitude.
Ever notice how preconceived expectations leads to disappointment. For example, you try a restaurant that your friend claims “is really good” but you end up underwhelmed as it didn’t meet your initial expectation. While it may have been a great restaurant, the pre-determined situation led to disappointment.
How this relates to your golf game.
When playing winter golf, you must keep your expectations low. Although I might say, “you’ll never feel cold again”, you have to go into the round with no expectations.
My advice would be to utilize the tips in this article, the clothing guide, and the winter golf tips post. But don’t have any expectations.
You’ll be surprised by how much of a difference these tips make. But you must have no expectations.
Not having fun with winter golf?
I recently wrote an in-depth post discussing actionable solutions to this problem. Check it out here
Concluding Thoughts
My goal with this post and many others like it, is to make winter golf fun.
Some of my greatest memories on the golf course have come from the worst of days. My goal is to give each of you a guideline to create these memories for yourselves.
Me practicing in 30 degree weather. Doesn’t get more peaceful.
Layering is one crucial but necessary step to finally enjoying winter golf.
Please let me know in the comments of any unanswered questions. I would be happy to answer them.
Happy golfing!! (and layering…)
