Playing Golf in Cold Weather (Tips for Low Scores, Comfort and Consistency)

The golf season never feels as long as it should be. Squeezing in those extra golf days can make it so much easier to start your season strong and play golf all winter long.

Winter golf can be enjoyable. I’ve played a lot of it growing up, but it all comes down to preparation. You have to be prepared for what is to come when you are out on the course.

I’ll give you some of my best tips for shooting low scores in the winter, how to stay comfortable and warm, and be consistent.

Playing Golf in Cold Weather (Key Takeaways)

Playing golf in cold weather may need a slight adjustment in your mindset. Chances are you will not shoot the lowest round you ever shot when the temperatures are less than ideal, but you can still enjoy a good round.

• Always ensure you have extra layers of clothing in your golf bag, ensure you have ways to keep your hands warm, and have a towel.
• Play with a lower-compression golf ball that allows you to get a few extra yards of distance when the weather isn’t great.
• Walk the golf course to create some extra warmth; taking a cart actually makes you colder.
• Choose the perfect time of the day to play golf and learn to control the ball flight of your shots to be a better player.

13 Tips for Playing Golf in Cold Weather

Don’t put the golf clubs away too soon. Days on the course where the weather is just a tad on the cool side can be opportunities to seize.

Here are my best tips for making sure you get the most out of the cold weather golf experience.

1. Prepare the Golf Bag

Your golf bag must be packed with everything you need for a day out on the golf course in the cold. Things to include are:

• An extra towel
• Gloves
• Handwarmers
• Low-compression golf balls
• Layers of clothes
• Hat

The clothing you choose needs to be warm, but it also has to allow you to swing your golf club with ease. The problem with your regular winter sweatshirts, hats, and sweaters is that they will restrict your swing.

For cold weather golf, I always like to have an extra towel in my golf bag as well. The towel ensures that I can keep clubs clean, hands dry, or anything else I may run into on the course.

Remember that when it’s cold, grass often has a hard time growing. The trouble with that is you will run into situations with more mud and dirt on the golf balls than necessary. Trust me, having an extra towel is not going to hurt your game.

2. Change the Golf Ball

Play with a lower-compression golf ball in the cold weather.

Golf balls don’t fly as far in the cold; we have proven this through a lot of testing with launch monitors and golf ball data. If you want to hit the ball a long way, you will need to be able to compress the ball more.

For higher swing speed players, going from a 4- or 3-piece golf ball down to a 2-piece golf ball can make sense. For lower swing speed, players choose a softer feel 2 piece distance golf ball.

Again, we have to remember that scoring in the cold weather can be a little different, but these small steps and changes will make all the difference.

3. Grab Some Extra Time on the Range

Warming up in the cold takes a lot longer. Similar to your car, it’s important to give your body a little extra time to warm up on those cold days on the driving range.

I would also do some stretching before your round to ensure that you are not setting yourself up for injury.

When you head to the driving range, spend your first 20 shots on shorter half swings where you get yourself turning and rotating. Work your way up through the bag until you get to the driver.

Ripping the driver out of the bag and swinging for the fences won’t warm up your body, and it may injure you.

4. Wear Layers

Layers are very important to wear on the golf course.

The interesting part about golf is that you are on the golf course for so long you will have to deal with a variety of weather conditions. The temperatures may start out being in the high 30s and increase to the high 40s by the time you get to the 10th hole.

Having a wide variety of gear to wear will make all the difference.

Start with a long sleeve underlayer that helps keep you warm. Layer on a long or short sleeve golf shirt. Next, add something like a quarter zip or golf sweater. On the top, wear a golf jacket of some sort.

You would be surprised how many layers you can add to your golf wardrobe and the impact it will have on your ability to stay comfortable on the course.

As warm as you want to maintain yourself, you also don’t want to get hot and start sweating in the cold.

5. Get Your Walking Shoes on

The winter is the perfect time to walk the golf course. Find golf shoes that are waterproof, as the winter turf is often a little wet. In addition, make sure the shoes are comfortable and not overly heavy.

I would stay away from anything mesh in the winter; you will want some leather or synthetic materials to ensure your feet are a little more covered.

Walking the course keeps your body warm, and you will also be less stiff than when you take a cart. If you have ever taken a cart ride on a cold winter day, you know that the temperatures make it really hard to stay comfortable.

6. More than One Glove

Wearing a glove certainly helps to maintain the grip on your golf club, even in cold conditions.

However, golf gloves can be worn on both hands for the cold weather.

Winter golf gloves are a little thicker than standard, and that can make them hard to adjust to at first. However, these winter gloves hold up really well in poor weather conditions and they help ensure you are comfortable swinging through without pain in your hands.

The winter golf gloves are sold in pairs, and keeping them in your bag is a smart idea. When the weather warms up a bit, simply put them to the side and put your regular glove back on.

7. Focus on a Good Strike

Making consistent contact with the golf ball is hard to do in cold weather. Leading up to the cold weather golf season, you will want to work on the consistency of your ball striking.

You won’t hit your longest drives in the cold, and you have to adjust to poor course conditions and a stiff body. However, if you learn to focus on hitting shots with a clubface that is square, you will be able to play some decent golf.

Use HackMotion to help you feel in real time what a square clubface at impact can do for your game.