Cold weather Golf. HELP!

[Grungedude42]

Willing to bet it's wind and thinner air causing discs to fly more understable, but if you can't get them up to speed because you're dressed like Randy on A Christmas Story, they will fade out sooner. I'm having real trouble adapting to a predominately night-based glow game, and can't decide if the cold air, added weight/reduced flightplate flex from LEDs, or form-based noodlearming is hurting my game most. I plan on buying lightweight glow versions of my discs to test a hypothesis or two, and maybe salvage the winter.

My River and Stalkers are going hard right where they would normally flatten out and glide, and glide has become non-existant. My drives refuse to carry, and fade out early and choke. A round friday night in 20mph winds had me shoot a +15 where I normally would be under par. Very irritating.

[Monkeypaws]

Cold air is dense. Makes sense that disc lose glide in that stuff.

[kerplunk]

I recommend a nice down vest. It will keep you warm without hampering your arm motion, and you can compress it pretty well if you get too warm. I always used to clown on vests until I got one.

Also, I second the hand warmers, probably the best investment a winter disc golfer can make.

And yes, I live in Texas now, but I lived in Amsterdam for a year, not quite as cold but pretty much always cold and damp.

[freezermink]

http://www.zippo.com/product.aspx?id=1025148

just picked one up last week. keeping this thing in my pocket to hold on to between throws made all the difference. you can pick them up at any sporting goods/hunting store.

[pookie]

I played a tournament a few weeks back when it was very cold in the morning and I was flipping my discs as well. Also my grip was horrible, especially putting couldn't get a good release. A lot of people talk about wearing sports gloves, but I could never could get the hang of it. I've moved to more overstable to stable discs of lately to help adjust.

[akguanja]

in the winter I use more overstable discs to achieve a straighter line. if a disc is normally stable to understable the cold it is going to amplify that.

I played a round of glow tonight in 5 below.

[redrum]

Everything the General said is absolutely true. Except for the discs being more understable in cold weather. Then again, it could just be personal experience, but due to the fact that the discs get hard and rigid, I find my stuff flies more stable. I tend to throw more understable stuff in the winter.

Here in Michigan we experience pretty much every type of golf weather imaginable. Never underestimate your elements. Invest in a great pair of gloves, I even use a pair with fingers cut off...provides the feel I need to throw, yet keeps my hands plenty warm.

Cold chains suck. So do hard putters. If you're ok with it, switch to a soft version of whatever you throw. There's lots of models out there that would be able to swap in for your putter, I'm sure. That will help your putts.

Layers are a must, but not in excess. Really, you should be able to go out with no more than 2-3 layers, if you have the right gear. Under Armour is worth the investment, but a solid pair of thermals from a sports store will work too. I like UA bc it doesn't bunch, is very close to the skin so I don't even know it's there.

One major thing to remember...wind burns just like the sun. In colder air, your skin will dry out. Partnered with a 3 hour round, and a 10+mph wind, and you're bound to wind up red and sensitive. Get yourself a ski mask, a thinsulate or neoprene mask that covers just your nose and mouth, velcros in the back. They work amazing. Also, never underestimate the power of a good thermos with some hot cocoa in it. It'll work wonders on making a long cold round enjoyable, and keep you wam. Or throw some whisky or alcohol of choice, coupled with a good warm mixer, and you'll be golden

[JedV]

Originally Posted by freezermink

http://www.zippo.com/product.aspx?id=1025148

just picked one up last week. keeping this thing in my pocket to hold on to between throws made all the difference. you can pick them up at any sporting goods/hunting store.

Seconded.

And to second it even further, I've got another on order from Amazon.com so I can have one in each pocket, for each hand. I prefer to let them burn hotter, so I leave the velvet sleeve at home.

They are inexpensive to operate (I have a 1 gallon container of coleman white gas that will take a very long time to use up ~1 oz at a time). The instructions tell you to use Zippo brand lighter fluid, but that costs roughly 4x more for the same or very similarly formulated naptha product. Compare the msds sheets fwiw.

Note: the hand warmers are thin stainless steel, and if your hands are cold, the unit will cool down from the heat transfer and will take a minute or so to come back up to a hot temp... I've found that it's best to keep these to myself and not share them

[juju]

I heard those zippo things don't work under 20-25 degrees. Any truth to that?

[brandocommando9]

discs fly more stable in cold due to air density slowing them faster and the cold weather making them more rigid ive lived in washington my whole life and have yet to notice the cold making anything more understable