Cold weather Golf. HELP!

[Disc Dog]

I moved from Virginia, in the Hampton Roads area, to Eastern Washington State and the climate difference is drastic. It is very dry and hot here compared to very hot and humid in the summer in Hampton Roads. I have adjusted to that well but the cold is something else.

I have now played when it is 18 degrees and several at or around freezing. Is it just me or have I lost my mind. My drives are shorter (I can drive consistently to 325, but now about 275), the tree action good or bad is less, and my putts are more difficult (more chain outs). I would assume wearing more clothing would account for some of it but this is crazy. I also realize the discs are less pliable.

I am a decent player and have made big strides in improving my game since I moved here. So do I just deal with it or is there some adjustments I can make? Any help would be nice. This feeling of going backwards is driving me nutty.

[ridestreet84]

its the cold dense air that isnt helping either. but yes you will notice that your throws will be a bit shorter, its normal

[General Scales]

Welcome to Eastern Washington, if you are in the Spokane area, we should meet up and play a round. Here's my advice for cold weather rounds.

1.) STRETCH twice as much as would normally. Stretch between holes, at the teepad, etc. You have to really work to keep the muscles pliable to keep the blood flowing to keep warm.
2.) More clothes is not necessarily the way to go. You have to invest in warm yet light layers. I usually go out in long johns (both top and bottom) or thermal under armor under my pants, then a light long sleeve tee over the first layer then either a light jacket, light fleece hoodie or a light sweatshirt. That way you have three layers on top, two on bottom and it is all very easy to be flexible in while staying warm.
3.) Go to Walmart, go to the sporting good section and invest in a 10 pack of handwarmers (it's actually 20 individual ones). Open them about 10-15 minutes before you arrive at the course that way when you get out of your warm vehicle, they are already warmed up.
4.) Invest in a pair of gloves that you can keep your non throwing hand in and one that you can easily slip on and off your throwing hand as needed. I won't use gloves from 25-40 degrees, but any colder then that (or in severe wind chill days) I always have gloves.
5.) Get used to wearing thicker socks. I will wear two pairs on really cold days (1 really light sock and a wool style sock over the top). Most of the time though, just a good pair of thick socks will do the trick.
6.) Keep your hands moving. There is nothing worse then trying to get the joints back to a warm state for throwing.

Now for cold weather disc throwing:
1.) Discs are generally more understable in the cold (at least that's what I've gathered from experience and what I've been told).
2.) Discs tend to fly not as far as they would in warmer weather. They seem to lose speed faster and die in the middle of their flight.
3.) Cold chains are the bane of a putters existence. They don't flex anywhere near as well when they are warm. Put that thing in the middle and it should be fine.
4.) Discs really become less pliable and more susceptible to damage in the cold. They don't take hard rock impacts (and the occasional super tree hit) anywhere near as well. If you have a thought that your disc is brittle, it probably is. I've seen a lot of really choice pieces of plastic meet their end in the winter up here. Nothing worse then watching your baby split in the flight plate.

The positives of winter golf? Courses are nowhere near as crowded, your beer will stay cold the entire round, your still playing disc golf.

Have fun!

P.S. If you ever want to know whats going on in the local area, check out nwdiscgolfnews.com

[Disc Dog]

Yup I am in Spokane. Was born and raised here. Then left with the military and was gone for 31 years. Got back and I love it!

I'd like to get together. thanks for helping me not feel like I'm loosing my mind.

[captain jack]

Yep.
It's harder to throw when you're dressed like the Michelin man, but its a fact of life when you live in the north part of the country.
The only good part is the 700' skips you get off the frozen surface.

[Disc Dog]

Originally Posted by captain jack

Yep.
It's harder to throw when you're dressed like the Michelin man, but its a fact of life when you live in the north part of the country.
The only good part is the 700' skips you get off the frozen surface.

The only 700' skip I ever got was in my dreams.

[theabacus]

Originally Posted by General Scales

1.) Discs are generally more understable in the cold (at least that's what I've gathered from experience and what I've been told).

Hmm, I find discs are typically more stable. Could be just me.

Slippery footing also affects the distance of the drives. Don't throw DX or CE hard into a tree, it can crack in half. Softer discs like ESP or Star tend to offer better grip in the winter. Frozen lakes can be a hazard, or used to your advantage.

[Disc Dog]

Originally Posted by theabacus

Hmm, I find discs are typically more stable. Could be just me.

Slippery footing also affects the distance of the drives. Don't throw DX or CE hard into a tree, it can crack in half. Softer discs like ESP or Star tend to offer better grip in the winter. Frozen lakes can be a hazard, or used to your advantage.

Makes sense.

[araytx]

Since I throw mostly Discraft, I easily change out my bag to mostly Flex plastic in the cold, because of the increased brittle-ness and worse grip of the Z (champ). The flex plastic helps me. Now granted, here in Texas there's only 6 weeks of winter, so it is a minor detail, but below 40, see the General's other comments

[Discwrangler]

Patagonia capilene baselayer, long sleeve shirt, fleece and windproof jacket is all you need to keep you warm via body heat. Windproof stocking cap is great too.