The sheer idiocy of playing in snow

[da Crippler]

Originally Posted by gcr_russell

I'm not sure I understand anything in this thread. What is S-N-O-W?

Go 200 miles east on I 40. You'll find plenty. Any Floridians want to rub it in too?

[nate22]

It snowed once at my course here in tropical Queensland, Australia. Was a joyous day...never thought I'd play in snow, in my state, in my own backyard.

[HeavyCritters]

Shoveled pads, got 9 holes in and didn't have a heart attack.

Pretty good snow day...

[HeavyCritters]

Originally Posted by gcr_russell

I'm not sure I understand anything in this thread. What is S-N-O-W?

I'll be in Phoenix with the family in March! Can't wait for no snow and bagging a new state!

[ejvogie]

Originally Posted by da Crippler

Go 200 miles east on I 40. You'll find plenty. Any Floridians want to rub it in too?

I'll take snow in return for no hurricanes, no gators in every water hazard, and no days of 100 degrees with enough humidity that you can hang a towel outside and it won't dry for 3 weeks

[Chaz58]

Originally Posted by smarkquart

I have already posted once stating that I will play 365, but my mood is so greatly determined by the quality of the tee pads. I have enough clothes and gear to ensure that I will at least survive no matter what the temperature. I can handle extremely cold temperatures as long as the wind is relatively calm, but nothing makes or breaks my mood than the state of the tee pad. I can achieve 400 foot power, but it is a complete body effort. If I am arm only, I am done into the 280-320 range. If you are used to a certain flight, your game and your mentality is built on that, and suddenly and often you fail to achieve normalcy, it throws off your whole game. Nothing pisses me off more than icy tee pads.

Griplocks and late releases are bad enough, but I have no desire to break anything by slipping. What I hate most about winter are those short-lived days of above average temperatures that lull you into a false sense that winter is not that bad. Snow thaws, puddles and mini-lakes form, and it is an annoyance but still playable if you have enough towels with. But then it freezes, forms ice, and stays bitterly cold for the remainder of the season. Now we have ice for several months. If it was just cold when it snows and stays that way, allowing you to shovel and maintain clean tee pads, that would at least be acceptable. We are designing our local 9, and moving the tees is a necessity. Aside for safety, flow of play, and keeping it a relatively difficult shot, we are taking into consideration of keeping the tee from being flooded.

I hate winter.

Definitely agreeing with you about trying to play on an icy course with solid ice on the teepads. Last time we tried to head out was when the temps were mild (for an upper midwest winter). There had been some snow that melted and it was windy day before we headed out so we hoped it would help dry the course a bit. We had to contend with muddy teepads from the guys who had been on them before and found ourselves teeing off from almost a standstill position from the side of the tee due to footing issues, and even then slipping and falling were always on your mind when you went to tee off (I was even wearing my Merrells with the vibram sole). Now we are back to the midwest deep freeze for days to come and midwest winters are known for lasting a good 6 months of the year (we usually lose last half of fall of early spring to really garbage weather). No wonder you really don't see any of the pro players coming from the likes of the cold states. I HATE WINTER!!

[smarkquart]

Another big thing I hate about winter, especially if there was a lot of snow, is that those low places that collected all the ice are also the low places that will flood once everything melts, and even if it drains a little, the place will be a mud pit for a long time.

One thing I have been considering EVERY time I am out playing, because I will play 365, is bringing a 3'x3' rubber garage mat. It may be a little cumbersome, but if I can rig a system with my cart or with a sled, it would not be that bad. That is a big enough for solid footing with a one-step drive, and it is also big enough that it would not necessarily slide out from underneath you even when on ice. Obviously it would not be convenient for those quick, solo rounds, it may even draw attention, but with a group of friends, it can definitely increase the fun factor by a million times.

[Karl]

Played a couple of days ago on a hilly, wooded, 63par course in MA. 8F, 15mph, and a crust on the snow that supported my weight. Talk about "a new game to play"! Strategies involved purposely throwing into ground growth (sticking up out of the snow) on slopes so the disc doesn't slide away. ANY putt on a slope (however small) becomes a "death putt" - as a miss might equal a mile (well, a very small mile...but not good in any stretch of the imagination). Fair game was playing for 100' skips on drives and 50' skitters on lay-ups. Only had 1 "big slide-away" (about 150') that cost me a shot. Felt I was stupid lucky on the day getting only that one. Had a blast.

[IHearChains]

Originally Posted by Chaz58

No wonder you really don't see any of the pro players coming from the likes of the cold states. I HATE WINTER!!

Granted, they don't necessarily live there still, but from there...

Schultz WI
Feldberg MI
Leiviska MN
McMahon CO
also, Finland

I think a winter of standstill drives and poor footing helps some parts of my game.

[pauldst]

No snow to play in here, unless I want to try up in the mountains, but while in KC I did play in snow. I remember that DGA's Signature Line discs stay grippy in the winter, and are easier to find because they tend not to bury themselves. Also, they are a lot of fun to skim on top of snow if it has any sort of crust and few footprints; the ground effect works quite well and you can get some real distance.

For other discs, I taped about a foot of red yarn, rather than ribbon, to them and only once had a problem.