Cold weather Golf. HELP!

[ru4por]

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

As an ice fisherman, I can attest yes there is truth to that. They are nice, but have down sides. I perfer the less labor intensive, less expensive purchased chemical hand warmers. Keep them in your pockets. Once you get going the cold is not too bad. Agree with alot of what has been said. Gloves if temp is below 20, 2-3 layers with Under Armor. I also am a fan of a vest outer shell, down or fleece depending on temp. Snow or rain changes the outer shell. Quaility boots can make or break all the clothing work. A good size bag with pockets for clothing can be a good deal when adding or stripping off layers when nessesary. Move those light and white discs out and bright fall colors back into the bag. I find that the decreased disc speed caused by various winter changes, makes my discs more stable. Winter golf can be great, less people, more wildlife and a chance to get some needed exercise.

 

[b-mart]

Welcome back to Washington. You're on the more extreme side of the state, so I can't offer much advice. Over here we just need to wear a long sleeve shirt and waterproof shells. I usually wear gloves and just take one off any time that I need to throw, and that does the job. However, we get rain and temperatures that hardly ever drop below freezing in the daylight... You get snow, wind, and bitter cold. Another reason that I'm happier in the Seattle area than I ever was in Pullman.

 

[jrawk]

Ok guys... cold air is more dense. That means two things are true:

1) LESS High Speed Stability (more high speed turn aka flippy)
2) MORE Low Speed Stability (more low speed fade aka fade... (just go with it))

Here's why:

Denser air will create a larger air pressure difference between the top and bottom of your disc than less dense air, which causes lift and will push your disc up and over more easily. However denser air has more drag than less dense air, which will slow the disc down quicker and cause it to hyzer out faster.

Personally i use discs that have nuetral flight ratings in winter and rely more on release angles than understable/overstable flight characteristics.

Lastly, there's grip differences. Getting less of a good grip on cold plastic will decrease distance as there is less potential energy transfer from your fingers to the disc with a weaker grip.

 

[simpletwist]

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.

31 years in the military, kudos to you. :thmbup: What branch? I served 28 in the USCG.

 

[discflinger]

Looks like you've gotten lots of great advice here. Layer, layer, layer. Take them off as you warm up.

The only thing that I can add is to pre-freeze(for lack of a better term) your discs before you throw them so that they don't melt the snow and form ice on them. Just leave them out in the trunk for a bit before you head out or if you already keep them in your car, you're set.

 

[HarkeyPuck]

Pro, Elite X, etc. versions of your discs help with the grip during colder months. But I usually switch from Champ to Star.

 

[A rod]

All of the ideas about why cold will make a disc fly more stable make sense, however I played yesterday and my results were almost opposite. I live in NE, so maybe location has something to do with it, or elevation.

My wasp, instead of riding a hyzer line, flipped up and turned and just continued straight to the right. Sidewinder flipped up to flat, turned a little more right than usual, but still flexed out at the end. And most confusing was the predator which flew very straight while slightly tracking right for the whole flight, and flexed at the last second to fade 3 feet left before stopping.

My experience suggests here there is more high speed turn and less low speed fade.

 

[mudslinger]

nice read on the subject. http://www.marshallstreetdiscgolf.com/htmlpages/torque_archive/torque_archive_0710.html

 

[discflinger]

Hmmm...interesting name...

 

[mashnut]

All of the ideas about why cold will make a disc fly more stable make sense, however I played yesterday and my results were almost opposite. I live in NE, so maybe location has something to do with it, or elevation.

My wasp, instead of riding a hyzer line, flipped up and turned and just continued straight to the right. Sidewinder flipped up to flat, turned a little more right than usual, but still flexed out at the end. And most confusing was the predator which flew very straight while slightly tracking right for the whole flight, and flexed at the last second to fade 3 feet left before stopping.

My experience suggests here there is more high speed turn and less low speed fade.

It's possible that the stiff muscles or extra layers made you subconsciously change your throw to compensate, did you notice any distance difference from your warm weather drives?

 

[Disc Dog]

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.

I was thinking of this.

 

[Disc Dog]

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.

Tried this yesterday, also a slower speed disc, it seems to help.

 

[Disc Dog]

31 years in the military, kudos to you. :thmbup: What branch? I served 28 in the USCG.

Air Force. If it went boom i have worked with it!

 

[Fishy]

Cold weather? Still trying to figure out what that is.. we have had a super warm winter so far, they say maybe next Thursday we could have some precip, but until then 50' and 60's and sunny.

I use a handwarmer in my right pocket and layer with merino wool base layer, so far it's never failed me.

 

[Bamm]

Side question but I think relevant here; I have seen guys playing in the snow with a ribbon? attached to their disc to help find it. How do you guys attach that so it stays? Just tape?

 

[Lordlucid]

When I play in the cold I tend to wear thermals and loose fitting (or anything that can stretch) jackets/hoodies so as not to hinder my movements. I hate when I'm wearing a coat and can't get the full range of motion I need to get that disc out there.
I would suggest some Calisthenics, Lunges and Jumping jacks would probably be best, since your legs have the biggest muscles they can help get more oxygen to the rest of your body which will limber you up and help keep your core warm. Push ups and pull ups might hinder your shots by tiring you out.
I also keep my beer in my left hand and my right in my pocket when I'm not throwing.

 

[akguanja]

this is what happens in cold weather alaska golf.

 

[robbrews]

^^^^
looks like you should have been drinking something that is more than 3% abv. so only strong beers in the coldest of conditions. got it!

 

[akguanja]

^^^^
looks like you should have been drinking something that is more than 3% abv. so only strong beers in the coldest of conditions. got it!

I think that stuff is closer to 5.5% but i dont drink that **** and i keep my beer in my golf bag in a insulated holder so it doesn't freeze lmfao

that was just a beer someone had sat on a picnic table next to one of the tee pads @ westchester lagoon dgc in Ancorage. lol And yes! strong beer in cold weather is a must!

 

[datch]

everyone is given you the suggestions for what to wear, so here is your words of motivation, throwing during the winter with the extra layers and cold will decrease your drive length... but if you play/play a lot in the winter when spring comes around and you get back into shorts and tshirts youll be ripping drives and gain back all if not more of your distance... I gained like 50ft on my drives last spring (compared to the fall before) when i traded in the winter clothes for some tshirts...