Your Winter Golf Habits

A while back, I put a poll in the sidebar meant to gauge your overall winter golf habits. It was an interesting exercise.

As of today, here’s how you responded to the question, “Which best describes your winter golf habits?“:

I play when I can in winter, if the temperature is above a certain level (38%, 54 Votes)
If the course is open, I play, no matter how cold it is (28%, 40 Votes)
I live in a warm/mild climate so winter is not a factor (11%, 16 Votes)
When cold weather comes, I’m done until spring (11%, 16 Votes)
Snow comes early and stays around so I can’t play even if I want to (11%, 15 Votes)
It’s not the cold so much, but the wind will keep me off the course (1%, 1 Votes)

At first, I was surprised as the results took shape, but as I thought about it more, I came to the conclusion that it all makes perfect sense. I half expected to find that most players hang up the clubs in winter and go into golf hibernation until spring. But, I later realized that if you’re reading this, you’re very likely as hard-core a golfer as I am, so you’re not going to let a little cold weather keep you off the course.

It used to be that I’d play in any weather where the course was open. Once, I played on a day where the temperature was 22 degrees, the winds were gusting, and the ground was frozen solid. What an experience that was.

As I hit the age where my brain actually started functioning correctly, I decided that I needed to set a practical limit. Currently, that limit is temperatures in the 40′s or better. Too much colder than that and it’s just not as much fun anymore.

I’m impressed with the group of people that said they play no matter how cold it gets. I can’t help but wonder what the weather is like in winter for those of you in that category. I’d love to hear from you on that. If you’re playing in 20 degree temperatures (or worse), then you have my respect.

I was also surprised when I was contacted by a reader from Sweden who pointed out that it’s not the cold, but the wind in winter that keeps him off the course. That was something I didn’t anticipate when I crafted the poll.

For those of you who are like me and try to play in the winter (or simply refuse to be kept off the course), then there are a few considerations to be aware of to be able to play your best. I previously did a post about how golf balls react in the cold weather. For those of you who hang up the clubs until spring, I did a post giving you seven ways to improve over the winter.

I’m going to let the poll run for a while longer to see if the trends hold up. In the meantime, stay warm out there!