Winter Survival Guide

Winter rates, warm practice facilities, and an odd assortment of tips.

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Odd tips in no real order

• Early morning winter golf can sometimes be delayed for hours due to frost on the greens. Read more in this article by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Time to put a deck of cards in your golf bag.
• Time to refresh your soft spikes. New spikes will give noticably better traction and cost less than $10. Most pro shops have a cordless drill that makes the change easy. Ask to borrow it. We've found Softspikes' Black Widow cleats to give excellent grip and even some cushion while walking.
• Soft spikes, by the way, are NOT any good on ice. They are very slippery.

• Expect courses to have their tee boxes moved up, wooly greens, no water, hard fairways and tees. Hey, it's winter and grass isn't growning.
• Yellow, green, and orange balls just get lost easier in the leaves. Clean white balls are the easiest to see along with bright pink.

• Winter gloves are thicker and come in sets of 2. A worthwhile buy to keep both hands warm.
• Wear layers including a bulky long-sleeved sweater. There's no shame in a stocking cap. Nor ear muffs. Nor long-johns.
• Bring a couple of extra towels - wet grips are no fun. Club faces also seem to get muddier in the winter.
• Ballwashers break when the water freezes so you won't find many. A damp towel will clean balls easily.

• Windsor Canadian, Capt'n Morgan Spiced Rum, and others come in nice plastic flask-shaped bottles perfect for golf bags.
  

  Alcohol, imbibed during cold weather, lowers the body temperature and is very dangerous to ingest if it is cold enough for frost bite. Taken during a round of golf on a cold day will only make one not care if it is cold but can lead to possible injury.

• The biggest reason for slow play is lost balls. The biggest reason for lost balls is not watching the flight and roll until it stops.
• While watching other people's drives, cover the sun with your hand to put your eyes in the shadow.
• It's easier to spot the ball on the way out if you watch 10ft in front of the point of impact rather than the swing.

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Weather does affect the response of golf balls. Heat alone will add considerable yardage. The following table is of dubious origin but probably accurate enough.

(Fahrenheit)	35°	45°	55°	65°	75°	85°	95°	105°
Carry	196	205	212	216	220	222	224	226

Lesson? Keep a ball in your pants pocket (near skin) and switch on each tee. It IS against the rules to use artificial devices to warm balls - including handwarmers and gas cart engines.