How to deal with the cold?

[Mark Ellis]

Mark i get so much better traction with spike/chain combination add ons to the shoes and the good thing is that they are not permanent additions to the shoes and can be put on and taken off in a jiffy. The surface area and grip of chains is vastly superior to screws or spikes. There is a reason why military vehicles have chains added to the wheels instead of merely spikes in the winter. Try it and be prepared to be surprised pleasantly. Mine are made in the Czech republic so they might not be available in the US but i've seen a couple versions from different manufacturers in the US Kahtoola being the only one i remember off the top of my head. I recommend against half way models that have a rubber frame around which thin wire is spun. Yeah they have good traction and surface area but they wear quicker and are flimsier so they drop off far more easily. Tightness over your shoe is a must because even those drop occasionally off of the shoe wading in deeper snow.

Texans suffering from cold now? Stop playing in the night

Before discovering sheet metal screws I spent years looking for a good solutions to ice and tried a variety of chain contraptions worn over shoes. The ones I tried sucked. They broke easily and popped off in the middle of rounds then were very difficult to put back on with frozen fingers. There may well be superior versions available today.

Sheet metal screws have wide, flat heads with sharp ridges which grip very well but still have drawbacks. Once installed those boots can no longer be worn indoors due to the damage they would do to floors. I don't care about this personally. I use cheap shoes and boots to golf in anyway since I drag a toe and quickly destroy footgear. So to dedicate a pair of boots (or several) just to winter golf is fine by me. The screws wear down and need to be replaced. If the rubber on the boots is too soft the screws just pop out on their own. Now I know to look for hard rubber and flat soles. The more uneven the bottom of the sole (normally good for traction) the fewer metal screws it will hold. I put between 20 and 40 screws in per shoe (when you buy screws in bulk they are cheap). With a power drill they install in minutes. If you happen to have an old pair of boots there is little risk to trying screws in them.

Screws have been popular in Michigan for at least the last 5 years (I'm bad at dates so maybe closer to 10 years) and many if not most serious winter golfers here use them. Some players add just a few screws. I use more than anyone else I know. Then again, I throw forehand and bend down a lot to release my drives at knee level or lower. Without screws I slip out and face plant with regularity on icy teepads.

Of the players who have tried screws I don't know of anyone who is not sold on them.

[Mark Ellis]

JR is spot on, the Thermos is a wonderful thing.

In a 2 round tournament it is possible to catch a chill to your body's core which becomes very difficult to get over. If I sit around for an hour between rounds I sometimes get cold and stiffen up. Hot liquids in a Thermos does a great job of breaking that chill, more so than exterior warmth from fresh, dry clothes. Sitting in a warm car on heated seats while drinking hot stuff is even better. For the 2nd round a shot of caffeine and Ibuprofen can help get the old bones moving.

I don't normally drink from a Thermos during the round. It is too hot to drink quickly and I have found myself burning my mouth or spilling it on my hands while trying to let it cool. Then again I am not known for grace or coordination and others may have better results.

[Mark Ellis]

I don't golf in lousy weather and I don't imagine playing disc golf in lousy weather either.

Then you are missing half the fun. Ball golf is a prissy, pampered sport. Disc golf is not.

In Winter there is usually no wait on Tee #1. There are few casuals and NO heat, humidity, bugs or poison ivy. Winter play will not only keep your game sharp (and allow you to advance your skills) it will teach you about balance in tough conditions/tricky lies, which carries over to summer shots.

No one will force you to play in Winter but you will find those who play are either good or soon will become good. Winter golfers are the best skilled and most motivated, just the group I prefer to play with.

If the trouble is cold and ice then dress for it. As you acclimate to cold you may discover, as many of us have already, that cold is not uncomfortable when you are prepared for it. Personally I prefer it to summer as there is no escaping heat, humidity, bugs, poison ivy and stacks of casuals, no matter your preparation or gear.

Fair weather golfers fail to learn how to deal with conditions. So what happens when that fair weather golfer plays in a tournament and the weather turns nasty (which can happen in any season)? Do they just quit?

[iacas]

Ball golf is a prissy, pampered sport. Disc golf is not.

Oh brother. And disc golf is filled with cussing pot-smoking unemployed hippies. I've played golf in some pretty nasty conditions, and you can head over to Scotland and find thousands who relish playing in some pretty nasty crap. Golf has "ice bowls" too - we have one on Presque Isle every year, right on the lake. You don't need to put down disc golf's namesake/inspiration in order to make your point. It's tasteless.

Now, I suspect you meant what you said as much as I meant what I said. I'm a golf instructor so I don't get a lot of time to play golf. When I do, I like to enjoy it more than I do when I'm playing in sideways falling hail and rain, though I have played in those conditions recently (in Scotland, no less). I just think putting golf and golfers down is a silly tactic when you're talking about disc golf. You know disc golf's reputation and the stereotypes.

Fair weather golfers fail to learn how to deal with conditions. So what happens when that fair weather golfer plays in a tournament and the weather turns nasty (which can happen in any season)? Do they just quit?

Perhaps. Perhaps they soldier on. Perhaps they say "I'd rather be inside with my family playing a board game or talking or cooking a meal or building something in the wood shop" or something. Perhaps they don't care enough about disc golf to want to have to worry about frostbite or breaking a leg on some ice. Perhaps hockey takes up most of their free recreational time in the winter.

Now, back to the topic at hand. FWIW, my advice above about cold-weather gear comes from my snowboarding, hockey, winter photography, and hunting experience. Disc golf's fun, and I'll play some Tuesday in 40°, but that's about my limit. Under Armour, t-shirt, and a light jacket.

[AcesAZ]

Im going out in about 30 minutes. Its 35 degrees. Debating Cut off t shirt or short sleeve. These Texas guys remind me when I lived in AZ, people wear winter coats when its in the 50's. LOL

[cubeofsoup]

If the trouble is cold and ice then dress for it.

I wish it was colder and snowing, I would prefer that to rain. 40°F and rain is the worst in my opinion. I lack the proper gear to stay dry and warm in this kind of weather so I have been just waiting for a day with no rain. I played a ton of golf this year in march when it was chilly but not super wet yet and I loved it. Nobody around, no leaves, no bugs. The wet is more of a problem than the cold for me.

[Parks]

Whether you do sheet metal screws or chains or whatever, stay off the teepad unless it's absolutely covered by packed snow or ice. Metal will shred rubber teepads and can damage concrete ones.

[Crunkjuice]

I'm laughing pretty hard at all "these texas" guys comments. People from Texas don't like it cold, you pansies up north think that it can get "too hot outside" to be outdoors when its like 90 degrees. Get over yourselves.

Thanks for the actual responses guys.

[juju]

#manup

[juju]

Man up?

Damn it, how did I not see this?

[Mark Ellis]

Whether you do sheet metal screws or chains or whatever, stay off the teepad unless it's absolutely covered by packed snow or ice. Metal will shred rubber teepads and can damage concrete ones.

Logically we know screws create more friction and therefore faster wear of teepads than boots without screws. In practicality I have yet to see it. My home course of Kensington has cement pads and after years of very active use of screws by many players the pads show no signs of surface damage. But assume for a moment that a cement pad will wear out faster exposed to screws, which is probably true.

Screws make the game safer for the players. I know this from personal experience because without screws I face planted regularly and with them it is a rare event. I think you will find agreement on this from other golfers who use screws. The health of golfers is worth the minor wear and tear involved. Many players do physical work for a living and if one blows out a back or rips a hamstring slipping on ice he may lose his ability to pay his bills and feed his family. I don't do physical labor for a living but I still value my health and will try to do whatever it takes to protect it.

Cars have brakes. Brakes are expensive and wear out. The safety that brakes give justifies the expense. Otherwise we would all drive Flintstonemobiles. There are many safety features in the products we buy. If safety features add to the cost so be it.

The most prominent cause of damage to teepads I have noticed is due to erosion below the pads which caused cracking. If screws made the surface more uneven it might make them more grippy and safer. Some pads I have encountered were too slippery, even dry. When some pads are installed the surface is brushed to make it less slippery. Those that were not brushed are more dangerous, especially in wet or snowy conditions.

[keltik]

What do you fellers mean with all this screw talk. are your putting screws through the insole to push out the bottom of the sole? Down here in NC we don't get a lot of snow (in most parts) and when we do get snow everything shuts down because we don't know what to do. But usually everything ices over after that and driving on a near friction-less surface is dangerous.

What is the official rule about teeing off during wet/icy conditions?

[Mark Ellis]

Ball golf is a prissy, pampered sport. Disc golf is not.

Oh brother. And disc golf is filled with cussing pot-smoking unemployed hippies. I've played golf in some pretty nasty conditions, and you can head over to Scotland and find thousands who relish playing in some pretty nasty crap. Golf has "ice bowls" too - we have one on Presque Isle every year, right on the lake. You don't need to put down disc golf's namesake/inspiration in order to make your point. It's tasteless.

Now, I suspect you meant what you said as much as I meant what I said. I'm a golf instructor so I don't get a lot of time to play golf. When I do, I like to enjoy it more than I do when I'm playing in sideways falling hail and rain, though I have played in those conditions recently (in Scotland, no less). I just think putting golf and golfers down is a silly tactic when you're talking about disc golf. You know disc golf's reputation and the stereotypes.

Fair weather golfers fail to learn how to deal with conditions. So what happens when that fair weather golfer plays in a tournament and the weather turns nasty (which can happen in any season)? Do they just quit?

Perhaps. Perhaps they soldier on. Perhaps they say "I'd rather be inside with my family playing a board game or talking or cooking a meal or building something in the wood shop" or something. Perhaps they don't care enough about disc golf to want to have to worry about frostbite or breaking a leg on some ice. Perhaps hockey takes up most of their free recreational time in the winter.

Now, back to the topic at hand. FWIW, my advice above about cold-weather gear comes from my snowboarding, hockey, winter photography, and hunting experience. Disc golf's fun, and I'll play some Tuesday in 40°, but that's about my limit. Under Armour, t-shirt, and a light jacket.

I don't hate ball golf or ball golfers. I played it rabidly for 5 years, enough to learn I was never going to straighten out my slice (25 years of an ingrained baseball swing) and enough to appreciate the immense talent it takes to control the damn little white ball. Ok, I did hate it a little. I played long enough to be able to not hold up a group of adept players and not totally embarrass myself on a good course.

There will never be perfect mutual respect between the sports. Overall I gotta believe we Frizzzbee Golfers have more respect for Ball Golf than visa versa. Yes we are hippies. I am not ashamed of that. And Ball Golf is a country club sport seldom played in inclement weather. This is not to insult iacas or anyone else who swings sticks. More power to him/them.

Pull up to the manicured driveway of the exclusive, members-only Country Club where members are judged by their bank account more than their handicap. An employee runs out to take your clubs out of the trunk and install them in a shiny electric golf cart. I could continue with this story but we all know where it is going and would only be viewed as an insult, not the playful jest I intend.

Disc golf is the poor, disfavored stepchild of ball golf. But we don't have to like it.

[iacas]

Pull up to the manicured driveway of the exclusive, members-only Country Club where members are judged by their bank account more than their handicap. An employee runs out to take your clubs out of the trunk and install them in a shiny electric golf cart. I could continue with this story but we all know where it is going and would only be viewed as an insult, not the playful jest I intend.

I guess you left the game awhile ago, because golf has become (fortunately) a whole lot more blue collar than your tales of Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams would indicate. I don't have the stats off-hand but a LOT of people play on municipal courses. The markets are still far apart (and hey, I'm glad for it - Lexus is more likely to buy web advertising on thesandtrap.com than, I don't know, Wal-Mart), but they've grown closer and closer. Disc golf is moving up, golf is becoming more affordable and less stuffy.

I still have better things to do in the winter than throw plastic in the snow, though.

[Mark Ellis]

What do you fellers mean with all this screw talk. are your putting screws through the insole to push out the bottom of the sole? Down here in NC we don't get a lot of snow (in most parts) and when we do get snow everything shuts down because we don't know what to do. But usually everything ices over after that and driving on a near friction-less surface is dangerous.

What is the official rule about teeing off during wet/icy conditions?

Screws are installed into the bottom of the soles. The sharp, pointy end goes in first, in the direction of your foot. The pointy end does not come in contact with your foot because it a half inch screw and the sole is wider than a half inch. The top of the screw is raised and flat. The top of the screw comes in contact with the surface ( ground or teepad) and provides the friction which minimizes slipping.

Unless the TD grants special relief you tee from the teepad or wherever your lie is. Slipping out is your problem. Often teepads get swept or salted. Often they do not. Some players will drop a towel onto the teepad and use it for additional traction.