Golf’s Changing Seasons
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posted by Ladies on the Tee The main purpose of Ladies on the Tee Golf Blog presented by Sherry Tabb is to help women embrace the game of golf in greater numbers. The mission is to develop a community of women that will share their experiences, their ideas, their successes and their overall passion for the game of golf. |
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5 Ways To Make Fall Golf More Fun
What to do when the warm sunny days of summer start to morph into the cool (sometimes cold) rainy days of fall and beyond? For die-hard golfers this is nothing more than a nuisance but for those of us that are more concerned about our physical comforts while on the course, this is a very serious issue.
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Here are 5 things to do to take the sting out of the colder weather:
1. Pay attention to the weather forecast
…or better yet, walk outside the morning of your tee time and check things out as they really are. Is there frost on the ground? If so, plan for a delayed tee time. Course management will not let you play while there is frost on the ground to avoid damaging the turf, especially the greens. Check with your course to see if they are under a frost delay.
2. Be prepared!
Do the weather gurus predict a major temperature swing during the day? If so, dress in layers that are lightweight, loose-fitting and comfortable. You can’t swing well if you are encumbered by too much clothing. On the other hand, make sure you have enough warmth in your layering to keep you from freezing. It is very hard to swing when your body is stiff from the cold. Adding a pair of cold weather golf gloves to your bag is also a good idea. This gives a degree of warmth and gripping power for both hands while swinging. Storing a rain suit in your bag is also recommended. It’s one thing to be wet when it’s 90 degrees in the shade. When it’s in the 60’s or below, that rain might as well be snow if you don’t keep yourself dry. You might consider changing to a ball with a softer feel to avoid feeling like you are hitting rocks all day long. Just a thought!
3. Warm-up and stretch…
before teeing off. This is true for all kinds of weather but an absolute must for those cooler days. Even with a frost delay you can still plan on arriving at your regular time and spend more time warming up and stretching. The worst thing to do is
to step up to the first tee box stiff and cold and swing away. Many a golfer has torn a muscle or at the bare minimum, strained a muscle due to an improper warm-up causing them to either quit before the round is over or play hampered by their injury. ‘No pain, no gain’ is not what we are going for here!! Give your body a break!! Ease into that first swing.
4. Keep a close eye on the flight of your ball.
In areas where the leaves start to fall as the temperatures drop, it is so easy to lose a golf ball in the piles of leaves on the course. It is amazing how a white golf ball can become virtually invisible when it is covered by or lying in the middle of hundreds of beautiful yellow, orange, red and brown leaves. Fall golf can become very costly if you don’t pay attention to where your ball comes to rest. By the way, be sure to look for some sort of ‘key’ identifier for the area where your ball stopped. All of a sudden the trees and piles of leaves you spotted from the point of your last swing all look the same as you travel towards them. Eagle Eye is the prescription for this challenge. Also keep in mind that when the air cools the ball does not travel as far as when it is hot and dry so don’t forget to adjust your ‘distance factor’ when looking for a stray ball.
5. Last but not least, enjoy the absolute beauty of nature.
You will be playing, in most areas of the country, amidst a kaleidoscope of colors that make the greens of the course stand out against the paintbrush of nature. The crispness in the air is invigorating (unless you are like me and really enjoy the hot, humid days of summer). The days are shorter so maximize the time spent outdoors chasing that little white ball around the countryside.
If you don’t buy into that load of BS, keep in mind that when all else fails just break out the hot chocolate (with peppermint schnapps, of course) and warm your hands, your body and your soul while you keep asking yourself, “Why didn’t I move south?”.
Here’s to enjoying golf in all seasons! Thanks for visiting Ladies on the Tee at www.sherrytabb.com. Come back soon and ‘sit around the fire’ with us and swap some stories.
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