The simple answer is,
YES YOU CAN!
Disc golf is one of few sports that can be played year round and through all types of seasons with the only limitation being the amount of snow an area gets.
While you can play disc golf year round, there are a few things to consider during the winter months that you probably wouldn't have to for other, warmer times of the year.
That being said,
let's get into the things that may make a round of disc golf more difficult, and things that will make these difficulties easier to manage or eliminate all together when playing a wintry, snow filled round of disc golf.
Proper warm up
It's important to warm up prior to any round of disc golf to prepare your body for physical activity and prevent injury.
This becomes even more important due to the cold temperatures and icy conditions that come with winter.
It's well known that cold weather causes stiffness in your joints and muscles, but icy/snowy conditions can alter your form as well and put you in a vulnerable position.
Changes in form come from players being cautious about foot placement and worries of "slipping" on their plants, which can result in using your arm more than what you should during a high power throw.
So take the extra time, and make sure you warm up properly. Tools such as the FlighTowel are very useful to accomplish this, you can check it out by clicking on the picture below!
Be sure to check out our
--> FlighTowel Review <--
as well!
Disc Selection
Disc selection on a nice, warm, sunny day usually just comes down to the shot you're facing and player preference. Winter and snow however can drastically change this selection process due to decreased grip, cold temperatures, and usual adverse weather conditions.
Thankfully, discs come in many different kinds of plastics that help with grip in poor weather such as the cold, rain, and snow.
Choosing soft blend plastics as well as tackier/stickier plastics will help in these conditions for grip control whereas premium plastics will generally be used when grip isn't much of an issue, unless you use a chalk bag which will help improve grip in moist conditions.
Tee box and fairway safety
Snow and ice can get packed down on tee pads very quickly if it's not removed first prior to being stepped on. Always take caution that a tee pad may be icy or slippery from any forms of precipitation. Teeing off from beside or behind the tee pad is acceptable to prevent injury.
Snow
A big problem many players have in the winter is difficulty finding a landed disc due to snow.
So,
How do I keep from losing my discs in the snow?
The first best thing is to not use white discs.
Seems like a given, but there you have it.
Another thing many players do is to tape a long piece of ribbon to the top of flight plate, right in the middle. This helps in the case that your disc hits the snow and buries itself.
The ribbon helps to give you the resting location of the disc and doesn't effect the flight of the disc very much at all. Even if it did, any altering to your disc's flight path that gives more visibility is still getting out to play, right!?
Friction Gloves and Hand warmers
You'll find that hand warmers, whether disposable or electronic, help to keep your throwing hand warm enough to throw with better action than a frozen hand, but some people really love using friction gloves.
These are fitting to the hand, more so than a winter glove, and have a tackiness to the palm side for better grip and "friction" on the disc.
Friction gloves, such as these, are perfect to keep your hands warm AND provide better grip on a disc when playing in cold, wet, rainy, or snowy conditions. Click on the pic to check out all options at infinitediscs.com!
Additionally, click HERE to shop grip enhancement enhancers such as chalk bags at infinitediscs.com!
Disc Flight and varying wind/weather conditions
While weather can and will always affect disc flight performance, winter weather can bring with it weather conditions that are even more brutal than what you may be used to.
High gusty winds, mixing precipitation, and sub-freezing temperatures can all adversely effect disc flight on their own and even more so when working together.
Although, cold temps can make discs fly slightly different than you may be used to, you should be able to quickly adjust with enough practice.
Caution!
For my closing remarks,
please also be sure to monitor hypothermia and/or signs of frost bite.
Winter golf can be a lot of fun, but not at the expense of injury to your body. As mentioned, be sure to properly warm up prior to throwing with any type of power or awkward torque.
That being said, don't let winter get you down and go play some disc golf!
If winter and cold isn't your thing regardless of how bad you want to play, consider working on your disc golf game in other ways,
is a great place to start for some ideas on how to beat that winter boredom!
To keep yourself warm and support our brand at the same during your winter rounds of disc golf, consider sporting a Disc Golf Guys Hoodie or Long Sleeve Shirt, Available HERE!
If we forgot to mention something important to keep in mind during winter disc golf, be sure to let us know in the comments, we'd love to hear your tips and recommendations!
Shop all things disc golf including friction gloves and grip enhancers
at infinitediscs.com by clicking on the banner below!
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