Winter Golf Buyers Guide: Choosing the Right Clothes for Cold Weather

Falling leaves and shorter days can mean the end of golfing - but it doesn’t have to. In fact, golfing during the off-season is typically cheaper and less crowded; you can also spend more time working on a shot or tweaking your swing without slowing the pace of play. The biggest challenge of winter golf is figuring out what to wear. No, not deciding between striped or argyle polos, but making sure your clothing is capable of keeping you comfortable in winter conditions. With a little effort now you can put together a clothing system that allows you to golf as the temperature drops, when the wind picks up, or even as precipitation dampens the course. So I’ve created a guide to make sure you’ve got the right clothing from head to toe: gloves, hat, sunglasses, base layer, outer layer, pants, socks, and shoes.

Dressing for less-than-ideal weather is all about balance. If the weather is beautiful you throw on some clothes and hit the course without much thought, but winter golf usually means low temperatures, low humidity, stiffer breezes, and increased precipitation. Clothing and equipment needs to provide protection without interference, essentially creating a micro-environment that is comfortable and functional.

As you browse our website select products that are:

• Windproof: blocks the wind that literally pulls heat from your body
• Waterproof: blocks precipitation from soaking your under layers and skin
• Moisture-wicking: transfers excess sweat from the skin to outer fabric
  surface so it evaporates
• Not cotton: cotton is great for warm weather but terrible for winter because
  it’s highly porous, retains moisture, and has poor thermal properties
• Designed for layering: dressing in layers creates air spaces that insulate,
  and allows you to remove or add components as conditions warrant

You may be thinking that winter golf isn’t worth the effort, or that trying to find all of these items will be difficult and expensive. In fact, many golf companies produce clothing lines designed specifically for winter conditions. And if you choose quality items their utility will pay off for years to come, turning the entire winter golf experience into a worthwhile investment.

You may already have a lot of golf gear, but chances are it isn’t meant for cold weather. Let’s take a look at what we need to enjoy a round without the annoying damp shivers that plague the unprepared.

Here are a few advantages of weather-specific clothing:

• A beanie hat reduces heat loss from your head and ears while blocking the wind
• Sunglasses with vents and high-contrast lenses provide fog-free depth and
  clarity to an otherwise dull, gray course
• Thermal base layers provide lightweight, low-bulk insulation that wicks
  moisture and won’t bind with outer layers
• Winter jackets have a slightly fuller cut, with panels that stretch and move
  with your body; they also block wind and water without trapping excess body heat or moisture
• Thermal pants keep your legs warm and dry
• Synthetic thermal socks will keep your feet dry and warm…plus add
  a little extra cushion
• Thicker leather and solid synthetic shoes will mean warmer and drier feet,
  not to mention better protection from debris and better support on uneven terrain
• Gloves or mittens keep your hands and fingers warm and flexible

Now that we’ve determined what fabric and technologies to look for, here are some specific products that will keep you golfing regardless of the weather. They can also guide you to similar products.

Here are my recommendations:

• Hat: TaylorMade Beanie , Nike Therma-FIT Toque , Titleist Merino Wool Hat
  or the Titleist Smart Silver Hat
• Sunglasses: Tifosi Strada , Callaway Sport Series S200 or Nike Levanto Sunglasses
  
• Top Base Layer: Nike Pro Thermal Long Sleeve , Tiger Woods Dri-FIT Wool Mock ,
  or the Adidas TechFit PowerWeb Long Sleeve Mock
• Top Outer Layer: Nike Storm-FIT Elite Long Sleeve Jacket ,
  Nike Windproof Long Sleeve Pullover , or Nike Sphere Pro Vest
• Pants: Nike Storm-FIT Elite Pants or Nike Flat Front Tech Pants
  
• Socks: Nike Elite Structure Golf Socks , Nike Dri-FIT Tour Crew Golf Socks
• Shoes: Nike SP-8 Tiger Woods Tour , Callaway XTT LT Saddle
• Gloves: Mizuno ThermaGrip Gloves , Titleist Smart Silver Mitts ,
  or US Glove ThermaFlex

Golfing during the winter (off-season) usually requires a bit more effort to get started, but the rewards are worth it. If you have your clothes and equipment ready you can hit the links instead of being stuck inside. And imagine being able to escape the in-laws over the holidays - awesome! Seriously though, golfing throughout the year will mean lower scores, more confidence, and most importantly more fun.

So don’t let cold temps or a little wind stop you, grab your gear and get out there! As always, our team at Discount Golf World is ready and eager to help you get the most from your equipment and make the best of any day on the course.

Posted in Buyers Guide, Apparel

This entry was posted by The Modern Golfer on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008, was last modified on Wednesday, December 10th, 2008 at 4:51 pm and is filed under Buyers Guide, Apparel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.