With winter coming to an end and your winter disc golf opportunities dwindling, we thought you might enjoy a wider perspective of advice. I like to think that Rodney and I are awesome at giving advice… but then we go and throw our first drive of the round on the roof of the clubhouse and realize that you, the readers, would absolutely benefit from other people’s advice.

With this in mind, we’ve spoken to many of our disc golf friends, mostly in the Midwest but a few a little further out. Here are some of the great pieces of advice provided by your fellow disc golfers!

Tim Steward

Author, Mind Body Disc (mindbodydisc.com)

“For me winter golf is about working on my stand still form. It’s usually terrible footing anyway so instead of bitching about not being able to do a run up, and many times slipping and hurting yourself, work on your stand still shot instead. It will be less frustrating and at the same time great for your game overall.”

Josh Hohbein,

Co-host, Big Daddy Disc Golf Podcast (https://bigdaddydiscgolf.podbean.com/)

“My advice is layer up and use handwarmers! To expand, the number one goal is to stay dry. So Layer 1 is a baseline, usually long sleeve to wick sweat and dry fast. Layer 2 is something for warmth, like wool or polyester Layer 3 is the heat trap, so a big jacket and if its really good an extra waterproof jacket over that. Once you get moving around and get to warm, you can take layers off and put back on if you get too cold. Facemasks to protect against wind and hand warmers to keep your throwing hand nice and toasty! There’s a quote that goes something like “There is no bad weather, just bad gear” With the proper gear you can chuck discs in any weather *almost* haha.”

Torrey Laffoon and Craig Compton

Co-founders, Central Disc Co., Mt Pleasant, MI (https://www.facebook.com/centraldiscco)

“We’ve got two tips that we rely on for great disc golf from the early season all the way through to the winter time. The first is for anyone looking to really improve their scores and it is to play more than just casual rounds. Even if you just compete with yourself, take more rounds seriously. But whenever possible, play against competition that’s better than you are to elevate your own game. Second is to find a way to putt year round no matter where you live or what the weather is like. Even if it’s just across your living room into a couch cushion, it’s important to maintain muscle memory through the off season. If you take a whole winter off completely, in the spring it’ll feel like you totally forgot how to putt. No one wants to re-invent their putting stroke every year and take months to get back into top form. So put in the hard work in the off-season. And stock up on Putters!”

Brian

Owner, Wolf Pack Discs, Michigan (https://www.facebook.com/WolfPackDiscs/)

“In Michigan you could be golfing in shorts and a t-shirt on Friday, and six inches of snow on Saturday. I have found over the years that proper clothes are your best friend. I would rather wear warm boots that might be harder to drive/putt in but keep my feet happy. I also like to wear a glove on my opposite hand but not my throwing hand. After a few holes your discs are cold, I want my hand to get “acclimated” to the weather fast. I want my hand to feel comfortable on the discs. Most people don’t do that, but i found it has worked for me. Winter golf creates unique shots, and much more stand stills as well, so make sure you stretch for a good amount of time before you tee off, and after you are done. You don’t want to enter the spring season with an injury.”

Scott Stacey

Owner, 616 Disc, Grand Rapids, MI (www.616disc.com) “If you have the space… set up a net indoors to practice your drives if you don’t like going out in the cold weather. I think it has helped me line up better on the tee pad. Another one.. Acrylic bag tags can become brittle in the cold weather and can snap or break easily. If you have this problem, check out our stainless steel bag tags at www.616disc.com.”

Nic

Owner, Nak Mini Disc Golf Markers, Pennsylvania (https://www.facebook.com/NakMiniDiscs/)

“Being that many people are fair weather friends of disc golf, me slightly included, it’s important to stay on top of your putting game. Because when spring hits you don’t want to be rusty in that part of your game. I have a basket in the basement that I practice with in inclement weather.”

As you can see, one of the largest themes here is to simply keep throwing. Whether it’s braving the cold, putting in your garage, or even throwing at your couch, it’s important to keep a disc in your hand! We hope that the advice and recommendations above inspires you to continue disc golfing through the winter. Sticking with this theme, we have one last piece of advice from the Puttheads:

“As Patrick McCormick, the Podfather himself, would say, Just Throw!”

What advice do you have for winter disc golf or adjusting your style to a drop in temperatures regardless of the season? Please let us know what you would add to the list and we’ll continue to share all the advice that we get.

Check out other winter content here:

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