Thread: Warming up to winter golf

By Hooked Hacker
Golfjin's Senior Sledger and Fairway Rake Researcher


Approach shots trampolining 40 yards off frozen greens; savage southerlies forcing players to fire 4-irons at pins 140 yards away; oil drills needed to penetrate the earth to place a tee in the ground...

Wherever in the world you hail from, it's hard to warm to the idea of winter golf, and many courses in colder climates make the decision to play easy by simply shutting down for four months.

But for clubs in the Kanto area surrounding Tokyo it's brrrrrusiness as usual, and by dressing appropriately, playing in the heart of the day and choosing your venue wisely, golf in the colder months in Japan is worth cuddling up to for the green fee bargains and minimal crowds. And at the end of your round, with the exception of a stiff scotch, there's no better way to heat the heart than to hit the hot tub.

Before stepping on to the first tee, check you have the right clothes. Your winter golf attire should consist of several light warm layers that can be easily removed or added. A lined knit cap to retain your body heat is a must. Long underwear and skivvies are also excellent for those bone-trembling days, and don't take up too much space next to the hot toddy flask in the golf bag.

There are various winter golf gloves on the market, or you can opt for the local favorite, "hokkairo": small bags of chemicals that get hot when shaken. Place them in your pockets to warm your hands, or even stick them to your lower back.

One of the most noticeable effects of playing in the cold is stiff muscles. Hitting plenty of practice shots before your round and walking the course should loosen you up and increase internal heat.

While the typically sun-drenched prefectures of Chiba and Shizuoka are the obvious choices to escape the chills from the north, many courses in Tochigi, Gunma and Ibaraki can be just as toasty on the right day and are significantly cheaper, especially if you're playing midweek. There's generally no need to book weeks in advance, so keep an eye on the latest weather forecast and choose your course accordingly.

One of the best and easiest ways to get more out of winter golf is teeing off later in the day, when the temperatures have edged up a few degrees. This way you avoid slick, frozen greens and get to play during the warmest part of the day. Some courses, like Windsor Park in Ibaraki Prefecture, will generally let you play through during weekdays and occasionally on weekends, enabling the golfer to keep their rhythm intact and their body cozy.

Naturally, even the most pristine plans can come undone, especially when a blizzard blows in over the mountains. But should the wrath of the weather gods descend and you're left putting across a white instead of a green, don't hold back either: you have no chance of that 20-footer snowballing past the hole!

Thanks for this great article HH!

Nice article, well written. Though looking at the picture as I'm watching the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii, I'd rather be booking a trip to Maui. Perhaps you would prefer some Ice Golf.

With that said the weather isn't going to stop me, planning to play at least twice this month. I hope I don't have to break out the colored balls.

Great post HH. Looks like you guys should have been roped up to eachother in those conditions...Dare I ask if you played with an orange ball??

I hope we get better conditions in Australia at NY, my version of winter golf. Although I will be getting a few rounds in when I go to the UK, will be freezing there and you really need that light weight gear that keeps you warm and to start around 10am and whip round before it gets dark, I always found walking round was better than the carts as you keep moving and not get so stiff..

One tip a Japanese friend of mine suggested, was this. Check with the Golf Course before hand and if possible jump into the hot-tub before your round to warm yourself up. At least that is what he does... He also forgoes the lunch for another quick dip in the hot-tub before doing the second 9.

Spike

I thought your hip flask full of rusty nail was a top idea as well