Throw in the Snow

I know at least some of you guys get out and play in the snow. This big storm blew across the Great Lake region this week and dumped snow all over the Midwest. It got me thinking about how it's going to start snowing across the US soon.

I've never been brave enough to head out into the snow and play a round for fear of losing my precious discs. How do you guys keep from losing them? Is there some sort of gadget available that makes this less likely?

Are the little hand heater bags the preferred method for keeping hands flexible when it's below freezing outside?

[Nibs Carter]

Played yesterday!

[Peter Kunoff]

First rule of thumb--->no white discs! played a lot last winter for my first season of snow golf.
breathable layers-yes
hand warmers - yes
shovel for tee pads-yes

I know people will sometimes attach streamers to find their disc in snow......I just followed(visually) my shots very closely off the tee and looked for the "footprint" of the disc entering the snow. Keeping everyone in your group in the center of fairway in single file helps reduce footprints....

I "lost" two discs over the winter but was able to retrieve them all by going out when it thaws....

good luck with the winter golf...

tip=throw less stable plastic since you get less glide due to the colder temps and it is harder to create great snap usually due to poor footing.

[Peter Kunoff]

Nibs Carter said:

Played yesterday!

nibs, how goes it?? Have you thrown DGA rogues??? similar to the beast but longer!

[Orange Slice]

Great advice. I never would have thought about a shovel...at least, not the first time out.

Wouldn't you know that my go-to disc from the box is a mostly white tye dye.

Any tips for keeping your grip and not shredding your hand? Fight through it?

We get a pretty long winter here and I didn't get to golf enough during the warmer season.

[Lotto]

use bright discs and just watch where it goes. itll leave a trail into the snow. this is my first winter playing (i just started playing last spring). ive been out a few times and the main thing i want to get is a stool to set my bag on when i shoot. wet bag = wet ass = alot colder.

[Peter Kunoff]

Orange Slice said:

Great advice. I never would have thought about a shovel...at least, not the first time out.

Wouldn't you know that my go-to disc from the box is a mostly white tye dye.

Any tips for keeping your grip and not shredding your hand? Fight through it?

We get a pretty long winter here and I didn't get to golf enough during the warmer season.

Grip has always been difficult for me too when it gets cold out,,,,experiment with different types of plastic and find out what feels good in your hand at the rip.....I know some very wide rimmed drivers (ie Exclaiber) can be difficult to achieve good grip when it get really cold.....therefore I often 'club down"..... keeping my hand in a goretex/warm glove seems to help the most, just taking the glove off to throw. using lots of towels to remove any moisture.

hand warmers help too.....tip after the round----put it in a very airtight container and you can usually squeeze out any additional round or two out of the hand warmer.

this tidbit also helps.....but your discs someplace cold/outside prior to playing to achieve ambient temps......keeping the discs cool keeps the snow/moisture from accumulating on the disc. IE. warmer discs melt the snow and will require much more frequent toweling....

Mr. Ellis I am sure can offer even more snow golf tips than I can.......where are you lizard lawyer?? O yee of the sheet metal screwed shoes!!!!

[Mike]

Yep, play year round here in Michigan, as do lots of others. Layered clothing, hand muff with multiple handwarmers and a towel inide, yak trax on the boots, or 1/4" window screws for traction(not required, but do help). Streamers on discs I think are a false sence of security, and I have seen a lot of them fall off then the person is lost. I only throw neon or very bright colored discs because usually you can see them through the snow. I personally love the Discraft ESP pink and green they look like they are glowing in snow. I try to avoid playing when the snow is all new and fluffy like when it snows 8 or more inches in a day. If you wait till the next day or so the snow will usually get that crunchy layer on the top or a few inches underneath the top, this is usually enough to keep the discs from sinking out of sight. Most of the time I can find my discs just as easily as I do the rest of the year, minus the few that submarine and end up 20 feet from where you find the slit in the snow. When playing in the snow just pay attention to where the disc was going and you should be ok. Play it safe when throwing over hills. The time you loose one will be the time you didn't, or couldn't watch it all the way, and didn't see that huge skip it took to the right or left off the top of the snow. Footprints can be your worst enemy, sometimes you will walk over a disc and not even know it. Be attentive and you should be fine.

[stevo]

i wear a thin glove. narrow streamers have been known cut.[paper cut] i use a wider tree marking tape/ribbon. i've found they do slow down and straighten out flights

[Chuck Kennedy]

A tip I learned from the Alaska boys is to use blue rock climbing powder on your disc before throwing it. Makes it easier to find the slit. And don't be surprised to find your disc much farther than you think from the slit if the snow is powdery. If this wasn't covered already, it's proper etiquette to walk in existing boot prints if at all possible to get near your disc until you have to make new prints to get to it.