With the wet — and often wildly unpredictable — spring weather upon us, Cascade Golfer offers up a few tips for navigating our trickiest golf season.
by Brian Beaky, Editor
It’s been a while since we’ve had a Monday morning as wet as today’s, but it’s a reminder that the “mild” part of the offseason — a typically cold and clear February — has given way to spring, where we need to be ready for just about any kind of weather (often all on the same day).
Playing well in the rain, though, requires more than just perseverance. Wet hands, cold feet, or slippery grips can suck the enjoyment out of a round of golf faster than a three-putt bogey. Camas Meadows’ Conan Elliott offers up his advice in our Cascade Golfer Tip of the Week, but here are a few tips we always follow when knocking it around in the wet stuff:
1. Rain gloves, which repel moisture and keep your hands dry, are a MUST-HAVE for any Northwest golfer. I bought these FootJoy RainGrip gloves at Puetz two years ago and have never regretted it.
2. Another item about gloves — if you’re not using them, keep them dry. In your pockets, in the cart … whatever you have to do, don’t let them get any wetter than you have to. Definitely put them away when you’re on the green – picking up a wet ball or reaching into a wet cup on every hole is a guaranteed way to keep your fingers slick.
3. Bring a few extra towels, and dry both your gloves and grips before every shot. When drying your grips, pat them lightly, don’t wipe — wiping up and down the shaft can potentially spread the water over the entire surface of your grip, including spots which may not have been wet to start with. At the turn, swap your now-damp towels for new, dry ones. Most golf course staff will be so grateful for your business on a rainy day, that they’ll be more than happy to scrounge up a few towels for you.
4. If you can, take a cart. Walking is great, but in the rain, it’s important to move quickly and limit the amount of time you and your clubs spend getting soaked. Whether walking OR taking a cart, though, buy an attachable rain hood for your bag. Most use Velcro straps to attach through clips around the rim of your bag, with either zippers or folding hoods (like this RainWedge rain cover) to let you access your clubs, while keeping them dry. Even if you’re using a cart with a hood of its own, a little extra rain protection can go a long way.
5. Make sure you’re properly attired — all-weather shoes, like these, or these, will not only keep your feet warm and dry, but will increase stability on the slippery turf, and boast a thicker sole to help counteract the natural “settling” into the softer ground, allowing you to play full shots rather than having to choke up. Rain pants, a warm, waterproof undershirt, a light sweater (if cold) and a light windbreaker or rainproof jacket are also essentials, as is a good hat.
6. Take at least one extra club per shot. Not only will the ball not roll as far on the soft, wet turf as it will later this summer, it won’t carry as far either through the wetter, colder air. Plus, if you’ve ever tried to hit a cold ball with a cold club, using cold hands, you know it’s just not quite the same pleasant “thwack” as you’ll feel in July.
7. Don’t do this.
8. Mostly, remember that in the Northwest in springtime, the weather can change at any minute. In the half hour it took to write this article, the hardest downpour in weeks has given way to sunshine and literally not a single cloud in a clear blue sky. Even if it looks sunny and clear when you’re heading out the door, keep your bag stocked with the essentials above, and you won’t be — literally — caught out in the rain.
