We’ve had a pretty mild January here in the Midwest - the freezing temps we usually see just aren’t here. Last week, we actually saw a 50 degree day! We decided to take a drive out to the golf course and see if anything was going on. We were hoping they were open due to the weather, and, if we walked, we might just get to play 9 holes. We were prepared for temporary greens, which if you’ve never played on them, are not a piece of cake.

It was really hard to believe that in mid-January the course was open, greens and all! So, we played nine. I’ll be the first one to say that we didn’t look good at all.

Can I blame it on lack of practice because of the weather? Heck, yeah, I’ll use that one. But there is another consideration which is out of my control. The course is cold.

We were dressed for the chill in the air with sweatshirts and jackets, but the air wasn’t cold. The course was. The ground was still hard which affected the roll of the ball in the fairway and on the greens. The grass naturally wasn’t in it’s tip top shape. And I was told that the ball itself gets cold, and when it does, it also loses some of its trajectory and roll. I’d hit the ball for 150 yards and it would only travel 120 to 130 yards.

I was wondering if anyone out there can give me some tips on how to play the ball when the air is chilly, and the ground is cold and hard. It seemed everytime I tried to compensate, I overcompensated. Everyone was telling me it’s common in cold weather to lose a bit off your game - but how would the pros play it? Would they club up, club down? How would they hit the ball to eliminate an erratic bounce or roll on ground that is frozen a few inches down?