Widdershins
Double Eagle Member
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2010
- Messages
- 1,155
Thin layers which fit over or under each other without binding. A big , thick winter coat is great for sitting down in one place and staying warm but not good for golf. You want as much freedom of movement as possible or it restricts your throwing motion and hurts both distance and control.
Thin layers allow you to add or subtract warmth during a round. This happens a lot. Both from you warming up and weather changing. Just like in hot weather the temperature is not as important as the humidity, in cold weather the temperature is not as important as the wind.
A lot of players wear a few t-shirts and a hoody. I am not a fan of this because a hoody is too thick and heavy for the warmth it gives. I prefer a base of a long sleeved polyester shirt (wicking fabric), then a couple t-shirts, a Polar Tec vest and an unlined nylon shell. Your outer layers need to be big enough to fit over everything else so buy them a size up.
A vest gives great core warmth without restricting arm motion. Polar Tec is spun polyester fleece and amazing stuff. Mittens and neck warmers and hats made of the same stuff are my favorites. A neck warmer (neck cowl) is shockingly warm and comes on and off easily.
Gloves suck. Mittens rule. Mittens are much warmer. Gloves give better dexterity but not enough to be useful. If you need to tie your boots (or a thousand other tasks like throwing a disc or wiping off snow) in the middle of a round you have to take off your gloves or mittens to do it. So oversized mittens, stuffed with disposable handwarmers, go on and off easily and warm your fingers back up.
On the lower half I try to wear as little as I can get away with (still thin layers), feet included. Big clunky boots are hard to throw in. Lightweight hiking boots work better for me. Then drill sheet metal screws in the bottom and you have ice cleats. Nothing gives better traction on ice.
