“No matter what calamities befall him in everyday life, the true hacker still needs the pressure and inconvenience of four hours of trudging in wind or rain or sleet or sun (or all of them at once) hacking at a white pellet that seems to have a mind of its own and a lousy sense of direction.” – Tom O’Connor
By Ian Hardie
As a golfer you will no doubt be aware that playing golf in the rain creates a few challenges
Not only does the condition and responsiveness of the golf course change in the rain
The way you approach and think about your game needs to be adjusted as well
For the first 10 years or so that I played golf
I mainly played in fine weather due to the climate of the area I lived in
Consequently – when it rained – I struggled big time
In fact you could almost instantly add 5 or more shots to my average score if it rained
Like most golfers I used to try and avoid playing in the rain where possible
Until I happened to move to a different area for work
One where I was to find out that rain and bad weather was the standard day
With fine calm weather becoming the thing I needed to adjust for
After spending a few years in that area
I got pretty good at adjusting both my game and my thinking for ‘rainy golf’
I almost got to the point where I had no score variation in the rain
Maybe it was a shot or two
But I was certainly a lot better than I used to be
I still didn’t look forward to playing in the rain but it didn’t bother me if I had to
So here are some of my best tips for playing golf in the rain;
Firstly, make sure you are prepared for playing in the rain
Spend some money getting some good rain gear
A good waterproof jacket, pants and hat are worth the money as there is nothing worse than spending your game focussed on how wet you are getting, instead of how to make good scores
If you don’t like the restriction of wearing a jacket
Get yourself a good solid woollen jersey to play in
It won’t actually repel water and it will end up being sodden
But it will keep you warm while playing which will still be better than leaky raingear
Secondly, get a waterproof umbrella
Now I know you are going to say ‘hang on Ian all umbrellas are waterproof’
But the reality is there are a considerable number of (mainly cheaper) umbrellas out there that are not actually waterproof
So make sure you get one that is not only waterproof but if possible get one that has a 2 piece top that allows wind to flow through
Third, get a pair of rain gloves
If you read the post ‘Why wear a golf glove’ you will know that the majority of gloves are made to protect golfer’s hands
However they are really only good in fine weather through to light rain as the majority of them are made with a fairly smooth fabric
When it’s raining you need to get some proper ‘rain gloves’ which have a much different fabric that makes up the palm of the glove
A fabric designed to really grip well in rain
It’s a bit like the difference you will see on race cars with their tyres
The tyre on the left would be equivalent to a leather glove (dry weather only)
The middle one is like a synthetic glove (dry weather and light rain)
And the tyre on the right is like the rain glove I’m talking about here (wet weather only)
Specially designed to grip as much as possible during rain
They are too thick and uncomfortable for use in the dry
As opposed to a leather glove for example which gives the best feel and grip in the dry but becomes slippery the minute it gets wet
Fourth, get a good towel
Now I know that tour players go out here with multiple dry towels in plastic bags that their caddie is in charge of but the reality is most golfers don’t have that luxury
Personally I pretty much ‘play wet’ which means I just do rain and don’t worry about trying to keep everything dry
I think that can make your mind stray from your game in the same way as leaking rainwear or an umbrella that’s not waterproof
So the only reason I say to take a good towel is simply to try and minimize the amount of water that is on your clubface before you hit a shot
I’m going to discuss that more in an upcoming post but I’m sure you get the idea
Fifth, get a pair of really waterproof shoes
Much like rain wear, having a pair of shoes that let water in can bug a golfer all day
Years ago a pair of waterproof shoes was just a matter of being lucky or covering them with so much waterproofing that nothing could penetrate them
Modern manufacturing techniques mean that the majority of shoes do their job well in regards to waterproofing but just be aware that good pair is obviously going to cost a little more
If you play in the rain a lot – it will be worth it
So there you have it
When you have to play in the rain, put on your wet weather stuff
And completely commit to the game in the rain
I’ll talk about how you need to change your approach
As well as the way you think about your game in the rain soon
Until then
Play well
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