Golf Talk With Greg Holman – #51

For many golfers, October is considered to be the last golf month of the season in Missouri, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ll still have plenty of 50 degree days, and if the sun is out and it’s not windy, you can have a good time on the links.

I carry my clubs in the trunk year-round. There are precautions you should take in the so called off-season though. Besides the obvious (dressing for the weather), some courses will operate part-time in the late fall and winter. That may mean no food, except maybe a stale candy bar and possibly no facilities, if you know what I mean if the clubhouse is closed. Also the cart sheds may be closed so you may want to take a Sunday bag and plan to walk nine.

I learned my lesson in high school to always take a jacket. The destination was Richland, MO for a nine hole match in late March. The weather was 58 and sunny when we left the high school in Rolla. An hour later by the time we arrived at the course, the temperature had fallen to 28 and it was starting to snow. The match was not cancelled. I only had a light windbreaker. Some of my team members didn’t even bring a jacket. We won the match, but the low score was 39. I had my highest competitive round in high school, a 47, and that wasn’t the worst round on the team.

If you are going to hang it up for the year, there is a proper way to store your gear. Clean your clubs with soap and water and use an old toothbrush to clean the grooves on your irons. Most importantly, don’t leave your golf gloves in a wad, otherwise they will be useless come spring. Some people even recommend storing your golf balls near a heat vent so they don’t lose their compression. Bringing your set of clubs in the house should be good enough. Throw your towels in the wash and remove jackets, protein bars and any other perishable food. It’s also a good enough time to just clean out the pockets and throw away anything you don’t need to save: barely recognizable golf balls, broken tees and pencils and old scorecards. Don’t forget to practice your putting indoors.

If you are going to tackle the elements, hit ’em straight! By the way you my permission to play winter rules like we talked about in a previous blog, and play the short tees, because you ball will not carry as far in 50 degree weather as it will on an 80 degree day, plus the fairway is likely to be soft, so there will be no roll.

Just because the season is winding down doesn’t mean my blogs will stop.