How cold is too cold for golf? This fun Reddit poll revealed the answers from different players.
Getty Images
As I type this, I’m currently sitting in a rental home in frigid Whistler, B.C., Canada, where my wife, three-month-old and I decided to spend the holiday weekend.
Is it gorgeous? No doubt. Is it warm? Let’s just say that, despite long underwear and a bunch of layers, I’m still shivering beneath it all. But if you really want some specifics, the high today was 3° F.
For most people, that’s way too cold to be outside. Around these parts, it’s just another Sunday, where there’s fun to be had, slopes to be skied, and adult beverages to drink.
And while it’s definitely the season for winter sports, Whistler also happens to be a pretty great spot to play some golf. So is the frozen tundra around here really keeping people off the course? I guess it depends on who you ask.
So I went ahead and skimmed through Reddit (as well as GOLF’s Instagram account) to see what the coldest temperature is that a golfer would play a round in. Since some people just can’t take a proper golf offseason, take a look below to see the coldest temperatures that some people would play golf in.
What’s the coldest temperature that you’d play a round of golf in?
Per Reddit: “What the coldest you’ll play?Teeing off at the warmest part of today and it ‘feels like’ 40° F, with wind between 6-13 mph and gusting to 23 mph…would you bail?”
1. “If the course is open, anything above freezing; as long as it’s not raining.”
2. “My buddies and I played 41° F with 25 mph wind gusts coming off the Atlantic. Worst round I’ve ever played; but at-least the beer stayed relatively cold.”
3. “I’d be willing to go out in 25° F with 20 mph winds. Heck, I’ve winter surfed and skied in way worse cold.”
4. “There’s no such thing for me! You learn to appreciate any golf when you have snow half the year living in Quebec.”
5. “Anything above freezing. Once the greens are frozen solid, it becomes less fun.”
6. “I’ve played in 30 degrees and have been fine since the sun was out, but have been absolutely miserable in the mid-40s because it’s so windy that no amount of layers helps.”
7. “As long as there isn’t snow.”
8. “The wet ground and conditions are far more of a deterrent than the 40° F. Otherwise, I’d be playing more often. I just don’t want to both freeze AND walk around in a sloppy mess for three hours!”
9. “Florida Man here, so 60° F is probably as low as I’ll go — and there can’t be any significant wind if it’s under 65° F.”
10. “When we tee’d off the other week, it was (23° F). The greens were frozen, though, so you just needed to run the ball onto them.”
11. “45º F with no wind would be the bottom for me.”
12. “As a Texan, I’d much rather play in 95-degree heat than play with temperatures nearing freezing!”
13. “I’ve played in the 30s. A couple of layers and some good beverages make a difference.”
14. “I have a very specific gauge: When the ball feels too hard and the cold vibrates up the shaft.”
15. “As cold as they’ll let me play! My last two outings we had to wait out the frost delay.”
16. “I have a rule of thumb: Nothing lower than than my own age. So the current lowest temperature I’ll play in is 45° F.”
17. “If I’m playing with a friend, 50° F. By myself, 60° F.”
18. “Not going to lie; anything under 40° F is rough.”
19. “I’m not going to go out in below freezing temps, but I’ve definitely played some 35° F rounds.”
20. “The question isn’t the temperature. The question is, is the course open or not?”