I just played a round in four inches of snow. It was a beautiful day with crystal blue sky, warm enough for the snow to fall off the trees, but not warm enough for my sneakers to get completely soaked. Perfect.
The thing is is that I played pretty well, with some of my best drives ever, and I'm thinking thats because of the unsure footing and how I had to slow down my x-step and release. Obviously I wasn't getting the power I usually do, but my discs flew great and I had better than usual acuracy.

Just a thought.

Anyone else like to play in the snow? If you do, are there techniques for a more visible disk? Is it possible to play in a couple of feet of snow or is it too hard to find your discs?

Peace,
Jay :D

Breakthroughs in winter golf (http://www.disclife.com/lt010202.shtml)

In my experiences in playing the course in the snow, one of the first things I encourage is to tell those that you are playing with to walk in a single file line down the fairway so that only one "trail is blazed" if you will. In other words, the least amount of foot prints in the fairway the better to find "swoosh" marks in the snow. If you get hundreds of of shoe prints through the fairway, the more the human eye tends to focus on all the clutter versus a nice clean cut into the snow from a slicing disc. A good thing to look for when the disc is obiously "buried" is slightly ruffed up snow pattern just barely on the top surface. It usually is in the shape similar to the NIKE SWOOSH, lightly disturbing the snow pattern that surrounds. The disc usually travels at least 2 to 3 feet into the subsnow and sometimes more. Again, look for the initial "cut" ( a slice about the width of a disc) and then just kick the snow away in a sweeping motion feeling with the bottoms of your feet until you find your disc.

I have been playing in the snow for almost 20 seasons now, and I have yet to lose a disc. I just knocked on wood of course.

Also, a fun shot in the winter time, especially on the approach part of the game is to rip the disc upside down across the top of the snow and the sliding action you get from the disc is really cool.

Neoprene fishing gloves work great for keeping your hands "sweaty warm" and also allow you to wear a glove while driving and even putting. It has something to do with the rubber on rubber "grip" that allows you to maintain distance and control of the disc with a glove on, and again, keeps your hands toasty. A warm hat and a pair of rubber mucklucks will keep your head warm and feet dryand the soles on these mucklucks have great grip as well.

And last but not least, stay away from the running water if your course has water. It freezes the finger tip nerves rather quickly (unless you get the neoprene gloves as mentioned above) and will change your putting horrendously.

Enjoy and walk single file!

It's almost impossible to lose a disc if you are throwing an Ultimate lid. They just plop on top of the snow. No, you won't be getting max D, but it make the round go mighty smooth. My husband and I were throwing them last year at our Ice Bowl.

The key is surveyor ribbon. Flourescent pink or orange usually work best as a good combination of brightness and contrast. For best results, a strand of at least 24" should be used. Lengthen as snow depth and consistency warrant.

snow tip #1: Keep your feet dry. I think I almost lost my foot at last years Ice Bowl cause the snow got in my boot and melted.

Practice driving standing still. In 2+ feet it really becomes necessary. Being able to throw like this also comes in handy in good weather when the tees are really muddy or otherwise in bad shape.

Play in groups if possible. Have everyone watch all the discs thrown, not just theirs.

Breakthroughs in winter golf (http://www.disclife.com/lt010202.shtml)



Great article. I had thought about attaching surveyor ribbon to the discs, but wasn't sure if it would effect the flight. I live in New England, so we don't get quite as cold, but its still a deep freeze for a few months. Plus lots of snow. :D

The key is surveyor ribbon.



What is surveyor ribbon and where can you buy it? :confused:

We've tried the ribbon in MN and it seems unnecessary. Even without anything but a keen eye and paying attention, very few discs are lost here even in pretty deep snow. The idea from Alaska I read about that seemed good was using that blue pool cue chalk on your disc so it leaves a blue mark in the snow. Haven't tried it but that would hinder your flight much less than the ribbon or tape.

The key is surveyor ribbon.



What is surveyor ribbon and where can you buy it? :confused:

Surveyor ribbon (also called flagging ribbon/tape) is the high-visibility plastic tape, approx. 1" wide, that surveyors use to flag trees, posts, pins, [/i]etc.[/i] to provide visual reference when establishing the boundaries of a plot. It commonly comes in 100 yd rolls, and is available at Lowes and Home Depot, as well as the hardware section of Big Box stores like Wal-mart, Sears, Target, [/i]etc.[/i]

We've tried the ribbon in MN and it seems unnecessary. Even without anything but a keen eye and paying attention, very few discs are lost here even in pretty deep snow.

Wait a few years 'til your eyesight deteriorates to 20/40 best corrected vision, Chuck.

Out of curiosity, I've tried the ribbon a couple of summers ago to see how it affects disc flight, and if I ever move back to the Great White North, I'll gladly sacrifice the 20-30' it takes off of drives to be able to play in the snow without worrying about losing discs.

I've played the last two winters in snow here in Wisconsin. I've been using just "general" ribbon that you can buy on sale once Christmas is over. 1/2" wide is usually enough. I really haven't seen major differences in distance because of the ribbon. I like to think it's because I have too many layers of clothes on.

The key is surveyor ribbon.



What is surveyor ribbon and where can you buy it? :confused:

Surveyor ribbon (also called flagging ribbon/tape) is the high-visibility plastic tape, approx. 1" wide, that surveyors use to flag trees, posts, pins, [/i]etc.[/i] to provide visual reference when establishing the boundaries of a plot. It commonly comes in 100 yd rolls, and is available at Lowes and Home Depot...



I normally throw further than 100 yards. Should I tie two rolls together?







;)

jk

Our annual January tournament is played using Wham-O's Guts Frisbees. Composed of 113 grams of glowing orange plastic, their limited flight and high visibility have kept us from losing them in the snow.

Splintering them against frozen trees, however, has continued to be a problem.

Our annual January tournament is played using Wham-O's Guts Frisbees. Composed of 113 grams of glowing orange plastic, their limited flight and high visibility have kept us from losing them in the snow.

Splintering them against frozen trees, however, has continued to be a problem.


Yeah, I thought about using the fishing lure lights that people have talked about on other threads. A little red light would penetrate a lot of snow.

Our annual January tournament is played using Wham-O's Guts Frisbees. Composed of 113 grams of glowing orange plastic, their limited flight and high visibility have kept us from losing them in the snow..



Is this the event in the Arb to which you refer? I know one participant's wife hates it when her husband brings that coveted but butt ugly "trophy" home.

Joe

A snow golf essential is pad maintenance. Keeping the pads clear is safer and makes for more enjoyment. On the subject of pads make sure you don't walk on the pads unless you are driving. also avoid walking on them untill they are shoveled this avoids packing that creates ice.
Do not use halite for snow removal it is harmefull to the environment and breaks down concrete. Instead use potassium and calcium de-icers. They melt the snow and dry them at the same time plus they act as fertilizer for the grass.
We play alot of snow golf here in Ann Arbor last year at our ice bowl event Chills at the Mills it was -9 at tee off. :D :D

A snow golf essential is pad maintenance. Keeping the pads clear is safer and makes for more enjoyment. On the subject of pads make sure you don't walk on the pads unless you are driving. also avoid walking on them untill they are shoveled this avoids packing that creates ice.
Do not use halite for snow removal it is harmefull to the environment and breaks down concrete. Instead use potassium and calcium de-icers. They melt the snow and dry them at the same time plus they act as fertilizer for the grass.
We play alot of snow golf here in Ann Arbor last year at our ice bowl event Chills at the Mills it was -9 at tee off. :D :D



yeah, I was also thinking that an umpires broom would be great, because in my experience, sweeping snow off leaves less residue that can and will turn into ice than shoveling does, and with a little broom like umps use, you could carry it right in your bag.

A snow golf essential is pad maintenance. Keeping the pads clear is safer and makes for more enjoyment. On the subject of pads make sure you don't walk on the pads unless you are driving. also avoid walking on them untill they are shoveled this avoids packing that creates ice.
Do not use halite for snow removal it is harmefull to the environment and breaks down concrete. Instead use potassium and calcium de-icers. They melt the snow and dry them at the same time plus they act as fertilizer for the grass.
We play alot of snow golf here in Ann Arbor last year at our ice bowl event Chills at the Mills it was -9 at tee off. :D :D



yeah, I was also thinking that an umpires broom would be great, because in my experience, sweeping snow off leaves less residue that can and will turn into ice than shoveling does, and with a little broom like umps use, you could carry it right in your bag.



Also, the more often it gets shoveld, the faster it dries in the sun. Seems like a no brainer, but I thought I'd be the ******* to post it.

the best thing you could invest for yourself for winter golf are a good pair of ice cleets. the ones i got, as well as most people here in SE MI, are called "stabilizers". they go over your shoes or boots and they have screws in the bottoms which you can replace if they fall out or rust. you can get these at R.E.I. or any other sporting goods store. i bought them for 50$, and it was the best investment i could have ever made for winter golf. i bought mine about 3 years ago, and they are still like new, but REI also gives you a lifetime warranty on them.
a few years ago playing at cass benton right after an ice storm, i had to help people get up the hill on hole 16. with these cleets, you will never slip, never fall, always have good planting......grip it, rip it, and no slip it.

I played in the snow for the first time on turkey day. Played both Flagstaff courses. It was fun. The snow was hard-pack so we didn't lose any discs.

I was just curious about any rule modifications that people make while playing during winter months. During last years Ice Bowl here in IL the lake on the course was frozen over completely and it was deemed in play. Made some very tricky holes a lot shorter by allowing to play to the middle of the lake and then up onto the bank. Does anyone else consider frozen lakes/creeks in play? I mean at that point its as solid as the fairway and just a blast to think back on when you play the course in July (unless you shank drives and put a disc in the water like my buddy did).

Winter rules in MN. No OB penalties including water and frozen water, streets, etc. Mark it IB like it was OB but no penalty. Except if ice is safe, then play it there. No 2-meter penalty which is now moot anyway. No lost disc penalty. Mandos still in play.

I've played that if you can't see the out of bounds it isn't there. Stuff like parking lots or roads that are hidden under the snow.

I got to play in Illinois over Thanksgiving, I sure could have used the ice type cleats. It would have been nice to be able to throw like you want. We really don't have any snow problems down here in the south!

Rule violations in the winter is like adding an additional 20 years to the guy who gets life in prison.

In other words, why punish yourself anymore than you already have by being out there in the cold, often windy elements?

Heres' to you Mr.Discgolfinthewinterinventor! (cracks open a budweiser and looks forward to the warm spring).

Rule violations in the winter is like adding an additional 20 years to the guy who gets life in prison.

In other words, why punish yourself anymore than you already have by being out there in the cold, often windy elements?

Heres' to you Mr.Discgolfinthewinterinvenor! (cracks open a budweiser and looks forward to the warm spring).


Amen! :)

The best way I've found to play DG in the snow up here in Alaska is to take some Chaulk-line Chaulk, Put some in a thin sock and tie it off. Then pat your disc with it before you throw,...

It leaves a nice colored smile as it enters the snow.

If ya play in a group, use different colors.

45 inches during last year's Ice Bowl,... yeah we play everyday!
/msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Disc Golf,... The ONLY All Season Outdoor Sport!! ;)

Peace!

The best way I've found to play DG in the snow up here in Alaska is to take some Chaulk-line Chaulk, Put some in a thin sock and tie it off. Then pat your disc with it before you throw,...

It leaves a nice colored smile as it enters the snow.

If ya play in a group, use different colors.

45 inches during last year's Ice Bowl,... yeah we play everyday!
/msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Disc Golf,... The ONLY All Season Outdoor Sport!! ;)

Peace!


Now that would be an Ice Bowl to play in. We had about 7 inches on the ground at Collinsville's Ice Bowl last year and didn't lose any discs because it was so packed it was like ice everywhere... I think I was on my butt more than my feet during the first round. I think it would be awesome to play in huge amounts of powder, but I am weird.

Hey Fishead, checked out the Alaska website... some cool pics... but with snow like this...

http://www.alaskadiscgolf.com/Assets/images/winter_bob.jpg

you would have to worry about losing your whole bag and/or a short member of your card in that stuff.

use blue or red; it's hard to see white chalk in the snow :)

I have never played in snow before, what's it like?

You lie, dont ever play poker, if that is your best attempt at lying.

dammit, you called my bluff! you're good, very good

When I am not posting, I am on PartyPoker.com .

What is snow?

It is white stuff that falls from the sky, due to cold weather and precipitation.

Finally got to play in the snow. 5 1/2" on the island. 3" at the course. Too cool... Hard to find the disc in much deeper snow would think.

Best part - It's melted already. Back to mild sunny golfing.

Played my first game in the snow the day after Chrismas.

8" to 10" on the ground at Vienna Park in Temperance, MI

Luckily there were 3 other sets of eyes to help keep track of the discs. Next time I'll use the Alaskan method for finding my discs, luckily back here in Southern Wis, we don't have any snow so I can work on finding my discs in the leaves. :(

I CAN'T PLAY IN THE SNOW I CAN'T PLAY IN THE COLD I CANT PLAY WHEN IT'S WET. /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif bUT I GOT WHITE DISCS.

so you're MTL, or at least an MTL wannabe?

no and no but i do have white discs but none from MTL (well not yet) mills gave me alot. Schweb sold me one