How cold is too cold to play golf? 4 golfers have their say

December 16, 2021

8 Views 0

As long as there’s not snow on the ground, you can play. But would you?

Getty Images

For half the country, the winter is upon us, which means golfers in these areas are once again confronted with an important question: How cold is too cold to play golf? It’s a question that pits a golfer’s love of the game against their disdain for being uncomfortably cold, and it’s a source of endless debate, too. Each golfers’ threshold is different.

The other day, I was wondering where on the hardcore-fairweather golfer spectrum I fell. The last round I played in the Northeast, where I live, was on November 18th, during an unseasonably warm 60 degree day, and haven’t touched the clubs since. I’d be tempted if a sunny day over about 50 degrees popped up, but it hasn’t, so I haven’t, which I suspect puts me on the fairweather end of the spectrum.

But again, I wasn’t sure, so I took a quick sample of GOLF.com staffers in various northern areas of the country to get their take

Josh Berhow, Minnesota

I feel like I’m more lenient on this topic than most people since I’ve spent my entire life in the north. Our season is very limited. That means we are getting out as much as we can as long as there’s no snow on the ground, and have no problem wearing warm layers and stocking hats in the early spring/late fall. So, how cold is too cold? Well, last Friday I walked 18 holes in glorious 42-degree sunshine. Twenty hours later it snowed. December golf in Minnesota! What a world.

Dylan Dethier, Washington

Pure temperature? There’s almost no lower limit. I’d say about 30 degrees. But that’s on a mild day. If there’s wind or rain that number creeps higher very fast.