While many parts of Canada have been unusually warm in recent weeks, the truth is we all know cold days (and nights) are nearing. But that doesn’t mean the golf season has to end. It’s time to extend your season! Play into November. Heck, play to Christmas if you can. Why let a little cool weather drop a bogey on your game?

Being prepared as the thermometer drops is the best thing you can do for your game! Titleist’s research shows that for every 12 degrees Celsius the temperature drops, you lose about 1.5% of normal distance on your shot. That means a 100-yard sand wedge would only travel 98.5 yards, and that’s based on air temperature alone. The optimum temperature for a golf ball is 27 degrees, so you’ll be well off that in October in many parts of the country.

Here’s a selection of cold weather-ready golf gear that will help you extend your golf season well into the fall and beyond.

Finding the Right Wedge

There are many factors to consider when selecting the right wedge. Loft, lie, length, and bounce to name a few. Understanding the condition you’re using your wedges in will help determine your best wedge setup for the day. Understanding bounce and its role is especially important while playing in wet conditions. For starters, what does bounce do on a wedge? Bounce helps to stop a wedge from digging into the ground excessively. Bounce is measured by the angle created on the bottom of the club that starts from the leading edge and goes to the back edge (see image below). The higher the bounce, the greater the angle created. Additional bounce is helpful for golfers with standard to steep golf swings in normal conditions.  For golfers with a more shallow swing, less bounce is normally selected to allow the club to interact with the turf more, causing a shallow divot.

It’s important to select your wedges based on turf conditions as well. During fall golf, the ground becomes softer with wet conditions so wedges with less bounce dig more and become less forgiving. Higher bounce wedges are great for wet conditions in the fairway or the rough, because it adds forgiveness to shots hit slightly behind the ball. The additional bounce stops the club from digging into the ground. However, if your ball ends up in a wet bunker then you are likely hitting out of compacted sand. This is where you’ll want to use a lower bounce wedge with additional loft. Using a higher bounce wedge here will likely cause the club to hit the sand early,  sculling the shot. A higher lofted, lower bounce wedge will get the ball up quickly in these conditions.

A good bag setup for fall golf could include a high bounce 54 or 56 degree wedge, with a low bounce 60 degree wedge. Cleveland Golf uses a dot system to make it easy to select the amount of bounce you want on your wedge. One dot represents low bounce, two dots represent mid bounce, and three dots represents full, or high bounce.

Changing Your Ball

In the cold, higher compression golf balls are harder to compress, and mishits can be hard on the hands. Experts suggest turning to lower compression balls, like Callaway’s Chrome Soft, which is a 78-compression ball, or the Bridgestone e6 (a 50 compression ball) or the ultra-soft Wilson Duo, which has a compression of 29. You’ll find them easier to hit—and easier on the hands when you don’t catch the centre of the clubface.

Cool Weather Gloves

Since you don’t want your hands to sting, consider FootJoy’s WinterSof gloves. They are perfect for those cool days. With a Weather-Shield foam fleece on the back of the glove, you’ll keep your hands toasty, while an extended knit cuff keeps the heat in.

Wet Weather Gloves

If you can’t hold onto your club, then you can’t play. FootJoy’s RainGrip gloves are ideal when a fall shower passes by in the middle of your round. The QuikDry material on the back of the glove provides maximum breathability, while the autosuede palm offers a solid grip regardless of the weather.