Consider this Golf Town’s guide to taking your game on tour. Whether you’re playing in the Caribbean, heading overseas to Europe or Asia, or even playing in Florida or the interior of California, you’re going to face conditions—grass, wind, elevation—that is significantly different than what you experience in Canada. Here’s a handful of considerations you’ll want to keep in mind when you’re heading abroad.

Different grasses

If you’ve ever played in the Caribbean, you’ll be familiar with the notion that the break is different because of the Bermuda grass. “It breaks towards the sea,” you’ll be told, or “It breaks away from the escarpment.” Either way you’ll have a different experience when playing on Bermuda or Zoysia, which was used at the Olympic Course in Brazil, and it’ll take some time to become accustomed to it. Word of advice: Ask the pro in the shop of the course you’re playing about the type of grass on the greens and whether you need to make any adjustments to your game.

Desert distractions

A number of Canadians will head to Arizona, Las Vegas, and California for their golf, and some of that will be played in desert conditions. That said, if you hit a shot offline, you’re going to have to be careful. Jumping Collas (a cactus that can readily attach to your clothes if you get too close) and snakes (Rattlesnakes, in particular) can be troublesome. You’ll also have to expect to hit the occasional shot into the sand (we aren’t talking bunkers), so you’ll need to become adept at “picking” the ball from these waste areas in the same way you’d deal with a fairway bunker.

Cold versus warm

If you’re playing in the Carolinas when they are cool and damp this winter, you’ll find your shots don’t go as far as you’ve experienced when it was warm and dry in July. That’s because a typical shot drops two yards for every six degrees Celsius, so you’ll want to hit more club into a green, or consider hitting your driver on that hole you might have hit hybrid previously.

Elevation

A general rule of thumb is the closer you are to sea level, the shorter the shot and the more it’ll curve. Thicker air accentuates spin, so if you’re playing at sea level and hit a cut, it’ll move more than you’re expecting. Similarly, at higher elevations—when you’re playing in the mountains, for example, the ball will curve less and travel farther.

Wind

If you’re playing seaside golf in the Caribbean during your winter escape, you’ll find wind is an ever-present challenge. Keeping the ball lower, running shots into greens, and using the wind to your advantage are going to be key factors in whether your game is a success. If the wind is up, take a longer club and swing a little easier (“When its breezy, swing it easy.”) You’ll put less spin on the ball and the result will be a shot that cuts through the wind, as opposed to one that spins significantly and drops abruptly.