7 Ways To Adapt Your Golf Bag For Winter

If you’re sticking with your summer bag of clubs and kit for winter, you’re potentially costing yourself unnecessary shots. Winter brings about a completely different set of challenges that require some simple but highly effective adjustments to the gear in your bag.

Below, I’ve highlighted 7 ways to adapt your golf bag for winter so you can keep playing your best golf whatever the weather.

WATCH: How To Adapt The Kit In Your Bag For Winter

1. Carry A Reliable Pair Of Waterproofs

A reliable set of waterproofs in your bag are an essential inclusion, offering the protection I need from the strongest downpours but also allowing plenty of stretch and mobility so my swing never feels impeded.

These adidas waterproofs I'm sporting in the image and video above have seam-sealed zippers so you can keep your scorecard and hand warmers dry, but are also super breathable, so you never feel as though you’re overheating when adding these extra layers.

Keeping warm and dry is half the battle out on the golf course in the winter using some of the best golf waterproofs on the market is key to doing so.

2. Try A Low Compression Golf Ball

Change number two is arguably the most important, and that’s because you use it on every single shot - the golf ball.

While there may be the urge to play a tour-level or premium ball all year round, unless you’re a faster swinger of the golf club (105+ clubhead speed), then you may struggle to compress the ball properly, particularly when the temperature plummets.

These high-compression balls get even firmer in the winter, and if you don’t possess the correct amount of clubhead speed, you’ll struggle to get the compression and explosive nature out of the ball, potentially robbing you of valuable distance.

Remember, you’re likely to have multiple layers, which means you’ll likely be swinging it slightly slower than usual anyway, so changing to a softer, lower compression golf ball could be a great alternative.

If you happen to find those balls in a bright yellow, then take advantage of these, as they could be the difference between finding your tee shot amongst the fallen leaves or having to walk back to the tee to play a second ball.

3. Loft Up Your Driver To Boost Your Carry

Next up is the big stick and how you can make a small adjustment to ensure you’re not losing yardage from the tee. In the summer, the ground is firm, the ball travels farther in the air, and then runs a mile. However, in the winter, the ground softens and roll sometimes becomes non-existent, costing you valuable yardage, particularly on longer par-4s and par-5s.

To counteract this, you can add some loft to your driver. This will likely add a little launch and spin, which will help maximise your carry. Most drivers these days have adjustable hosels and the wrenches are universal, so you can use any one you have lying around from previous purchases (aside from some of the older Srixon models).

Go up in small increments and see what effect it has. You’d ideally want to track this using a launch monitor and understand what amount of stated loft provides you with the optimum flight, matching both the launch and spin. Too much spin could hurt your distance output, so don't overdo it.

Keep in mind, adding loft to your driver will naturally close the face angle a little, but a little more loft and spin will actually make the driver a touch more forgiving. Give this a go to recoup some of that distance lost in roll when the weather gets cold.

4. Use Wedges With Higher Bounce

Now’s the time to talk about short game. It’s no coincidence that everyone’s chipping struggles tend to occur over the winter months, and that’s because the soft ground conditions mean you have to be super precise when it comes to strike, otherwise, we’re often playing the next shot from a few feet in front of where we hit the last one.

The bounce on the club is noted by the little number, often found next to the loft, and represents the angle of the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole - it essentially acts like a skid plate. It tends to be easier to spot when you lay the club behind the ball at address, and you can see how much the leading edge sits above the ground.

While the bounce you use should correlate with each golfer's specific angle of attack, a wedge with less bounce is more likely to see the leading edge dig into the ground, and vice versa with a high-bounce wedge in the summer, it’s likely to kick off the floor, and you’ll likely strike the ball low on the face and thin.

Swapping to one of the best wedges with higher bounce is something definitely worth considering if your short game woes appear when the ground softens. A higher-bounce wedge will often have a wider sole, which also prevents digging and gives you much more room for error on your strike.

5. Add A High-Lofted Fairway Woods Or Hybrid

Now’s the time to put the ego away, take those long irons out of the bag, and leave them in the garage until at least the spring, when the ground starts to firm up again.

Long irons are really hard to hit well, and without plenty of speed and perfect contact, you’re unlikely to execute the shot you were attempting. This is where lofted fairway woods can become your best friend.

Adding a 9-wood or a 7-wood to your bag is the perfect replacement for your 4 or 5-iron and gives you so much more forgiveness and predictability when it comes to ball flight and distance.

Now don’t get me wrong, you still need to put a half-decent swing on it for the ball to end up roughly where you’re aiming, but these clubs, like the wedges we talked about earlier, offer a super wide sole to prevent any digging in wetter conditions.

The CG is often positioned low and pulled further back, increasing the MOI and providing a more forgiving, higher-launching option when hitting into the green from distance. It’s an absolute no-brainer!

6. Add Weight To Your Putter

There’s nothing like putting on slick, smooth greens in the summer, but naturally as the seasons change, the grass on the greens gets longer, and the softer conditions mean that green speeds slow down considerably.

The biggest mistake most golfers make when playing throughout the winter is leaving putts short and then feeling as though they have to bash the putt the next time around, causing all sorts of pace control issues.

So tip number 5 is using a heavier putter that helps do the work for you. Now, going and purchasing a secondary putter isn’t an option for most people, but you’ll be surprised how many manufacturers offer weight packs on their websites, so you can swap out those that you usually use to create a heavier head.

The likes of the Mizuno M.Craft boast interchangeable weights and backs to the putter, so you can change the look and weight.

Another, much more DIY version of this would be to purchase some lead tape. Mine cost me around £5, and you can then add weight to the putter wherever you feel as though you need the weight. You can use trial and error here, placing it in different areas, but fairly central would be ideal, because this weight will change how a putter rotates throughout the stroke.

A larger mallet putter is typically a little heavier and has more surface area to add weight if needed. The additional weight will help increase ball speed and make getting the ball to the hole on slower greens a lot easier than having to make a full swing with a much lighter putter.

7. Invest In A Waterproof Golf Bag

Playing golf in the rain isn’t always my idea of fun, but playing with soaked-through equipment throughout the round will certainly make things a lot worse and will no doubt affect your performance should you choose to battle the elements.

A waterproof golf bag with seam-sealed zippers is going to keep not only your clubs, rangefinder, and spare gloves dry, but also all your personal equipment such as phone, wallet, and car keys.

There’s nothing worse than stepping up on the tee box with a driver in your hand and a soaking wet grip, thinking not only that you may have to shout fore for the ball, but potentially the club as well!