How to Play Better Golf in the Rain?

If you have never played golf in the rain then it means you are either the luckiest person around, or you pay close attention to the weather forecast.

However, most players will have had to contend with every changing weather conditions out on the course, and that brings with it some issues you need to contend with.

So, how do you make a difference when it comes to contending with the rain? Well, here are several tips you may want to take notice of.

Tip 1: Your Accessories

The first thing has to be your accessories, and the most important thing of all has to be rain gloves. 

You need to remember that your grip will change due to them being wet, and the last thing you need is for both your hands to be soaked due to the rain. The odds of your clubs twisting and turning through the swing leading to a mishit will be strongly against you, but rain gloves can counteract this to a certain extent.

Another accessory should be a rain bucket hat. That’s going to stop the rain from not only running down your face, but annoying you as well.

The key with these two components is to make sure you feel as comfortable as possible when playing your shots. Dealing with the weather is tough enough on its own without adding to it in this way.

Tip 2: Get a Rain Suit

Moving onto what is kind of a bigger accessory, you need to get a rain suit that you can take out at a moments notice. 

Once again, this is about comfort on your part, and it’s recommended that you get as good a rain suit as you can afford. Not only must it help keep you dry, but it also cannot restrict your movement either.

Do try and get one that has Goretex. That will work best, and avoid a budget option or you will still end up soaked primarily through sweating.

Tip 3: Protect Your Clubs

You need to protect your clubs from the elements, and that means cover them. Take the cover that came with your golf bag, and make sure you secure it every single time you remove a club, or add one back to the bag.

The aim here is to keep them as dry as possible. You are going to have a much better chance of hitting the sort of shot you want when not only the grip of the club is dry, but also the face.

Tip 4: Understand a Free Drop

You must also understand the concept of the free drop, and this is something that can become pretty important when the rain is heavy and water is forming on the course.

You are well within your rights to go ahead and take a free drop by moving your ball to dry ground, and not to play out of a puddle. However, don’t abuse this part and only use the rule to your advantage when things are really tough and the lie of the ball is pretty much impossible.

Tip 5: Understand How Greens Change

The greens won’t play the same when they are wet compared to in dry conditions, and that is something people may sometimes overlook. 

In wet conditions, you can expect the greens to be slower than normal. That means you must adjust the pace you putt at, or you will end up coming up short more often than not.

This is where actually being able to go on the practice green in the rain can lead to you really reaping the benefits. It will let you get used to how the roll changes, and believe us when we say it will change more than you may expect.

Tip 6: Dealing with the Sand

Shots from the bunker will also play differently when you have wet conditions. However, you have the opposite problem when it comes to the sand compared to the green.

Here, wet sand is going to push the ball off the face of the club faster than you may expect. That will lead to the ball travelling a greater distance than you may have intended, and that’s not a good thing.

So, with this, you need to slow down your swing speed a bit, and reduce the power to a certain extent. Also, close the face up just a tad as that will also help to reduce the distance that the ball is then likely to travel.

Tip 7: See it as a Test

So much of golf is all in the mind. Having the incorrect mindset will always make it more likely that you will have a horrible time out on the course, and that applies even when you are playing in perfect conditions.

You need to see playing in the rain as a test. It changes how the entire course plays, and if you are on your home course then suddenly having it acting differently is another challenge for you to look at overcoming.

Don’t fear the rain. Instead, be aware that your game has to change according to the conditions, and that is perfectly fine.

Overall, the key to playing better golf in the rain is to make sure you have the correct attire, look after your clubs to keep them as dry as possible, and be aware of how different aspects of the course will change. 

Take your time with your shots. Adjust how you swing, but most importantly of all never overthink what you are about to do. Overthinking is a huge mistake to make no matter the conditions.

You cannot afford to give the rain too much power when it comes to your game. It’s simply another element for you to deal with just as you have done with sun in your eyes, the wind, or even issues with your own swing.

As long as you remain aware of these differences, then playing in the rain should not really affect your game as much as you would perhaps have feared.