What Temperature Is Too Cold For Golf Clubs? (Here’s the truth!)

Golf is often associated with warm summer temperatures, and it is also the reason you will find the PGA tour taking palace over the summer months. A question some of you have been asking is, what temperature is too cold for golf clubs?

While there is no lower limit when it comes to using your golf clubs, different people have different opinions. Some believe 45 degrees Fahrenheit is the lower limit, whereas others could say that 60 degrees are the lowest you should go.

Since this is such a debated topic, we have decided to have a closer look at some of the reasons that people would argue there is a lower limit.

This article aims to help you consider the possibilities of cold temperatures and what effect that could have on your game. 

You might also enjoy reading: Why Don’t Pro Golfers Use Colored Balls? (It is not what you think!)

Is Playing In Cold Weather Bad For Golf Clubs?

Playing in cold weather is not bad for your golf clubs, and no concrete science states that playing a few rounds and returning your clubs to the bag and storage area will cause any damage. However, prolonged exposure could affect the integrity of steel, and brittleness might often be one of the resulting factors for steel clubs.

When it comes to playing golf, players can often choose whether they want to buy steel golf clubs or graphite golf clubs, with graphite being the more sought-after golf club by many professional players.

The effects of cold weather on the graphite shaft seem limited, but it could depend on how long it is exposed to these conditions.

For steel golf clubs, it is trickier, and when looking at the science, prolonged exposure to extreme cold temperatures could affect the steel strength. Steel often becomes brittle when left out in the cold for too long. 

If you are playing with your steel clubs, the motions and movements would counteract the cold temperatures, which reduces the effect on the steel from the temperatures. However, it is not recommended that you leave your golf clubs outside. 

See also: 14 Must-Have Golf Clubs For a Better Golfing Experience.

At What Temperature Should You Store Golf Clubs?

With certain temperatures directly affecting the golf clubs, it is often important to know which temperatures are the best for storing your golf clubs. Since playing with them in cold weather should not dramatically affect the material integrity, storing them in the wrong conditions could affect the materials.

The ideal temperature for storing your golf clubs would range from about 40-80 degrees Fahrenheit. These are optimal living conditions depending on your personal preference.

Unfortunately, it means that many people storing their clubs in the garage might want to look for a different storage location to ensure clubs are protected.

Cold temperatures might not affect your clubs compared to excessive heat, and it is important to have your clubs stored in a regulated room where you can monitor and control temperatures throughout the different seasons. 

What Effects Do Severe Temperatures Have On Golf Clubs?

Now that you are aware of the optimal conditions for storing your golf clubs, you might be wondering how excessive temperatures can affect your clubs.

It is best to avoid any excessive temperatures and make sure you stay within the recommended ranges. However, excessive exposure to heat or cold could have the following effects.

1- Excessive Heat

One of the biggest enemies, especially steel, would be heat. Prolonged exposure to excessive heat could lead to your clubs being bent slightly. At first, these small bends might not be noticeable. However, they can become excessive when you continue to leave your clubs in these bad conditions for too long.

Additionally, heat can also cause the glue that holds the club head and grips in place to melt. Once the glue becomes sticky and loose, you could play a shot and find that the club head just flies off with the golf ball.

2- Excessive Cold

Many of you might be wondering how excessive cold could affect your clubs and if they would have any significant bearing on the golf clubs. The main problem with excessive cold also comes down to the glue or epoxy used to hold the grips and club heads together. 

While limited exposure while playing would not cause any lasting damage, prolonged exposure would harden the glue.

Once it becomes hard, the glue can break almost like steel would when brittle. This might require you to apply new glue to the clubs, ensuring they remain sticky.

See also: 5 Best Golf Clubs For Ladies Beginners (And how to pick the perfect golf clubs!)

Best Temperature For Golf

Another thing you might want to look at is the temperature at which you play golf. As mentioned, playing in excessive cold or heat does not impact the integrity or durability of the clubs.

However, it could affect your performance. You should try to play golf at optimal temperatures whenever possible.

Cold Weather Effect

Cold weather has an enormous effect on the golf ball and your game, and some people might even need to read some studies to understand this effect fully.

The main gist comes down to the behavior of materials under certain conditions, which ultimately means certain temperatures could affect your score.

Since cold air tends to be denser than warm, the golf ball might have to deal with some additional drag that comes when playing the shot. While the effect is not enormous and might hardly be recognizable for amateurs, it is thought that the effect is about 2-yards per every 10 degrees of temperature change.

This means that a player playing a game in 75-degree temperatures could have about 6 or 7-yards more carry on their shots than someone playing the same hole on the same course at 45 degrees.

You should also note that the temperatures are not only related to the air, but the golf ball temperature is also of utmost importance.

The colder the golf ball, the shorter your travel distance would be when playing. You want to aim for a golf ball closer to 70 degrees when the ball’s temperature is measured. 

Hot Weather Effect

On the other side of the spectrum, we have hot weather. Since golf is often played in the summer, many players need to deal with excessive heat, which could have an enormous effect on their overall game.

Fortunately, the effect is mainly positive, and while your golf clubs might be at risk if left in the sun, it is rare to have an actual effect.

Since the warm air does not have the same density, the golf ball can often travel further. Additionally, the heat helps with generating more heat energy in the golf ball. Depending on the core of the ball, it would allow the ball to travel slightly farther in the same conditions when compared to a cooler golf ball.

While the temperatures do not have an effect that could improve or destroy your game significantly, the optimal temperature for playing is between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

More than 90 might not affect your ball or equipment but could lead to players tiring out more. Unfortunately, heat can cause heatstroke and severe health issues.

See also: How To Flatten Perfect Practice Putting Mat (Here’s how!)

Best Way To Store Your Golf Clubs

Now that you have seen the effects of excessive heat and cold on your clubs, you might be wondering what the best way is to store your golf clubs.

We have identified a few important steps to take, which should ensure your golf clubs are stored correctly and possibly prolong their lifespan:

1- Clean Your Clubs

One of the first things to do after a game is to clean your clubs. You want to remove as much dirt as possible from the clubs due to the moisture often in the dirt.

You might not see the moisture, but when it comes into prolonged contact with your golf clubs, it might lead to rust. This is more common for infrequent players that leave clubs in storage for too long.

2- Temperature Control

The most important rule for storing your golf clubs would be to keep the temperature in mind. If you don’t plan on playing throughout the winter months, you might want a controlled area that enables you to store the clubs and forget about them.

For most people, it is best recommended to store the golf clubs indoors.

3- Check Up On Them Often

If you are an irregular player and you are storing your golf clubs, you might want to check in on them. Every few weeks, you should check to see if any damage has occurred.

However, if the clubs are stored in optimal conditions, you should not need to worry about any issues.

Is It OK To Leave Golf Clubs Outside?

Leaving your club outside during hot weather can generally damage the grip if the temperature reaches 68 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, do not store your golf clubs in the sun, hot environment, or in the garage because moisture and cold temperatures can damage your grips, causing shafts to become brittle and even damaging the epoxy securing the club head to the shaft. 

The best places to store your clubs include a corner inside your house, a climate-controlled storage unit, or a closet. 

See also: Picking The Right Shaft For Your Driver: 5 Factors to Consider!

Wrapping Up

Golf clubs are expensive, and if you have a set of clubs, you should do your best to store them in optimal conditions.

Your garage might not be temperature controlled, and you should store them in the right conditions.

Let us know in the comment section if temperatures have significantly affected your clubs.