I thought I'd share a few things I've learned about playing in an Ice Bowl and snow in general.
Dress for successFiguring out what to wear for a winter tournament is always a tricky thing. Successfully managing your body's temp can have a definite effect on your performance. Thoughts like "Damn I'm sweating to death" or "Damn I'm freezing my nards off" are just going to distract you.
There are five time zones you have to worry about for a winter tournament: Pre-game, Round 1, Lunch, Round 2, and Post-game.
- Pre-game: You have to think about the temperature when you first get there and you are standing around, checking in, and warming up. Getting out of your toasty car can be a bit shocking after a 2-hour drive. I usually overdress during pre-game so that I can warm up and loosen up faster. Hat, mittens, sweatshirt, jacket. For base layers, I wear a wicking performance shirt under a regular short-sleeve t-shirt.
- Round 1: Next you have to think about getting warmer as you start to play and as the sun climbs. Devens is pretty hilly and when you add in trudging through the snow, you will heat up fast. Wear layers that are easily packable or you will waste valuable mental and physical energy carrying around your jacket and trying to remember which hole you left it on. You don't need the distraction.
Since I know I will warm up pretty fast, I dress light and wear a sweatshirt and a vest if it is 30 and below, or just the sweatshirt if it's not. I also have a packable nylon jacket I can attach to my bag if there is a wind or breeze. I wear a knit hat or fleece tubey thing that I can wear as a hat or pull down around my neck. Baseball hats don't keep me as warm since I like to keep my ears covered.
- Lunch: The break presents new issues with your body rapidly cooling down as you sit around and refuel. Now's the time to change your socks and boots and maybe your shirt. It just feels good putting on fresh socks and a shirt. I usually put on a different sweatshirt and sit in the car to get warm.
- Round 2: Round 2 is the opposite of Round 1. It starts warm and then gradually cools down as the sun sets and the afternoon winds pick up. I wear the same thing and maybe bring along a vest. Overall, I just suck it up the last few holes since I'd rather be a little cold than carry around extra gear.
- Post-game: Time to change and get out of those wet socks, pants, and shirt. Put on something fresh and you'll feel better instantly. Don't forget to bring a second pair of shoes or sneakers. It's no fun putting warm dry feet into cold wet boots!
Pants
I usually wear ski pants. Besides keeping me warm, they repel water and snow and I can pretty much sit or lean against anything without having to worry about walking around with a wet butt. Since it was relatively warm yesterday, I experimented with regular nylon workout pants and they worked out well. They did get a little wet though.
I'd avoid jeans or any other cotton-based pants. They suck up moisture and by the end of the day you'll be carrying around a couple extra pounds of crusted, frozen snow on your ankles. Not good. Gaiters are also a good idea if you don't have ski pants.
Shoes and socksBefore I had my waterproof Seal Skins socks, I used to wear regular cotton or wool socks. Combined with a decent boot, it worked okay, but I always changed socks at lunch and after the event.
Boots are a no-brainer. Sneakers will suck up moisture and you'll slip and slide all over the place and be miserable. Keep your feet warm and the rest of you will stay warm and you'll play better and have more fun.
Sunglasses and sunscreenSaturday looks relatively warm and sunny, so both sunglasses and sunscreen should be in your bag. With all that snow to reflect off, the sun can be brutal. You just won't notice until Sunday when you wake up with a sunburn and squinty eyes.
I hope you picked up a few helpful tidbits. Feel free to share any other suggestions by posting below.
What a deal! Donate $5 to the Loaves and Fishes, toss in a gently-used disc, and get a chance to go home with a bunch of new-to-you plastic!
If you are at a loss for what to bring, here are the most requested items at the Loaves and Fishes food pantry, our charity for the Ice Cube Open.
For the third year in a row Donnie "Disc Golf" Phillips, a Devens regular and a teacher at Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford, MA, has organized a Can Drive with several homerooms.
Here are a few tips sent in by Aaron Ala:
I thought I'd share a few things I've learned about playing in an Ice Bowl and snow in general.
Since I know I will warm up pretty fast, I dress light and wear a sweatshirt and a vest if it is 30 and below, or just the sweatshirt if it's not. I also have a packable nylon jacket I can attach to my bag if there is a wind or breeze. I wear a knit hat or fleece tubey thing that I can wear as a hat or pull down around my neck. Baseball hats don't keep me as warm since I like to keep my ears covered.
I usually wear ski pants. Besides keeping me warm, they repel water and snow and I can pretty much sit or lean against anything without having to worry about walking around with a wet butt. Since it was relatively warm yesterday, I experimented with regular nylon workout pants and they worked out well. They did get a little wet though.
Rob Walker and I shoveled tee pads today while his Dad Steve supervised. He said we did a good job and would hire us again.
The Devens Grill has once again donated a big batch of chili, two $25 gift cards, and a $5 coupon for each Ice Cube Open golfer! Thank you Elaine!
Last year a bunch of us went over after the tournament to get warm and enjoy a few adult beverages and a bite to eat. Consider them the official sponsor of the 19th hole!
After I let the dogs out for a pee, I flipped on the computer. Bam, eight people had signed up for the ICO while we were out! Nice! That puts us just two golfers short of last year's record of 30 golfers. I'm pretty sure we will pass that in the next 11 days since I bet a few people are waiting for that five-day forecast to come out. No wimps no whiners.
The stuff I ordered should get here this afternoon. I love shiny new plastic!
You and a friend can support New England disc golf and join NEFA today for the price of one membership!
Today Dave James, Jimmy Blakeney, and I hit the Hill for some golf and teepad shoveling. The latest snowstorm only dumped about 6-8 inches or so on the course and conditions weren't too bad. It wasn't too slippery and the snow was just dense enough to hold most shots near or above the surface.
But the story of the day was the amazing 150-ft "putt" for a deuce Jimmy made on hole 3 in our playoff worth four skins. After a decent throw from the tee that just wanted to keep going, his disc finally hit a branch and dropped pretty much straight down on the road just beyond the log but before the pile of branches.
Did you have trouble driving home from the course? A car key was turned in this week. So was a disc labeled JS. Email me if either is yours.
The AccuWeather RealFeel temp for Tuesday is supposed to be 4 with winds gusting at 24 mph, so I think we'll cancel this week's networking opportunities at DEVNET.
Here's hoping Santa brings you all types of shiny new plastic, a bunch of birdies, and a handful of aces tonight! Merry Christmas from Devens Disc Golf!
Register for our third Ice Cube now! This year you can order your own players pack. All orders for gear must be received by Jan. 3, so don't wait.
Looks like Scrooge hit the course earlier this week. Some loser cut the rope on hole 16 not once, but at each place where it was tied to a tree. Absolutely brilliant. Thank you.
Three of us made it to the inaugural DEVNET this morning. Not surprising since I just came up with the idea yesterday.
With 3 skins up for grabs on 14, Jimmy took advantage of my crappy drive and took the hole after getting out of a bit of trouble himself. Nice work, Jim!
The Devens Networking League is designed especially for unemployed and underemployed disc golfers. Each week we will meet and trade job leads, advice, and stories about how the Man is keeping us down, all while getting some good therapy chucking plastic in the woods.
If you love disc golf, why not join the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA)? You don't have to be a pro -- you just have to love playing! Your membership helps continue to build the sport, the association, the National Tour, and efforts to attract sponsorship, spectators, and media coverage.
Along with the official Devens Turkey who calls our course his home, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving!
Sixteen golfers and one dog showed up yesterday for our annual year-end Bag Tag Bonanza that wraps up our Wednesday Weekly tag league.
Thanks to several generous golfers, we ended up with 18 CTPs and prizes to give away. Thanks for supporting our league everyone and see you next year!
Ethan S. became the youngest golfer in Devens history to deuce hole 16 today at the tender age of four!
Please let us know if you are coming to the final bag tag tourney of the year next Sat. Nov 21. It's free.
Today is Veterans Day. To all military personnel who have passed through Fort Devens and to all who continue to serve on base, thank you for your service. You are a huge part of why we can freely chuck plastic on Shepley's Hill and everywhere else in the USA!
A few weeks ago, Ernie Davis from Seattle sent me an email looking to play a round while he was out here on vacation. I met him Friday and had a great time showing him around the Hill. Ernie's been playing a while and had a few interesting stories about playing with Nate and Feldberg when they were younger. Good times!
Can I get a huge "Hill Yeah" for eight of the finest disc golfers at Devens?!
Please welcome our new website sponsor, Disc Golf Station. They are a new online store, so give them a try! Free shipping!
Open to only 2009 Devens bag tag holders, this annual end-of-year tournament officially concludes the Wednesday Weekly bag tag league.
