<a name="cold_weather" rel="nofollow"></a>I play in the Northeast. It would be great if Titleist made a golf ball specifically designed for cold weather. I do switch to a lower compression ball in the colder months, but it seems like more can be done. There certainly has been talk at the Masters about the cold! They don't know what cold weather golf is!

That is really decent and forward thinking of Titleist.

From the Acushnet Company Golf Ball R&D Department:

<strong>Fact #1: Cold WEATHER doesn't have much effect.  Cold GOLF BALLS do.</strong>

It takes a golf ball a number of hours to fully change temperature, so most of the time if you start the round with warm (normal room temperature) golf balls they will still be reasonably warm at the end of the round.  As long as you are playing golf with warm golf balls, it is a non-issue.  A good idea is to carry one in your pocket and use the other and switch each hole.  This will assure that you are playing with a relatively warm golf ball each hole.  A three hour round helps.

<strong>Fact #2:  DO NOT HEAT GOLF BALLS!</strong>

When people are told that warmer golf balls perform better, it inevitably leads to the idea that a player should preheat his or her golf balls before a round.  THIS IS A BAD IDEA.  The different parts of a golf ball react differently to rapid heating (or chilling) and might result in damage during play.  The best idea is to store your golf balls in your home and not leave them in the garage, in the trunk of your car, or in an unheated bag storage room, etc., leading to our best golf ball temperature advice:  If it is uncomfortable for you, it isn't good for your golf ball either.  Do not use microwaves, conventional or convection ovens, boiling water, blow dryers or other rapid heating methods to heat golf balls.  Don't heat a golf ball any more than you would heat yourself.  If you would not fare well spending an evening in the trunk of your car, don't subject your golf balls to an extended stay in the trunk either.

Failing to do that, your best recourse is to go into the Pro Shop and buy a sleeve of nice, new warm golf balls before you tee off.

<strong>Fact #3: Golf balls achieve their best performance at a temperature of greater than 80 degrees.</strong>

Anything colder is shorter and increasingly shorter with increasingly lower temperatures.  Warmer feels softer, colder feels harder.  Really cold is really short, AND let's not forget that with a bunch of extra clothes and frozen joints most golfers are making a weaker swing in really cold air.