Winter Wisdom for Windchill Disc Golf
By Chris Istace, Mangy Coyote Media for Ace Runners
Moose Jaw Huckers play in -24°C
The hardy walk among us, their smiling faces are only truly recognized in the harshest of conditions. Some say they are crazy, but those who know the secrets of playing disc golf in the dark, depths of a Saskatchewan winter understand each other as if members of an exclusive club of dedicated survivalists.
The sport of disc golf is exploding across Canada, particularly in the Prairie provinces where the playing season is purely dependent on Mother Nature’s whim. In Moose Jaw, Sask., a small group of weather-beaten players will not be stopped regardless of Her temperament.
About a dozen players, most of them in their 30s and 40s, have vowed to play a few rounds of golf every week of the year, including the torturously frigid months of November through March. They call themselves the Moose Jaw Huckers and they have proven to be among the hardest-core disc golfers on the windswept, snow-packed Arctic Prairie landscape.
“We’ve played winter golf in many different conditions, but I think the toughest day was two rounds in minus-35 (degrees Celsius) with a windchill hovering below minus-42,” says Dustin Usher, a busy tradesman and hockey dad who prioritizes time to join the other MJ Huckers on their weekly rounds.
Many of the club’s members are hockey dads. If they’re not at the rink on the weekend, they are at the local Wakamow Valley Disc Golf Course or a longer, more adventurous, lesser-known track they have created just up the Moose Jaw River. Both are in the southern portion of Moose Jaw, a city of about 35,000 located along the Trans Canada Highway an hour west of Regina, Sask.
“We started from the first snowfall and actually never stopped,” says Dustin, who has been golfing for about three years alongside his son. Many of the other Huckers have been playing about two years after the course was installed in 2019.
The winter of 2022-2023 is the first in which the club members have committed to playing weekly.
“If the day ends in ‘Y’, it’s very likely that a few of the Huckers are up for a round,” Dustin says.
“There are a handful of reasons why we play golf in the winter, but I think the main one would be for the sport of it. There’s nothing like nailing a 25-foot putt to take the low score on the card in any weather… I can guarantee we’ll be out again next winter.”
Tripp Sevs, a bachelor who doesn’t have to chase kids across the province through the winter, is a Hucker for different, less competitive reasons.
“I play to get the hell off of the couch, to get the blood flowing through the body and to just keep moving,” Tripp says. “It’s also fun to develop your skills and see them improve over time. You surprise yourself by being able to do certain throws or techniques that you didn’t think you could do before.”
Tripp created a text message board for club members to coordinate tee times.
“We’re usually the first ones to trudge around the course after a heavy snowfall with it coming up to just below our knees on one particular day,” Tripp says.
“When it all melts in the spring, we put on rubber boots and walk around in the large puddles in the fairways. Some holes get flooded in the spring which makes it hard to find discs wading in the water. But we’ve become pretty good at finding them (year-round). In deep snow, the trick is to find the impact hole. Leave no soldier behind.”
Winter Disc Golf Pro Tips
The MJ Huckers have winter weather survival down to a few key tips that allow them to remain so dedicated in the coldest conditions.
According to Tripp, the first is obvious; check the forecast. This is not to seek and excuse to play video games. The forecast tells you how to best attack the course under those specific weather conditions.
“Pay particular attention to the windchill. A high windchill will make what should be a tolerable day intolerable if you don’t dress for it right,” he said.
The Huckers suggest players figure out what works best for them to keep warm while considering the mobility required to play golf. Dress in layers instead of thicker, individual winter jackets. This allows players to adjust to the conditions should they change. Other necessities include a face covering or neck tube, a toque, mittens or gloves, and double up on those socks.
“Put hand warmers in your pocket and you can throw without a glove. You can also rub them on your face when needed for warmth,” Tripp says.
“If you can push yourself to keep going out in cold weather – dressing accordingly – you will eventually learn what works, what doesn’t work and what keeps you comfortable. Develop your resiliency and patience. Don’t let the weather keep you from exercising and staying healthy.”
Is winter disc golf easy? No one said that. Can it be uncomfortable and down-right frustrating? Of course.
But for the few that lurk among us during the summer tournament season, they know the essence of true Canadian disc golf. It requires snow boots or thick hiking shoes with ice cleats, plenty of insulating apparel and a constitution as hard as the barren, icy landscape surrounding you.
Like Dustin, Tripp doesn’t see anything that could keep him away from maintaining their weekly winter rounds in the future. He says he’ll do it “every year until the medical team pries the plastic away from my cold, dead hands.”
Who among us is a Hucker?
This article was written by Mangy Coyote Media, a multi-media venture covering disc golf, its culture and community in Canada. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and mangycoyotemedia.blogspot.com.
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Nice write up by Chris. Thanks for coming out and playing a couple rounds with us. Look forward to playing more with and against you this year.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LbkiGl9xTYw&feature=youtu.be
It’s a great winter sport!!!
Awesome article you should get more content from the coyote he seems to write with passion! It’s a good fun read! This should be a weekly column not only in acerunners but pdga Canada should pick this guy up. The prairies gets lost amongst bc and Ontario populations and tournaments so it’s absolutely stellar to see some prairie pride on acerunners!
Thanks for this!
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