Here in the rainy Pacific Northwest we play a lot of golf in the fall and winter. Compared with warmer locations where the golf is great all year, or colder climates where all but the most hardcore golfers hibernate, we’re able to play more than 40 weeks a year in moderately mild winter conditions that can include sleet and snow but usually just means cold, wet, windy and muddy.

Although we’re no golf pros, we have learned a few things about winterizing our game. Here are some tips from a couple of weekend hackers who just try to get our golf fix until the sun returns next summer. Share your best winter weather advice with our readers in the Comments below.

Wear – It’s all about layers. I’ve been known to wear between four and six layers in the offseason. Call me the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Stretchable and breathable base layers help keep you warm and dry. Check out some of the latest long underwear, which helps keep wind from cutting through thin cotton pants or prevents cold nylon rain pants from chaffing your bare legs. New removable cold weather sleeves keep your arms warm but can quickly be peeled off if the sun shows itself. Of course, thicker insulated clothing over these base layers helps keep the chill away and waterproof shoes and outerwear is a must when it rains. A beanie or stocking cap style hat can make even the coldest days seem comfortable. And, many manufacturers now make excellent cold and wet weather gloves, often sold in a two-pack designed to be worn on both hands. Pick up a pair and play.

Bring – A high-quality umbrella is key. GustBuster makes several that seem sturdier and more substantial than cheaper models, but there are many similar double layer umbrellas on the market that allow the wind to vent and help prevent an inside-out catastrophe. You can attach or clip both your glove and a dry towel to the spines underneath the umbrella to keep them dry. Throw in an insulated Thermos-style beverage container on extra cold days for coffee, tea, cocoa, cider or something, um, more powerful.

Swing – Golf is a game of physics. Sure, we all know that a well-struck shot won’t roll as far on wet fairway. But we often forget how much cold weather affects the distance of our shots. You can lose more than 10 yards, often a full club, on full-swing shots due to the cold weather, which is why many players prefer to keep extra golf balls in their pocket to help keep them warm. Cold, dense air can also kill your carry in lower elevations on the links or in dark, protected corners of the golf course. The point is: Take an extra club when it’s cold so you won’t come up short.

Wind has a similar effect. After a few trips to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, where winds can reach 40 miles per hour, we’ve learned a little about playing when the weather is breezy. Some players will tell you to take an extra club for every 10 miles per hour of wind. For example, when it is blowing 30 MPH that is a three-club wind. While we don’t have a foolproof method, we can tell you from experience that it takes less wind than you think to affect your shot. Add a club or two (or more) when the wind is blowing directly at you. And, don’t try to overpower the wind. Often that imparts more spin and makes the ball balloon higher in the wind, killing your distance and tampering with your tempo.

Finally, damp and squishy fairways can cause havoc, especially for new golfers and higher handicappers. If you don’t hit down on the ball you can easily hit the shot fat and splash mud everywhere. Make sure you settle into your stance before you swing so that you don’t sink during the backswing and hit it heavy. It sounds absurd that you could sink significantly enough during the swing, but it’s happened to me more than once.

Score – Wet rough and damp bunkers are a problem for everyone. But one area where I often have problems is with short pitch shots around the green. In the summer I can lay a wedge open and hit a high flop shot. However, when the ground is really wet I hit this shot fat more often than not. Some instructors will advise you to change your clubs with the season, playing a wedge with more or less bounce based on the conditions. But that’s unrealistic for all but Tour pros, the super wealthy or elite amateurs. Instead, close the face and hit down on the ball in the mud. Your shot will come out with a lower trajectory, but then it is also more likely to stick on the wet greens. Basically, don’t try to get too cute around the greens when the ground is muddy.

We hope our pain and suffering in foul weather helps you have more fun on the course. Remember, we’re not golf pros. Our advice is just first-hand experience from a couple of weekend amateurs. We’re not even trying to sell you our ‘Top 100 Tips for Playing in Bad Weather’ book either. But we hope to encourage those golfers – altogether too many – who only play a handful of times in the summer and then exile their clubs to the garage after Halloween until their next vacation when the kids are out of school for spring break. Nobody likes playing golf in bad weather, but you also won’t like the results next summer if you take six months off. Bundle up and get out there already.