For most disc golfers, the go-to options are fairly obvious: Tossing some dirt or grass in the air is great for seeing what the wind is doing, as well as licking your index finger. And if it’s more of a serious, Bill-Nye approach you’re after, you could even purchase a handheld anemometer online.
That feels a bit extreme, though.
Regardless, if you’re bored or find yourself hardcore overthinking this whole “wind” thing on the putting green, there are some more creative options you could use to see what the wind’s doing. They might not be entirely necessary, but if anything, they’ll at least turn heads.
Have at ‘em.
1. Use a chalk bag
Gannon Buhr does this, and let me just say – it looks freaking awesome. Most of the time, chalk bags are used for sucking excess moisture from a throwing hand before hurling a disc forward. Given a light squeeze right before a putt, however, the cloud of chalk they produce dances.
The conductor?
The wind.
There’s some controversy with this one, as Alden Harris claims to have been the guy who came up with this method. Whether true or not, those two aren’t bad guys to emulate on the course.
2. Use baby power
Don’t carry a chalk bag?
Not a problem.
Here’s what you do:
- Clean out a travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer.
- Fill it to the brim with baby power.
- Puff that puppy.
It’s a chalk bag without being a chalk bag.
Easy-peasy.
3. Use artificial smoke
My take?
Don’t vape. Don’t smoke.
However, I’m not the morality police, so if your lungs can handle the constant pummeling, by all means, keep on blazing. Regardless, if you’ve got an addiction, you might as well milk it for all it’s worth. The next time you take a drag, do so right before a clutch putt during a round. Your life expectancy might be plummeting, but at least you’ll have intel on what the wind’s up to.
4. Use a bottle of bubbles
I don’t care how fun bubbles are …
You’ll look like an idiot.
What’s great about bubbles, though, is that even the slightest of breezes will get those things moving. Also, please don’t think I pulled this recommendation out of my butt. Believe it or not, on two separate occasions, with my own eyeballs, I’ve seen dudes blow bubbles before putting.
Caution: Thick skin is required for a grown man to voluntarily tote bubbles.
5. Use a towel or dental floss
Everybody takes a towel (or five) to the course. If the wind’s got some pace about it, dangle it with your fingers from one of its four corners to see what kind of instant action it gives you.
Better yet, if you’re one of those clean-teeth freaks, there’s a good chance you’ve got dental floss in your bag. Pull out a six-inch strand of it and do the exact same thing – let it dangle. It’s flimsy enough that, should someone even think about sneezing on your card, it’ll gyrate like Shakira.
* Honorable Mention: Not all courses offer ‘em, but basket flags and feather banners are great.
I wrote this article.
And even I think the above is wildly overkill.
Still, if it works, congrats …
Enjoy the last laugh.
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