Neither rain nor snow: How weather affects golf balls
A common misconception is that a ball will fly farther in humid air or fog. Actually, the opposite is true: High humidity and fog can decrease driving distance by a yard or so, but it generally does not have as big an effect on performance as colder temperatures. According to John Calabria of Maxfli: “Any time the outside air temperature gets colder, the air gets more dense. Cold air is thicker than hot air, so it puts more drag on the ball and reduces distance. Distance is optimized when the air is thin [at higher elevations], there is low humidity and the temperature is above 75 degrees.” Calabria’s final recommendation: “In colder weather, play a lower-compression golf ball, because it won’t feel as hard.”
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