Playing in the rain

Ok, it's raining here today and it made me think about how I play in the rain. No, I'm not a great rain player but I have gotten a little better over the years. I think most of it for me is mental - I just don't enjoy getting soaked, muddy and cold any more. Ok, yeah I'm getting older and that could be part of it. But I've played in enough rain to not let it bother me as much as I did when I first started playing in tournaments.

So, I'm thinking... are there players who feel they play better in the rain than their competitors? What makes that so? How do you keep your game in the rain? What's most important to you for playing in the rain?

Here's some things I thought of that I struggle with:

* mainly, my hands/disc need to be as dry as possible; my hands get wet and when they get too wet, they just don't have any feel to them and I can't throw well at all. I can dry my disc off as much as I want but if my fingers are clammy wet then I just have a hard time throwing. I've tried Birdie Bags, extra dry towels and more but I still struggle with it.

* muddy feet and pants - sometimes the course just gets so muddy that I have a hard time when I'm walking around with all that mud on my feet and pants. I think it tires me out and just takes a mental toll on me.

* Umbrellas!! Ugh! I don't like them. They are a pain in the ass. They blow in the wind. Some people have them, some don't. So some are trying to get under somebody else's umbrella. They are being put up, put down, blowing, poking people in the eyes, left back at the tee. "Damn, I left my umbrella back there." "Man, I'm sorry I didn't know you were there - did it get you in the eye?" And in the end, at the of the round, you're just as wet as most. Ok, yeah there's always that one or two guys that you see after the round and they look like they've been mud wrestling or have been in hurricane Clyde! But for the most part, we're all wet.

So, if anyone wants to chime in and tell us your thoughts on playing tournaments in the rain, have at it. I'd like to hear. I'm sure some of you have some good stories about playing in the rain too, so bring 'em on.