It only took a 30-minute game of catch between friends with my trusty putter last weekend to remind me just how tough it is to be a disc golf player living in the Great Plains during the waning months of winter.

The first half of winter isn't too problematic. You're still living off the memories of another season come and gone. Occasionally, Mother Nature will throw you a bone in the form of a mid-November day that is particularly humid and warm. However, opportunity dries up as the dark months carry on.

As I perform my weekly ritual of checking the weather forecast and trying to sync my pursuit of the perfect round with what nature has in store for my region, there is one truth on which I can count: If it's going to be warm, it's going to be windy. There's only one way that my area gets warm in January, and it takes a deep breath of wind carrying warmer temperatures up from Texas.

This can be particularly problematic if you are bad as I am in the wind. I think that "non-commital" and "untrusting of one's ability" are excellent phrases to describe me when the breeze kicks up. I can be a serviceable (and, at times, even competitive) when faced with a calm and temperate day.

My favorite time of year to play is coming, though. If I'm in the dark valley of disc golf course conditions, I can rest assured that I'll be delivered soon. I can't think of anything better than catching a round of action just before the storm hits. I even sometimes find myself watching the clouds during rounds in anticipation of a front coming through. There is truly no better time to slice the heavy air with a disc than when a storm is moving in. The lack of wind is unparalleled.

So, while you're packing up the grill, I'll be on the back nine. Just don't run me over on your way down the hill.