Winter golf tips that work
If you’re a golfer that’s familiar with temporary greens or using a hammer to get your tee in the ground, your season likely comes to an end by the time kids are knocking on the door saying Trick-or-Treat. Finding winter golf tips is a common practice for those that live in the northern hemisphere. The winter months away from the course provide ample time to think about what you want to accomplish next season.
Maybe you want to become a single-digit handicap, break 80 for the first time or win the Club Championship.
With all this time on your hands to practice, there’s no reason why you won’t achieve those goals … right?
Not necessarily. While such goals are commendable, they often lack the knowledge and a concrete plan to achieve them.
With that in mind, we asked the experts in cold climates their best advice for using Winter to improve your game and come out ready to play in 2020.
After much discussion and contemplation, we compiled our top five winter golf tips to shoot lower scores in 2020.
3 SECRET MOVES I WISH I WAS SHOWN WHEN I FIRST PLAYED GOLF
get away and get clear
Whether you play six days a week or twice a month during the summer, the end of the golf season signals a time to get away. By now you’re likely burned out from a summer of lessons, lunchtime practice sessions, and trying to squeeze in as much golf as possible. Use the first couple weeks of the off-season to get away from golf entirely. Doing so will give you time to recharge physically and mentally. When you come back you’ll read to implement your winter golf practice plan.
Once you’ve taken a few weeks away, it’s time to identify a small number of areas you want to improve for the following season.
Keeping this number small allows you to stay focused and increases the likelihood you’ll see your goals through.
It’s also important, to be honest with yourself about how much time you can dedicate to executing your plan.
Saying you’re going hit balls five days a week sounds nice but probably isn’t realistic due to weather, work commitments, and holiday obligations with family and friends.
Make your plan workable and remember, it’s always about quality, not quality.
2. work on your mental golf game
The saying that golf is played on the course between your ears is true. Is there a particular tee shot that plagued you all season? Did you find yourself squeezing the putter extra tight on that three-footer to beat your buddy? The mental golf game is overlooked by most amateurs and there is no better time to work on it than in the winter.
There are countless books that address the mental side of the game. Our top five include Dr. Bob Rotella’s Golf is Not a Game of Perfect and Golf Is a Game of Confidence, Dr. Joseph Parent’s Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game, Dr. Gio Valiente’s Fearless Golf, and Brian Sparks’ Positive Impact Golf.
When it comes to implementing your winter golf drills and winter golf tips, don’t leave out the mental side of golf.
Taking the time to read and fully digest just one or two of these books will have you better prepared to stay in the moment and handle those pressure situations next year.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW TO ANOTHER 5 GREAT WINTER GOLF TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR GAME:
3. DRIVE FOR SHOW, PUTT FOR DOUGH
Most of us would rather spend time on the range bashing drivers instead of hitting four-footers. Due to winter weather, however, making full swings isn’t always an option. Working on your short game indoors is. Whether you have an indoor putting mat or not, putting practice is critical and can be a lot of fun. I’m a big fan of putting to a target that is smaller than an actual hole. Objects like pocket change, glass, or even a tee help you zero in on a specific target and build confidence.
Just imagine how big the hole will look when you wedge it close for your first birdie of 2020!
It’s vitally important to keep this practice fun and competitive as well.
Simply going through the motions of hitting the same straight putt isn’t going to prove nearly as beneficial as changing up your routine or a little friendly competition with your co-worker during lunch.
Playing games like ladders, 7-up, or even creating your own indoor course keeps practice fresh and is great for feel and distance control.
Making the time to practice golf indoors during the winter months will pay off when the season changes.
4. TRAIN WITHOUT A GOLF CLUB
Most golfers spend a lot more time sitting down in the winter than we do in the summer. After a while, our golf muscles become tight and we lose strength. If you’re not one to work out with a personal trainer four days a week, there are still plenty of steps you can take to make sure you’re in playing shape when the season starts back up. This is one of the easiest winter golf tips to implement.
One of the easiest activities you can do in the winter is swinging a weighted club.
Swinging products like the Momentus, Orange Whip Trainer, or Speed Stik as few as 25 times a day allows you to not only maintain muscle memory but build strength and increase speed for greater distance.
Winter is also a great time to work on flexibility and core strength and you don’t need a gym membership.
Setting aside as little as ten minutes a day to practice some golf-specific yoga poses or band work can go a long way toward preventing injuries and improving swing technique.
5. WATCH THE SENIORS AND THE LADIES
Even though the Masters remains a distant thought, there is still plenty of golf to watch. While watching the PGA Tour is fun, the reality is most of us will never see swing speeds of 120 mph. Watching the Champions and LPGA tours can be an educational experience.
In particular, watch for little things like tempo, pre-shot routine, and shot selection that you might be able to implement into your game.
Listening to the commentators is beneficial too as they often explain things the pros do in a way that amateurs can understand.
A lot can be learned from professional golfers of all levels and the wintertime provides you with that great opportunity.
start your winter golf plan
Even though snow and freezing temperatures get us down, winter is a wonderful time to work on your golf game and it doesn’t take a lot of money or time to do it.
Once the projects you put off all summer are completed, and you’ve had some time away from golf, set a few simple goals for the coming season.
Remember, these goals aren’t about re-building your swing and beating balls off a mat until your hands bleed.
It’s all too important to be realistic about the time you can put in and to keep your practice fresh and fun so that you’re ready to hit the fairways at full speed the next season.
Make these winter golf tips a part of your yearly schedule, and your game will be ready to go once the season changes.
about the author
This was a guest post written by Tony and Paul who are a father and son team who are not only best friends but love the game of golf.
They created the Golfers Authority, to provide unbiased reviews, guides, tips and advice in order to help other players improve their game.
Tony is also the founder and inventor of the Accuhit, one of the most recognized golf training aids in the world.
The Accuhit has been recognized by Golfweek, Golf Tips Magazine, Asian Golf Monthly, and many other publications as one of the most cost-effective golf training aids in the market.
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