Raising the Bar for Next Season

This is about the time of year in Raleigh that the clubs start to be hung up in the garage for the skis.  That’s fine.  Some players still come out throughout the winter to practice and improve their golf game.  That’s fine too.  Either way I see tendencies come Spring time when the weather starts to warm up.  Most players are not prepared for the new season and the main reason comes down to only a few small things.

1. Fitness – Whether you want to believe it or not during the winter is when we have a couple big holidays involving many delicious desserts and are accompanied by exciting football games.  This is all well and good but if you don’t do specific things daily to keep your fitness up you will not have the stamina, strength, or flexibility you had the previous season.  This might take weeks or months to get back.

Recommendation – Research a program that takes about 20-25 minutes to complete daily.  This could be involving core strength, flexibility, balance, etc.  I promise you will not only feel better but be ready to tee it up when March comes around.

2. Swing Mechanics – Nothing says just because it is cold you can’t practice.  However that also means you don’t necessarily have to be outdoors to do it.  The percentage of players that continue to play and practice throughout the winter won’t need to do this as much but it still might be beneficial.  Standing out in 40 degree weather with a cold wind trying to practice golf isn’t the best thing for your game.  It is probably more harmful than helpful.

Recommendation – Choose a part of the swing you have had issues with and focus on that for the off season.  Come in for 1 golf lesson and we can discuss practice you can do in your house or office.  Then, all winter you will have the correct knowledge on how to effectively improve your game and be able to focus more intently on one area.

3. Increase your Knowledge – Take the cold weather coming in as a positive instead of a negative.  Most likely you will spend more time indoors during the winter months which will leave time to do activities you normally don’t do during the summer; like reading.  The opportunity to read a good book or two will do wonders to improve your mental game and start you out next season with a better frame of mind.

Recommendation – Choose a book like Dr. Bob Rotella’s “Golf is Not a Game of Perfect”, or Tim Gallowey’s “The Inner Game of Golf”.  There are tons of books out there that will set your mind in a positive direction and have a direct impact on lowering your scores next season.

There are a variety of off-season activities you can do to improve your golf game going forward.  Use the ones listed as a starting point and go from there.  As always, let me know if you have any questions on your golf game.  Have a great day!