The sad truth is winter is upon us. The days are shorter and wetter so getting out on a golf course regularly is invariably more difficult. But it doesn’t mean we can’t still work on our game and enjoy golf in a different way. So how can we use the coming months to our advantage for when the sun does eventually re-emerge?
Get a Lesson
The best time to change your technique is when you aren’t playing club comps or spending a lot of time on the course. In the high season stakes are usually too high to commit to a new swing so you’ll often go back to comfortable movements and therefore not make much progress. However while we don’t spend as much time on the course it presents an opportunity to have a lesson and really bed it in so your new look swing is ready for the new season.
Organise Your Equipment
We can also take stock of what we have in our bag at this time of year. So why not get rid of those old chocolate bar wrappers, make sure you have a spare glove and wrench in your bag and give your clubs a good clean. Do your grips need changing? Now’s the perfect time to do it (fresh grips will also help you hold on to the club in the rain). Most people carry more than they need to in the bag so use this time to make sure your gear is streamlined!
Upgrade Your Equipment
Similarly to the first point, you don’t want to be getting used to a new club when the rounds and comps are coming thick and fast. So if you’ve been thinking about changing your clubs, get a fitting and spend some time getting used to them before the spring. With Christmas coming up you’ve got the perfect excuse too!
Understand Your Game
If you do go out on the course for a practise, learn your game so you can improve the right areas of your game. Take down stats of how many fairways and greens you hit, where you missed if you didn’t hit, how many putts you took and from what distance you took them. If you have systems like Arccos or Shot Scope even better, dive into your strokes gained and build a picture of your game so you can understand what you do well and what you struggle with.
Practise Practise Practise
When you do have the itch to play, the best way to scratch that is hitting balls, so get down to the range! But don’t just smash a bucket of 100 in an hour and call that good. Have a proper practise session, plan out what you’d like to achieve and how much time you’ll spend on each area to have a really constructive session. Practise also includes short game, so find a day where the weather is ok so you can go out and practise your chipping and putting, you can save yourself a lot of shots by practising this and getting a leg up on 90% of golfers who never bother to work on this.
Obviously it doesn’t make up for the cold, dark weather but a really directed winter of practise and preparation can feel really satisfying and stand you in good stead for the next season of golf. So in lieu of wintering in the Algarve, put these points into practise to enjoy your winter of golf!
Jim Mitchell
Custom Fit Specialist
Peter Field Golf
