How to Practice Golf in the Winter

Golf is one of those sports that you really need conditioning all the time. You need to hone your skills in each four seasons. But among all these seasons, the only thing that really does stop us is winter, and for good reason.

The course is covered in snow, everything is covered in snow. So how do you deal with this? If you really want to practice golf even at winter, I have some tips that can help you practice and keep you sharp in the game no matter what the season is.

I knew a guy back in college. He’s name was Sammy. We used to play golf a lot since we’re both into the sport. He was obviously better than me and used to beat me a lot of times.

It’s not that I’m that bad, though. He was just really good. But one thing I noticed about him is that after every winter break he would always come out rusty. That’s when I would just dominate him until he gets the hang of things again.

The thing is with this guy, during the winter break, he never gets to practice or even stretch out just to avoid getting derailed with golf. He has all the reasons in the world, and I also have so many reasons that he should be practicing still even during winter time.

I told him the things I know about conditioning during the winter, and ever since that he would still have the same skills even after the winter break.

If you’re like Sammy who constantly gets rusted after a long period of no-golf activity, then you should know that practice will always make you perfect.

We know that we do have to rest during the winter season. But if you want to get better or maintain your edge among your opponents, even during these times, you should be practicing and conditioning yourself. Let me help you with this problem. I can show you some tips that will really help you practice golf every season of the year.

If you are really passionate about playing golf and being good at it, consider the following tips that I am going to show to you.

For this tutorial, you won’t necessarily be needing anything other than your own self, and your set of golf equipment. But if you may, you could get some of the following to make it a lot more intensifying.

• Some weights (dumbbells, weighted belts, etc.)

•  A whole-body mirror

•  Your career scores sheet

Step 1: Practice without hitting the ball

This might be a little bit awkward for you at first, but you’ll get the hang of it as you progress. Practicing golf doesn’t have to always involve actually hitting a ball. You can always practice your swing while at home or at your garage.

Doing this all the time will sharpen your muscle memory and keep you on track with your swings.

You can also add some very effective drills to your program to help you out a lot more with your conditioning. There are a lot of drills that you can do without the use of a ball, just your trusty golf club. These drills will help improve and maintain your balance, tempo, shoulder turn, and other key fundamentals on swinging your club.

There are a lot of drills out there, but I have gather 4 very effective drills for you to try out:

• Rotation drill

• Split-grip drill

• Flat-footed drill

•  Whoosh drill

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I will not put into too much detail about these drills, but I would assure you that these are very effective ones that will help hone you skill in swinging. For your convenience, try to search for further information of these drills on the internet.

Step 2: Hit some weights

Practicing golf will not be successful as it should if you are not physically conditioned. You might wonder why I added lifting weights on conditioning for golf. The reason for that is, if you just focus on the technical side of things, and not with the intangibles like being fit to play, chances are after the winter you will still be sluggish as you’ll ever be.

You need to lift some weights. You don’t need to go to the gym, you can purchase a set of cheap weights, or even make your own, or even just use your own weight and do free-weight exercises. Either way will be good for you.

               o Squats

               o Push ups

o Pull ups

o Crunches

o Leg raises

Step 3: Improve the mental game, too

Any individual who plays golf will know that the mental aspect of golf is pretty much as imperative as the physical. Golf is a game of strategies, and as a golfer, you also have your own strategies that you pull out in various situations.

It would also be good if you learn to perform yoga. Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice of disciplining yourself. By performing yoga, you are also creating an avenue of becoming better at the game without even actually practicing it.

Step 4: Practice your form in front of a mirror

Your form will be your asset towards your game. Having the proper form will always give you an advantage as it will guarantee that you will be in full articulation with the ball and your club.

Step 5: Review your stats

If you are a professional, or even an amateur player, chances are you will be keeping track of your statistics most of the time. Since its winter now might be the right time to review them again and address all your problems. Reviewing your statistics can also help you track on which area you are going to be practicing a lot on. Having them will really be handy. These sheets will serve as your guide on what to practice the whole winter long.

Conclusion

I take pride in saying that I have done all of those points listed above. They have helped me polish my game in any part of the year. So, when game day comes, I am always in peak condition and ready to play the game that I love the most. You can be like me, too. These are quick and easy tips that you can do from the comfort of your own home. As long as you have a positive and determined approach to the game, even after winter, you will still be as sharp as you have always been, even better.