Don’t Let Winter Weather Put a Chill in Your Game

I live in the Northeast so I am accustomed to the golf season ending during the winter. But for the past month or so much of the nation has been gripped by extreme cold weather and winter storms. Even in the South where you can usually still play at this time of year; Mother Nature has put golf on hold.

Today we are experiencing a polar vortex with the coldest temperatures the Northeast has seen in twenty years. It’s dangerous to even be outside…not exactly golf weather.

So what can you do to be ready to play once the weather breaks? Or just to get your “golf fix”?

Here are some ideas to get in a little practice without leaving the comfort of your warm home.

1. Get a club in your hands and just grip it a few times a day. This allows you to work on your grip and keep the feel of a club in your hands.
2. If you have some space in your basement or family room, hit some chip shots. Use foam golf balls (available at most sporting goods stores) so you won’t break anything. It will help with your fundamentals and your short game.
3. Pull out a short iron and find some space inside with enough room and ceiling height to make full swings. Do not use a ball! Swinging a club will keep your golf muscles active and helps to work on your rhythm and balance. Give this a try…it can be a great stress reliever.
4. Make good use of your time indoors by practicing your putting. You need to have carpet that will allow the ball to roll similar to a putting green, such as berber. You can also pick up a putting green carpet with a cup or automatic ball return. You can find these at a sporting goods store. If you are really ambitious you can build your own putting green. A fellow PGA professional and friend of mine recently built one. Check out his step by step instructions here. Working on your putting for ten to fifteen minutes, a few days a week, will result in improvement on the greens when you get back on the course.

Give these few ideas a try. Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you can’t keep working to improve your game.

Any other ideas on how to improve your game during the winter months (other than heading some place tropical)? Let us know.