Winter Golfing Tips

PGA Fellow Professional

Winter Golfing Tips

Winter Golfing Tips

Winter Golfing Tips is a short blog post that looks at what you could be doing to improve your winter golf experience.

Golf in the wintertime is very different from when golfing in the summer.

At Home

You should take the winter as a time to tune up your body’s engine.

Start an exercising plan at home. Simple Stretching, Cardio workout, muscle build-up. You may even want to start up Yoga or Pilates. There is plenty of information online to get you started.

Organising your equipment is a must when preparing to play out in the cold.

Sort out your Golf bag because there may be a trolley ban at your local club. Remove all the excess equipment that you will not be needing. Replace your leather gloves with All-weather or Rain gloves. You may want to replace your golf balls with cheaper versions.

A great tip is to only carry half of your clubs. Remove the Driver, 5 Wood, 4 iron, 6 iron, 8 iron & PW. Prepare yourself to play with a 3 Wood, 5 iron, 7 iron, 9 iron, SW and your putter. It is lighter and you will be amazed at your results.

Make sure that you have your waterproofs with you. Waterproof shoes are also essential for winter Golf. Wear lots of thin layers, non-cotton layers. Merino wool is a great undergarment to help keep you warm.

Hand warmers or Winter mitts are also a must when you are out in cold weather. Keeping your hands warm is essential for good Golf in winter. The most important thing is, Don’t forget a Beanie, Pom Pom hat, Woolly hat or whatever you like to call it.

At the Golf club

Make a start by warming up. Light stretching and exercise will get your blood circulating quicker and will therefore warm you up. Avoid too much exercise, you don’t want to break out a sweat in the cold temperatures.

If the club offers soup to go, then take them up on it. This is just another way to avoid feeling the cold.

Hitting a few balls on the range will help your body warm-up and be ready for that all-important tee shot on the first hole.

On the Course

It is important to keep moving. Windmill motions with your arms will keep the blood flowing into your hands.

Remember that with lower temperatures, your ball will travel less through the air. So don’t forget to take more club than normal. Golf courses are always built with bunkers at the front of the greens to catch balls that come up short. Bunkers are rarely found at the back of the greens.

Tee the ball up higher. You need to hit the ball more on the upswing to help increase your ball flight. Remember that in winter there is less roll on the fairways.

Don’t forget to hydrate. Water is just as important in winter as it is in the summer. Your body needs liquids that have been lost. Golf in winter should be just about fun, so a little tipple from a hipflask may also not go a miss.

The greens are never brilliant on the course. Give yourself and your partners a chance to enjoy the game. Allow gimmes within a club length.

When faced with a long putt, concentrate on the dustbin lid trick. This helps you picture a larger target and it will also reduce the pressure. The pace of the putt is all you need to think about.

Make sure that you concentrate on matchplay or texas scramble. They are far better than playing strokeplay. Strokeplay will only dampen your spirits even further.

After the Round

Don’t forget to visit the clubhouse. The all-important after round drink is a must. This will increase your social life and help with your mental health.

I’m sure that the club will serve a good thick wintery soup too.

When you arrive at home, don’t forget to clean your equipment off so that you are ready for the next game.

 

What are your Winter Golfing Tips?

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