7 Golfing Tips for When Winter Strikes

When the days shorten and the temperatures drop, most golfers would call it a day. It’s actually a waste to throw away the winter months as this is the perfect time to hone in on your game and make some drastic improvements by the time spring rolls around. While mild winter days can be few and far between, when you manage to get on the course on a crisp and clear winter morning you can really feel like you’ve hit the jackpot.

What’s more is that the harsher and unpredictable climate can make the game a lot more challenging, providing you the perfect environment to practice all those difficult shots. Below are 7 ways you can take advantage of the winter months and enter the spring season of golf with an improved skill set.

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Wear the Right Winter Clothes

Feeling comfortable on the course and keeping yourself warm and nimble are necessary for a good round of golf. Stiffness from being cold can interfere with your game, causing your shots to become weaker and veer off target. The right outfit for the conditions will improve your experience and allow you to continue your game at an optimum level.

Thin thermal layers will come in very handy on a frosty morning as they will keep you warm without bulking out your outfit and causing it to hinder your progress. A winter get-up wouldn’t be complete without a pair of gloves so find some that will keep your hands warm while still providing a good grip on your clubs.

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Kit Yourself Out with the Perfect Winter Equipment

As well as adjusting your outfit for the weather, you should also change your equipment accordingly. The correct winter golfing setup will make tackling the climates – rain, wind and frost – a lot easier. A set of winter wheels for your golf trolley will pick up less mud and turf making them less damaging to the ground and easier to move. You may also choose to swap out your electric golf trolley for a manual or push golf trolley that will provide you with some exercise between shots to keep yourself warm. It would also be wise to keep a golfing umbrella handy just in case there’s an unexpected downpour; it will keep you dry between shots and provide protection for your golf trolley and bag.

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Keep Your Golf Balls Warm

According to science, for every 10 degrees that the temperature drops, a golf ball will carry 2 yards shorter. This is due to the way that heat interacts with the ball, making it bouncier in warmer climates and more rigid in colder weather.

A cost effective and easy way to ensure that your golf balls are performing at their best is to keep a hot water bottle in with your balls, keeping them toasty and ready for action. There are also various golf balls available on the market that are produced specifically for colder weather, making hitting those long drives almost as easy as they are in the height of summer.

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Take Advantage of the Driving Range

The cold winter months can lead even the most active of us to find excuses not to leave the warmth of their own home. Luckily, driving ranges are fully equipped for this with their covers, protecting golfers from the harsh weather. Some driving ranges are also equipped with heating, leaving no room for excuses to not go.

Rather than aimlessly swinging the ball here, there and everywhere, you should pick a spot on the range and aim for it. You can cycle through each individual club until you perfect the shot with each one. Once you’ve mastered it, pick another spot and repeat the process.

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Push Through the Cold & Keep Playing

We’ve all heard the saying “use it or lose it”, this is why keeping up the momentum is more important this time of year than any other time; this goes for on the course as well as your regularity of play. Keeping your momentum on the course will increase your body temperature, keep you nimble and prevent your joints and muscles stiffening up between holes.

The amount of trips you take to your course should also be as often as you can; this regularity will help with bettering your game and prevent you getting rusty before your peers return to the green.

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Take Lessons

During the spring and summer time, you may find it hard to get a lesson with a golf trainer because absolutely everyone wants a piece of their time. Luckily most of these golfers are only seasonal players, leaving golf trainers with ample time during the winter months for those true die hard players. Trainers will be able to focus their attention on you, offering you useful advice and ways to improve without the distractions of other golfers.

The off-season is also the best time for making drastic changes and improvements to your game. For a tournament player, doing this at any other time could affect your performance, but as there aren’t any tournaments during winter, you’ll be able to make all the changes you want without affecting your record.

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Read & Watch

You’d be surprised at how much you can learn about golf from just reading and watching it. On those days where it is impossible to play, take time out to watch some tutorial videos or read some golfing blogs and put what you’ve learnt into practice when you’re next on the golf course. Practice does make perfect but without the information beforehand, you won’t know what you’re practicing or how to go about starting to practice.