Staying sharp in the winter

[FenderStrat62]

Hey guys,

I've just started golfing this summer, and so far I love it. But now it's cold outside, and it's been a couple of weeks since I've swung a golf club.

Any tips on staying in good golf shape during the winter months?

[ks8829]

Work on your short game, putting and chipping.

watch instructional videos on putting and chipping.

[RIduffer]

Is there an indoor golf facility in your area? I have one about 20 min. away with a putting green, bunker, and range. The range is only about 100 yds. long, but at least I can hit some balls.

In my house I use a club with a swing weight on it. The weight is padded, so I can not damage the floor, and I think it encourages the idea of swinging the club, instead of forcing it into positions.

I guess joining a gym and staying fit could only help, but I'd rather watch golf channel and get fat .

[GaijinGolfer]

Practice chipping and putting on your living room carpet. Find a heated driving range in your area. If you cant find a driving range that is open during the winter, you can practice swinging in front of a full length mirror. It will allow you to see what your body is doing throughout the swing and you will be able to check your form and correct flaws with it.

[popcorn]

Go to the Golf Dome. I think it is the best way to do.

[danieldrieberg]

Practice chipping and putting on your living room carpet. Find a heated driving range in your area. If you cant find a driving range that is open during the winter, you can practice swinging in front of a full length mirror. It will allow you to see what your body is doing throughout the swing and you will be able to check your form and correct flaws with it.

What he said. Add to it an airline ticket to Jamaica. Nice and toasty there. A carpeted stairs makes a good chipping practice area. Try to chip the ball to various steps. Good ball return also.

[boogielicious]

RIDuffer,

I saw the Golf Dome in Warwick on one of your other posts. It looks great on their website. I live just north of Boston and am considered zipping down there to check it out. How is the bunker for practice?

Scott

[RIduffer]

RIDuffer,

Scott I actually haven't used the bunker at all. Only been a couple times this year and spent alot of time putting and working on my irons.

FWIW, the dome may not be quite as sweet as it looks on the website. It's certainly fine for hitting balls and putting, but I think they've had to cut back on some of the features (i.e. bar, pro shop). It's not well lit and cold as hell in there, so they might be cutting costs on heat and electricity too! If you've got no other option, and you're dying to hit some balls, I'd say definitely go. Just don't want you to drive from Boston and be disappointed.

[RIduffer]

Also, want to know how I'm staying sharp this winter? By playing 18 holes in Rehobeth, MA today. Yes, sir. It was 22 degrees with plenty of wind, and the ground was completely frozen. I was hitting drives off the tee and getting about 100 yards of runout, and rolling my approach shots with a putter at times. If you landed a ball on the green it would bounce about 50 yards over the back.

I was literally the only person on the course all day. Can you say golf rehab?

[shaank0]

This thread makes me want to ask what training aids do you guys use? I have a net that i will be setting up in my garage with a mat. just need to get a torpedo heater haha.

[boogielicious]

RIduffer,

Thanks for the heads up. We have a place with indoor hitting bays here. I was more interested in using it for pitching, chipping and bunker work.

Glad to see you were out. I thought about it yesterday, but most courses up here are closed after the first snow. RI is going to get slammed tonight. The Weather Channel showed a 12" band run across the whole south coast!!

We can work on our form with snow shovels now!!

Scott

[Wayne Hudler]

RIDuffer - you sould like one dedicated golf nut. I played under similar conditions myself. Some folks just don't understand, do they?

Winter time is a great time to improve your golf game. Indoor putting practice, use a mirror and work on your stance, alignment and set up, golf stretching and exercise routines are all part of my winter preparation.

Another thing I believe helps is video games. I have the Tiger Woods game for the Wii. It helps me with course strategy, you know, thinking through each shot. Is it better to be long or short on this approach?

I do live in Charlotte and can play year round. We still deal with cold and wind, plus the occassional snow but we schedule a match each weekend all year long.

[RIduffer]

RIduffer,

Scott I'll probably be at the dome alot soon with all this snow coming in. I'll make it a point to check out the bunker and report back to you.

RIDuffer - you sould like one dedicated golf nut. I played under similar conditions myself. Some folks just don't understand, do they?

I hear ya Wayne. Some people are so inexperienced with winter golf they don't even carry rubber driving range tees in their bag for when the ground is frozen solid!

[Big_M]

the OP... you live in Tenessee... just go play golf. Sure we don't have great weather every day, but there are at least 5-10 good golf days every month all through winter, and winter is fairly short.

Everyone mentioning heated tees and indoor facilities... again, he is in Tenessee... it doesn't get crazy cold or snow much. please ignore all of the above if you happen to live in the mountains and do get cold weather and a true off season.

Go to the Golf Dome. I think it is the best way to do.

I hate golf domes... I don't like hitting off mats to begin with, but obviously in the North there isn't really a choice. When I lived in MI I always opted for an outdoor heated range so I could see my ball flight. In a dome you could be hitting an agressive draw when you think you are bombing it dead straight... I just don't trust a dome... seems like a good place to develop bad habbits and not know until spring.

[plugged]

I play at two local stores that have simulators. After hitting on them quite a bit, I'm convinced that they do in fact simulate real shots. I am actually improving my game over the winter.

[RIduffer]

I play at two local stores that have simulators. After hitting on them quite a bit, I'm convinced that they do in fact simulate real shots. I am actually improving my game over the winter.

I played in a golf simulator tourney in Lakeville, MA at The Broken Tee. It was alot of fun, and I agree the ballflight looked pretty accurate, although it seemed to exaggerate the distances. For example my 5-iron was getting 200 yds on the simulator, when I generally can't hit it more than 180.

[luckyluke699]

Simple answer - range. Distances are a bit less in the Winter I've found, but improving your swing (and thus consistency) can be done all year round from an indoor bay!

Just visit your local range a few times a week!