To Golfers in places like Colorado where Winter Golf isn't an option

[kbreit]

What do you guys (or gals) do to keep up with your game? The ranges here are mats only and I am not a huge fan of mats, plus its cold. Watching the Pebble Beach tourney this weekend really gave me the golf itch bad. So, what do you do? Besides travel somewhere warm

[Valleygolfer]

I am in a video golf league. I shot a 39 on the front of Pebble Beach this week.... I also try to take 30-50 swings daily inside.

[Dave2512]

Colorado averages around 300 days of sunshine a per year. Golf is played year round here. We had at least one day last week with better than 60 degree temps. Worst part of winter golf is the condition of the greens, shaggy dormant grass with little if any consistency. As a result I've spent more time on the range than course lately, was there 4 days last week and the forecast indicates I should be able to get out there at least that much this week. But I do still practice indoors, mostly at home, regardless of the season. I have a nice mat and net in the basement and a 4x18' BirdieBall putting mat that I leave set up. It's nice to be able to hit and putt a few balls after my morning workout. I try to get at least 15 minutes of practice in each day.

Worth mentioning is there are several indoor ranges and heated outdoor ranges in the Denver area. A few have indoor short game areas, big artificial greens, traps, rough. I was there a few times around Xmas when we had a few weeks of weather cold enough to keep the snow on the ground. The courses with full bar and food service typically stay open even when the course is unplayable. I eat at a couple more than I play there.

[GaijinGolfer]

Golf domes, heated open air driving range, hit into a net and golf simulators are your only options.  I grew up in Wisconsin and lived there for 31 years and let me tell you, it sucks.  It makes it really difficult to improve because going to the range for 3-4 months gets boring after a while.

[alexbaha]

I live in maryland and just went to the range for the first time in 2 weeks.... man it goes away fast.

[awmgolfer]

I live in Northern Maine and our season usually doesn't start till early May unless we get a lucky quick melt and it goes till the end of October for decent golf, just gets cold after that though I usually keep playing till mid to late November. So we have 5-6 months of no golf, sucks. Last year I did a lot of hitting off a mat but at the start of last season I noticed I was chunking a lot so I am not doing that this year. I also use the winter to work out and swing faults so when the season starts I'm playing more then working on any actual faults. This year I started taking full swings but more focusing on the takeaway and follow through and not actually hitting a ball. I am drilling out the cupped wrist and bowed left arm on follow through. Not worrying about hitting a ball, I can do for a couple of weeks when the ground is free of snow and between the course opening. The biggest thing I work on is putting and chipping, easy to do off mats or on the carpet. I am a very good putter, average mid to upper 20's for putts on 18 holes and that's due to putting all winter.

[dpgator33]

I live in Florida now, and my pace right now will put me at about 100 rounds for the calendar year.  Believe it or not, my wife and I both actually want to move to a milder climate in the next few years(yes, Florida is great for golf right now, but even those 7am rounds in the summer end with blazing temps close to 90 degrees and humidity that you literally choke on).

Lucky for me, my wife and I both love to ski (she's not a golfer) so Denver is calling us pretty good right now.  I figure any months where I may or may not be able to golf, it's a safe bet that the slopes will be in prime season, so it's not all bad.  Heck, some weekends I could golf on Saturday and ski on Sunday.

The only thing about Denver golf that I can see, and I only know what I've found online, is that it's not cheap.  It does seem like the city courses are pretty nice, but I was hoping to find a relatively inexpensive non-equity club to join up before long.  Not sure that I'll find one though :(

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by kbreit

What do you guys (or gals) do to keep up with your game? The ranges here are mats only and I am not a huge fan of mats, plus its cold. Watching the Pebble Beach tourney this weekend really gave me the golf itch bad. So, what do you do? Besides travel somewhere warm

Where did you get the idea that winter golf isn't an option in Colorado?  I played golf in Colorado for 35 years, and played tons of winter golf.  There were years when we played all winter long except for a few days here and there when it was too snowy.  Granted there have been a few winters when the weather shut us down for a couple of months starting in December, but by mid February courses are usually opening back up for almost daily play.

Winter golf is alive and well in The Denver area.

[Yukari]

What are you talking about?  There are a lot of good courses in the Metro Denver area that are relatively cheap.  Many great courses are only around $40 to walk, if you live in the same county or city.  Some of the courses you should check out include: Riverdale Dunes (Pete Dye design), Fox Hollow (in Lakewood), Fossil Trace (Golden), Legacy Ridge and Heritage at Westmore (Westminster--you can get annual passes on these two), Buffalo Run (Commerce City), and the list goes on.  You can also get unlimited annual pass at Bear Dance (Larskpur--one of my favorite courses).

As for winter golf, in most cases you can play year around in Denver.  There are occasional winters where it will snow every few days to keep the snow on the ground, but in general you can play within a week or two after it snows.

Originally Posted by dpgator33

...

The only thing about Denver golf that I can see, and I only know what I've found online, is that it's not cheap.  It does seem like the city courses are pretty nice, but I was hoping to find a relatively inexpensive non-equity club to join up before long.  Not sure that I'll find one though :(

[rehmwa]

If I was in Colorado, I'd keep my game updated by playing golf in the nice weather.

In places like Minnesota?  that's another story altogether