How to Quickly get your game back after the winter?

[MattM]

So I know this has been posted by others before, but I was wondering about a different angle to that.

I haven't consistently swung a club since October and even then started feeling out of kilter with my swing.  Nothing felt right because I had taken a little time off before October.

Having said this, is there any drill or trick to be able to quickly get back into my game from last year?  To feel comfortable over the ball again etc.?

I really don't want to waste another month and a half like last year getting my scores down to what my average was.

[Ernest Jones]

So I know this has been posted by others before, but I was wondering about a different angle to that.

I haven't consistently swung a club since October and even then started feeling out of kilter with my swing.  Nothing felt right because I had taken a little time off before October.

Having said this, is there any drill or trick to be able to quickly get back into my game from last year?  To feel comfortable over the ball again etc.?

I really don't want to waste another month and a half like last year getting my scores down to what my average was.

Spend some time doing this in the weeks that lead up to the start of your season.

That's how I plan on ramping up.

[Lihu]

I took time off from China, and played two bad rounds, then picked up and played three really good rounds. Unfortunately this is the third week back and now I am degrading performance again. I think the endurance part seems to disintegrate and it will probably take a couple months to be able to play every day with more consistency again.

Endurance seems to go out the window. . .

[GangGreen]

I srtarted taking lessons again in mid-February. The place I go to happens to also have an indoor facility so I thought it would be a good way to knock the rust off and start the year with getting the fundamentals back under my belt. It feels great to swing a club again, only downside is I really can't practice what I'm being taught much between lessons. I figure its better than nothing though.

[SavvySwede]

I always record my swing at the start of the season and compare it to older videos of me in form. You'll quickly see what has been lost over the winter months. It is usually the same things with which I've always had trouble.

[Lihu]

I always record my swing at the start of the season and compare it to older videos of me in form. You'll quickly see what has been lost over the winter months. It is usually the same things with which I've always had trouble.

I'm not sure how much the swing actually changes. At least with me, it's more about contact.

Perhaps measuring your distances and accuracy with something like a Combine test could possibly be a better metric?

[SavvySwede]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SavvySwede

I always record my swing at the start of the season and compare it to older videos of me in form. You'll quickly see what has been lost over the winter months. It is usually the same things with which I've always had trouble.

I'm not sure how much the swing actually changes. At least with me, it's more about contact.

Perhaps measuring your distances and accuracy with something like a Combine test could possibly be a better metric?

I wouldn't say the swing changes either but things do get sloppy, especially set up. After seeing my self on video this year I realized how much my weight had drifted toward my heels. Also a loss of spine angle through and past impact.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Quote:

Originally Posted by SavvySwede

I always record my swing at the start of the season and compare it to older videos of me in form. You'll quickly see what has been lost over the winter months. It is usually the same things with which I've always had trouble.

I'm not sure how much the swing actually changes. At least with me, it's more about contact.

Perhaps measuring your distances and accuracy with something like a Combine test could possibly be a better metric?

I wouldn't say the swing changes either but things do get sloppy, especially set up. After seeing my self on video this year I realized how much my weight had drifted toward my heels. Also a loss of spine angle through and past impact.

This makes a lot of sense.

Also, "sloppiness" is probably the main culprit of my current slump, which in turn is caused my my general "tiredness".

[MattM]

Did you guys not feel right when you first stepped up to the ball?  That's the problem I'm having....

[Lihu]

Did you guys not feel right when you first stepped up to the ball?  That's the problem I'm having....

Well, my first practice swing coming back from China ended up with a ceramic log shaped tee marker getting shattering into little bits. Luckily, I have a steel shaft in my driver, unlucky for the course.

So, yes, nothing felt right. . .

[anthony]

Last year, I birdied the first hole, on the first day out. Then proceeded to shank it off the tee on the next hole. lol.

During the winter months I hit pitch shots with plastic balls all the time inside my house. Ceilings are too low to take full swings, or I would set something up inside. Aside from playing, I don't really know what you could do. I really like the idea of recording your swing before the end of the previous season. Or, maybe, writing some notes about swing thoughts and setup cues to review at the beginning of the next season.

[dkolo]

Well, my first practice swing coming back from China ended up with a ceramic log shaped tee marker getting shattering into little bits. Luckily, I have a steel shaft in my driver, unlucky for the course. So, yes, nothing felt right. . .

Must've been your angle of attack. You have to feel like you're trying to compress the ceramic tee markers against the ground, haha. One time I saw a woman swing so far past her ball with her driver, she wound up launching the big red tee marker besides her ball about 20 yards down the fairway haha.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Well, my first practice swing coming back from China ended up with a ceramic log shaped tee marker getting shattering into little bits. Luckily, I have a steel shaft in my driver, unlucky for the course.

So, yes, nothing felt right. . .

Must've been your angle of attack. You have to feel like you're trying to compress the ceramic tee markers against the ground, haha.

One time I saw a woman swing so far past her ball with her driver, she wound up launching the big red tee marker besides her ball about 20 yards down the fairway haha.

From the look of the mark on the face of my club and the 10 yard flight of the tee marker it was probably reasonably flat. There was very little spin as the shattered parts all flew in the same direction so I think I got maximum carry.

The actual tee shot was not much better. I crowned it left 50 yards into a tree. My third shot with the hybrid finally got me to the green. It was pretty embarrassing with 3 groups waiting at the tee box and all. My group even started to teach me how to swing the club and other "What to teach a beginner the first time he goes out on the course." type of stuff. I just kind of took it all in, you know. C'est la vie.