The progress that you've made with your golf game in the summer can easily fade over the winter. Even if you live in a mild climate, the short winter days leave little daylight to play golf. For people in colder climates, the weather will rarely be amenable to outdoor play.
Instead of feeling frustrated, reframe winter as an important time to improve your golf game. You can come out of winter ready to compete with a stronger body and mind.
Your Mental Golf Game
Long winter nights create a great opportunity to research the game and refine your ability to visualize success. Improvement relies not only on your physical fitness and skill. Your mental game matters quite a bit.
It's easy to get frustrated by a mistake, which can lead to more mistakes. Use your winter downtime to build skills related to focus and emotional resilience.
1. Meditation
In athletics, researchers are finding that meditation exercises can give you a mental advantage in competition. A form of meditation known as open monitoring meditation trains you to pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and bodily movements and sensations.
Researchers who measured brain activity in meditation participants identified signs that they were developing their ability to detect errors quickly. In a competitive context, this mental skill allows you to find and correct mistakes instead of either missing them or getting caught up in the distress of making them.
You can find meditations specifically for golfers on the internet. Search for the content on YouTube, Spotify, or by following blogs of pro golfers.
2. Yoga
Practicing yoga has both physical and mental benefits. While promoting flexibility, yoga encourages you to clear your mind and tune into your body.
Yoga instructors typically end a class by guiding participants through savasana. This meditative pose teaches you to relax one area of your body at a time until you are fully released from tension.
3. Study the Pros
As you know, a great deal of golf media is available to teach you tips and techniques to improve your game.
Choose from:
- Books
- Magazines
- Videos
- Blogs
- Televised golf tournaments
If winter prevents you from venturing out on the course, use your time to read, watch video lessons, or attend virtual coaching sessions. Numerous professional golfers and coaching companies produce video content or offer virtual coaching.
Videos from accomplished golfers will show you how they:
- Add power to their swing
- Maintain greater swing control
- Increase shot accuracy
Think about the professional golfers that you admire and look for content from them. If someone is especially good at something that you struggle with, then you might consider studying that golfer's techniques and advice.
Your Physical Golf Game
A fit body will serve you well when you get out on the golf course in the spring. Although wintertime imposes some limitations, you can maintain or improve your fitness and golf skills until the sun shines again.
4. Join a Gym
If you commit to a regular exercise regimen, you'll be ready to succeed at golf as soon as the season opens. Even if you prefer to exercise at home, consider the benefits of a gym membership. You get access to machines and weights that empower you to develop your core strength and cardio.
Whether you're at a gym or not, choose exercises that improve your core. Your golf swing depends on a strong and flexible core.
Core exercises recommended by the PGA for golf swing improvement are:
- Bird dogs - Position yourself on your hands and knees and then lift an arm and leg on opposite sides of your body.
- Planks - Support your body off the floor on your toes and forearms while holding your midsection straight.
- Dead bugs - With your back on the floor, elevate your arms and legs and then lower your arms and legs on opposite sides of the body.
- Russian twists - Sit on the floor, lean back, lift your legs, and twist your torso to each side.
As for cardio, you can use an exercise bicycle or treadmill according to your preference. Swimming would be excellent as well.
Cardio endurance will improve your golf game because you won't tire easily as you progress through the holes. Even slight cardio weariness erodes your ability to make good shots.
5. Practice With Weighted Clubs
When you practice your swing at home, add a weight to your golf club. Consult your golf club manufacturer for appropriate weights. You'll want to consult a chart like this one to match the best weight with each club.
A weighted club forces your arm muscles to develop. The extra strength gives you more power and control when you swing only the club. Practicing with the weights is also supposed to improve your muscle memory for the correct swing form.
6. Devote More Time to Putting Practice
In golf, it all boils down to putting successfully. When winter traps you inside, get indoor putting equipment. You have plenty of options, ranging from a simple putting cup to a complete indoor putting mat or green.
After researching putting techniques, use your indoor equipment to practice them. The indoor equipment does not completely replicate the real-world putting green. For this reason, focus on technique more than mastering indoor putting.
7. Visit a Driving Range
Winter weather does not necessarily close all local driving ranges. Some winter days are relatively pleasant, and you can practice your swing outdoors.
Also, look for an indoor driving range in your area. You won't get the satisfaction of watching balls sail across the field, but you still accrue the benefits of hitting balls.
8. Record Video of Yourself
The clear visual feedback provided by video can produce a big impact on performance. This is why professional athletes use video to evaluate their performances.
With the help of a friend or tripod, use your phone to record yourself while swinging or putting. Video is extremely useful for spotting what you're doing right or wrong.
You can use videos of yourself to compare your form and technique to professionals in instructional videos. Sometimes, even if you think you're moving correctly, the video will reveal tiny mistakes.
Winter Golfing at Bella Collina Near Orlando
Some genuine play on the Sir Nick Faldo-signature golf course at Bella Collina in Central Florida will knock the cobwebs off your golf game this winter. We're located 30 minutes from Orlando in the peaceful countryside of Montverde.
Memberships at our private golf community give you full access to our spectacular course featuring elevation changes and six tee boxes on every hole. You can also use our facility with practice bunkers and a variety of practice greens.
For even greater convenience, you can stay on-site in one of our luxury vacation rentals. Keep your golf game tip-top this winter at our stunning luxury golf community.
