Expert Tips on How To Practice Golf In The Winter
Golfing in spring is a chance to breathe in the fresh air, check out the newest blooms lining the green, and stretch your legs after a long off-season. In summer, golfing is a great way to exercise while you’re soaking up the sun. But when fall turns to winter, chilly temps, sleet, and snow can […]
The post Expert Tips on How To Practice Golf In The Winter appeared first on Basking Ridge Country Club.
Golfing in spring is a chance to breathe in the fresh air, check out the newest blooms lining the green, and stretch your legs after a long off-season. In summer, golfing is a great way to exercise while you’re soaking up the sun. But when fall turns to winter, chilly temps, sleet, and snow can quickly derail all your plans, leaving you at risk of getting rusty. Instead, check out these tips on how to practice golf in the winter courtesy of the experts at Basking Ridge Country Club.
Make The World Your Putting Green
When blizzards and sub-zero temps make it difficult to trek to your local golf course, bring the golf course to you by creating your own putting green indoors. There are actual practice kits on the market, or you can simply use a mat and a cup. Low tech? Maybe, but when the winter blues make you miss your weekly 18 holes, even putting into a mug can feel like a win.
Focus On Physical Conditioning
From developing more hip flexibility to boosting arm strength, there are dozens of ways you can improve your golf game by merely focusing on your fitness. Some experts recommend workouts that use your own bodyweight for leverage as you work on motor control, mobility, stability, balance, and more, but weights or kettlebells can also come in handy.
As long as your doctor approves, consider adding these exercises and stretches to your routine:
- Pelvic tilts
- Hip hinges
- Quad rocking
- Knee hugs
- Seated rotations
- Planks (with and/or without dumbbell rows)
- Lateral lunges
- Medicine ball throws
- Band walks
Scheduling at least 45 minutes of aerobic exercise four to five days a week will help too.
Invest In A Weighted Club
If you can’t make it to the actual driving range, order a weighted golf club. These nifty tools are not only heavier than regular clubs, but they’re also shorter. Swing them in your den, garage, or basement without worrying you’ll accidentally knock through a wall or window. As you swing, you’re working on speed, power, flexibility, range of motion, and control.
How To Practice Golf In Winter — Or Maybe Don’t?
It may seem counterintuitive to spend at least part of your winter avoiding hands-on golf activities but hear us out. Sometimes you can be so close to the game you can’t see the forest for the trees, meaning you know your swing is struggling, but you can’t figure out why. Stepping back and letting your brain rest as much as your body could help open your mind to analyze your mechanics and spot problem areas you never noticed before.
While you’ve got your feet up, consider popping on some tapes of professional golfers to see how they get it done. You can also work on your mental game by downloading a meditation app and doing some mindfulness work. That way, you’ll hop back on the course as soon as the ice thaws and be ready to conquer the back nine with record numbers thanks to all the work you did on your own.
The post Expert Tips on How To Practice Golf In The Winter appeared first on Basking Ridge Country Club.