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Top Tips to Prepare Yourself For The Summer Golf Season
Golfers are generally hardy souls and there are a number in our ranks that will play whatever the weather, come rain, wind or shine all year round. These dedicated souls are the ones you see out on the course, brollies in hand in the middle of December, still cheerful and still enjoying the game.
Yet there is also a significant number of golfers who do put the clubs away for the winter. Some take a break because they don’t like playing in the poorer weather, or for others in cooler climes weather conditions make it impossible for play.
If this is you, then you’ll know that it is around this time of the year as the days start to get longer, that we first think about dragging the clubs out and heading back out onto the course when the spring weather arrives.
However, dragging the clubs out of storage and driving to the first tee of your local course isn’t a great idea if you have four months of rust to blow off. So to get yourself ready to restart playing, here’s some top tips to help you get back playing your best as quickly as possible.
- Check your gear
If it’s been a few months since you last used your clubs and golf equipment, now is a great time to give it the once over. We’re not just talking about the clubs being clean here but also serviceable. That means checking the grips are still in good condition, the shafts are still fine and also it is worth checking if the club faces need regrooving, especially on the wedges and 7, 8 and 9 irons.
It’s also a good time to check you have tees, balls and that your shoes and rainwear especially is still in good serviceable working order. A little time invested now ensuring all your gear is in tip top shape will mean you won’t be on the course when you find out your shoes are no longer waterproof, or that your pitching wedge grooves are so worn down that you cannot control even the simplest pitch.
- Start to work your golfing muscles
You don’t have to be a gym-bunny to play golf, but if you haven’t played for many months and especially if you haven’t kept particularly active during this period, it is a good idea to get the muscles you will use on a course used to working again.
There’s plenty of great videos on YouTube you can watch which will give you some simple exercises to follow to help prepare you for golf, helping warm up and strengthen muscles as well as improving flexibility.
- Hit the range
Tempting as it may be to jump onto the first tee, the likelihood is that unless you are a proficient golfer (low handicapper), then there’s likely to be rust in your golf swing too and it’s a good idea to get this ironed out at the range.
The key here isn’t just to hit balls, but to practise smartly and effectively. Work through all your clubs in the bag and sharpen up all aspects of your game. It’ll also be good feedback about how effective your clubs are and about whether you feel they may need a little attention from a club pro.
Don’t forget to hit balls out of the sand and also to practice your putting. Time spent on just a couple of range visits before you play will increase your chances of a much better first round than you would get if you grabbed your clubs out the cupboard and head to the first tee unprepared.
- Talk to a pro
If there’s something you are not happy with in your swing, or with your clubs then don’t self-diagnose what may be the wrong fault, or the wrong issue. Seek professional advice. A lesson with a pro for half an hour often costs less than a round of golf, but can be invaluable for helping you diagnose any issues you may be having with your swing.
This is particularly evident as you reach ‘a certain age’ and muscles and bones start to creak and you find your shots are not travelling as far as they once did. Will changing clubs help you resolve this? Or has your swing changed? A professional can diagnose the issue and provide a remedy that will have you back playing well in no time.
- Once you start playing, keep going
There’s little point doing all of the above, getting out on the course, shooting a bad round and then leaving the clubs in the bag for another two months. Once you commit to playing, it is always a good idea to follow it through and get back out on the course regularly.
While hitting the range is ok to help keep you in shape and keep you developing your swing, it isn’t the same (nor anywhere near as enjoyable) as playing a proper round, so even if that first round was a dog’s dinner, get back out there again.
Keep playing and soon you’ll start to find your best game and who knows, with a few tweaks here and there and a bit of luck, this could be your best golfing year ever!
Source: http://www.gorillagolfblog.com/tips/top-tips-to-prepare-yourself-for-the-summer-golf-season/
