Hello Hackers,

Winter is quickly approaching which means for us northerners the golf season will soon be coming to an end if it hasn’t already.  (Very jealous of you Southerners and West-Coasters who get to play golf essentially 10 months out of the year!)

Anyways, with so much downtime you are probably just going to watch golf on TV and wait for the snow to melt till you pick up a club again…unless you are a bit crazy like me and don’t mind being the only person on the outdoor range in several layers with a winter hat practicing their swing.

So, for all the golf crazies out there who continue to improve their game in the off-season, what can you do?  I myself continue to roll putts on the carpet, do half swings and focus on my takeaway.  Sure this is not the same as hitting the links, but working muscle memory and simple fundamentals can go a long way for shooting lower scores when the weather warms up.

While not a true “practice” I also enjoy walking over to my local golf shop where they have launch monitors to measure SS, angle of attack, and spin.  In addition, you get the option at some to “play” one of hundreds of courses in a fraction of the time typically required, which is great for our busy work lives.

The weakest part of my game this year was putting, so that will be a large focus of mine in the offseason. I lost distance control/feel and am going to switch my grip to “left hand low” which I have heard works pretty well for some. Like many of you, I will try pretty much anything when it comes to putting!

Outside of the putting and swings, I am also going to hit the gym.  Without the temptations of sunlight and warmth, I will retreat to the New York Sports Club to work on my cardio, core, legs, and shoulders while doing several golf-specific exercises which will hopefully translate into lower scores and more distance next season.

How about you?  Will you let the clubs collect dust this winter or will you take some steps towards improving your game?  If so, what will you be doing?