The next Winter season is upon us! Which means that golfing will be taking a break for a while (depending on where you live). We know most of you reading this live here in Buffalo and the surrounding Western New York area, and you’ll be subject to conditions that don’t allow you to go out and play. With that in mind, we still have some recommendations for you as far as what you can do during this break to prepare for next season. Activities that can be considered underrated by how much they’ll help you, and at the end of the day, that’ll make the preparation for the Spring and Summer seasons even better!
In this blog, we will run through several extracurricular activities you can do in the Winter to prepare for the next golf season.
Getting Your Body in Shape and Working Out
This might come off as the most obvious statement ever, but we mean it, working out and keeping your body in shape does help with other physical activities you participate in! Golfing is not the most rigorous or movement-based sport in the world; quite frankly, it might be the least of them all, but your body still remains an important factor in how good your game can be.
We’ve seen many golfers succumb to injuries that prevent them from playing for extended periods of time, or worse… for good. The most common injuries are muscle spasms/strains, wrist injuries, and then the biggest one of them all, your back. Maybe the greatest golfer in history, Tiger Woods, suffered from major back injuries that rendered him unable to play for extended portions of the PGA season the last several years.
As you watch below in the video, many pro golfers go through a great amount of training in order to keep their bodies in shape so that they’re at maximum performance. Everything from strength training (squats, deadlifts, rows), core exercises (planks, rotational movements), and mobility work (hip flexor stretches, shoulder rotations). Now we are not saying you have to go through this rigorous type of exercise, but doing something similar to it is recommended and will better your golf game for the long term.
Study the Professionals and Play a Board Game
While you will not be playing in the wintertime, the professional players will be, and that’s perfect for you! Every year during the regular PGA season, pro golfers still go out to many places around the world to continue the tour, and that gives you the ability to watch them, study them, and get a good idea of their game to help match the areas in yours that you can learn from and improve on. Treat watching a professional as if you were on the range with an instructor and you were watching them hit balls.
The most underrated aspect of this particular extracurricular activity is that if you listen to golf commentators as they analyze the players’ shots (picture below), you get an even better idea of where they are playing well or having a bad day. They’ll talk about a golfer’s stance over the ball, their strategy for the shot they are about to take, and their finish on the day where they had the best moments or their biggest struggles.
Photo credit: https://projectgolfau.com/why-golf-commentators-whisper/
It’s all very intricate and analyzed by professionals who watch people play for a living, and they are your best bet for learning the game of golf the most from the perspective of the best players in the world.
Like with any sport, it’s a game of the mind; you have to be attuned to where you are, how far from the hole your ball is, and what club is best to use to adjust for distance, speed on the down swing, and how high in the air you want it to go. It’s a sport that takes a good number of reps to understand the muscle memory of where you play, and then studying the course in its environment.
A very underrated way of making sure your brain on is MAXIMUM power in these scenarios is by going and playing some board games. Yep! We are being serious, board games or any other type of game that works your brain and makes it think is a significant help.
Playing games like chess can especially enhance your cognitive skills with problem-solving, memory, and pattern recognition. Every golfer has to account for all 3 of those when they play. Board games in general are like golf; they are fun, they can be rage-inducing sometimes, and they use your brain a lot.
The part about using your brain is the ultimate goal of explaining this activity and how it’ll help your game in the off-season. Keep your brain working all the time! Just be able to do some form of activity that can make it work, and you’ll be in good shape.
If you want to read more into mental strategies and other golf tips for preparation, go read this past blog from us to learn more – 5 Strategies to Keep Your Golf Mental Game Sharp During the Winter
Taking Advantage of Golf Simulators
Speaking of playing games, let’s talk about another great extracurricular activity that you’ll be shocked to know is something that lots of people just won’t consider or look for. Golf simulators have been one of the sport’s greatest achievements! It’s the purest way to play the game indoors without the bad weather affecting you. Simulators are fine-tuned to how a real game will feel if you put your energy into it.
Another great thing about them is that they are in many different places for you to look for. You can find them in country clubs if you’re a member in one, they are located in bars and restaurants, and they are also located at your local golf store, like the one at the Wehrle Golf Dome, where we are headquartered in Williamsville, New York.
Take advantage of these machines! Do it whether for the fun of playing with your friends and family on a night out, or if you are taking golf lessons with a golf instructor here at Woods to Wedges. If you want to learn more about our Trackman Simulator and schedule a time to rent it, give us a call! The best way to reach us is through that page and on our contact form. We look forward to continuing to help you in the Winter season ahead!