Tips to enjoy golf in winter
.jpg?w=728)
By Kim Jeong-kyoo
The cold days of winter are drawing nearer. It’s time to give up going out to play golf and stay inside to avoid shivering in the cold. Still, you are brimming with your unrequited love for golf. The cold weather can’t stop you from leaving your home. You are ready to venture out for more golf. You prefer swinging your club outside to having hot coffee at home.
The cold weather can invite varied troubles, to say nothing of inflicting bad shots on you. You need to be well aware that winter golf is different from summer golf. First, you are freezing cold. Your hands are cold. Your feet are cold. Your ears are cold. Your nose runs. Put differently, your whole body tightens up. Your muscles in the cold do not stay as loose as they would be in the summer.
Your golf ball is also cold and feels harder. You need to bring an extra club. If you’d normally use your 8-iron for a 135-yard shot, for instance, use your 7-iron instead. Cold, hard balls don't fly as far as warm balls.
Warm up two golf balls before you leave for the first tee. Keep them in your pocket and alternate them whenever you tee off at the next hole. That allows you to keep your ball as warm as possible. You are not breaking the rules as long as you don’t heat your ball artificially during a round.
Don’t forget to take yellow or orange balls with you. You’ll find your ball more easily, especially if there's snow on the ground.
Do whatever you can to keep your body warm. Granted, you can wear some extra clothes. Dress in layers. In a ski parka, you’ll have trouble turning your body fully. Wear a turtleneck sweater or an insulating layer followed by a shirt and a thin sweater. That will keep you warm, still allowing you to enjoy a full swing.
Accept that your extra clothes will restrict your swing. When you play in winter, you won’t hit the same distance you’re used to. With this in mind, avoid trying to swing your club hard to compensate for the loss of distance. Just take what you can get, treating the shorter distance as your normal distance.
Think of hitting punch shots with a three-quarter swing.
Carry hand warmers. You need to keep your hands warm to bolster your sense of touch. You need feel to play good golf, as your hands are the only connection to your golf club. If your hands get numb from the cold, you lose sensation. Bring along a pair of mittens and hand warmers and keep your hands warm while walking on the fairway.
Make sure you cover your head and ears with a wool hat or ear warmers to keep your body heat locked in.
Be realistic. Don’t expect to shoot under your handicap. A tough day awaits you. Stay mentally tough.
Try to wind up each hole on a “realistic par.” Your golf course does not have the same par all year. You need to add some strokes to the pars of your golf course to make up for playing conditions. That way you will play a par 76- or 78-course instead of a par-72 course.
You can easily hit the green in two in summer. But you need to know you’ll rarely do the same in winter. If you cannot hit the green in two, consider adjusting it mentally to a par 5. Leave your ball an easy full wedge-shot distance for your approach shot.
Critically, prepare to rely more on your short game to save your par. You’ll have difficulty shooting low scores in winter. Don’t rebuke or chastise yourself for hitting poor approach shots. That way you’ll swing your club within yourself, hitting deadly accurate approach shots. The better you hit your approach shots, the more par chances you’ll have. Your par is equal to your birdie when you play in winter.
Incidentally, forget the flop shot in the cold. You cannot put enough spin on your ball. Your greens are hard. Play more chip-and-runs with your 8- or 9-iron. If possible, use your putter. If you use a sand wedge or 60-degree wedge, chances are you’ll incur a fat or thin shot.
Don't take a cart. Try to walk. Walking on the course keeps you warmer. Your blood will flow, leaving your muscles less likely to stiffen.
Relish the challenge. Enjoy playing in winter. If you can shoot a low score when it is cold, you’ll feel more satisfied. Better yet, if cold weather rattles your opponents, you have the advantage. You are enjoying your winter golf.
Just relish the challenge of winter golf. You may be unhappy with your score. Still, it’s fun to confront the bitter cold rather than staying idle inside.
Long straight shots call for a full coiling and uncoiling of your body. This can be difficult if you don’t frequent the golf course or practice range. To make sure your body coils correctly, you need to practice your golf swing at home.
Take your favorite club. Place your club on the top of your back along your shoulder line, holding each end. Then, take your address posture and turn your shoulders back, resisting your hip turn. Once you’ve coiled your body tightly, turn your lower body back to start your downswing. Practice this drill every day if adverse weather prevents you from going out. You’ll easily turn your body fully when you go out to play.
To increase your strength and flexibility, you’d better swing your golf club 100 times without hitting a ball. Taking practice swings every day, you can hit your ball better when the spring comes.
Critically, you need to swing a weighted club to improve strength in your wrists and arms. That helps you increase your swing speed. Swinging a weighted club, you can also improve your timing and swing mechanics.
Your mental game of golf is just as important as your physical training. Improve your mental game this winter. If you have to stay inside, work on your pre-shot routine. Take a deep breath, relax and picture the shot you want to pull off. Developing a pre-swing routine for every shot helps you lower your scores. Picture you’re banging your driver, hitting a draw or fade. Also imagine you’re making low or high shots.