For many players in the north, snow and brutally cold temperatures herald in golf's off-season. Golf clubs are carried into the garage from the trunk, and, instead of walking the fairways, golfers find themselves wandering the local PGA Tour Superstore.Even though spring will be at your doorstep before you know it, a little preparation now will get you out on the course with the first official mowing of the short grass!
Golf for Beginners, a leading blog for amateurs of all levels, has created a list of seven ways to make the golf off-season more productive. You may not be playing golf now but, chances are, you are thinking about it, so why not plan ahead!
1. Identify ways to improve your game and score. Do you flub a lot of your chips? Are you regularly 3-putting?
2. Find a good teaching professional and talk about your weaknesses. Many pros teach indoors and/or, not every day is too cold to get into the sunshine.
3. Clean out your golf bag - junk accumulates! From old, half-eaten snack bars to the hundreds of tees you have stashed in all of those pockets, your golf bag can get really heavy! Rummage through your clubs during the offseason to identify which ones you just don't use and replace them with clubs that you want to try at the range come spring thaw.
4. Regrip your clubs - after reviewing which golf clubs you intend to keep in your bag for the new season, check and regrip the slippery ones!
5. Re-cleat, and clean your golf shoes - do this task regularly as I have been lax here only to find out that some soft spikes do not come out easily if they have been in their socket for too long! Your golf shoes will last longer and give you years of good gripping power on the course.6. Tis the season for deals! Think ahead for spring - now is the time to find sales on golf balls ...for all the balls you will lose next year!
7. Practice your putting in your living room. If there is one part of your game that you can always find a place to practice, it is your putting! Get out that red Dixie cup and dunk a few, or drive over to the local superstore in your area and roll a few putts while purchasing your golf balls, soft spikes and new grips!
Photo: Footjoy Ladies LoPro golf shoes
