You might not be a tour professional, but that doesn’t mean to say that you can’t prepare for the new season appropriately. As you’re probably aware, the weekly club tournaments are just around the corner, and all of these are probably going to have an impact on your handicap.
The last thing you need ahead of the new season is being ill-prepared. Sure, most club golfers do down tools through winter, but now is the time to get back into the swing of things (pardon the pun). Today’s article will now show you four ways on how to prepare adequately.
Treat yourself to good practice facilities
It’s cold, it’s wet and in short, you’re not in the mood for golf. Unfortunately, this is a trap that a lot of amateur golfers fall into. After all, we don’t have the budget to jet off to Dubai for the close season, like the pros!
It means that you sometimes have to treat yourself. Head over to a facility like the Belfry, which has excellent practice facilities, and try and hone your game there. Granted, you probably can’t go every week, but try and schedule a few sessions to not only improve your game, but boost your motivation to practice as well.
Prioritize your short game
As we all know, the value is in the short game. This is more important than ever during the early season, where long games are typically a little rusty.
If you can fall back on your short game from time to time though, you’ll feel a lot less pressure. Furthermore, putting is something that you can even practice indoors – the weather doesn’t have to impact you.
Assess your fitness levels
Again, you’re not a professional, but you still have to walk several miles to get around the golf course. Having not done this much during the off-season, you need to make sure your body is in shape when you return to action.
Some people might just do this via golf, starting with nine holes before progressing to a full round. Others will take it even more seriously by taking their game to the gym. In some cases, it might just take a few brisk walks, but the last thing you want is to struggle during those first few months because your fitness levels aren’t adequate.
Now is the time to audit your equipment
If there ever was a time to audit what’s in your bag, it’s now. You simply can’t risk doing this halfway through a season as it tends to take several weeks, at the very least, to get used to new equipment.
This new equipment doesn’t just have to be about golf clubs, either. It might be about the bag you are carrying, or something else that is going to impact your game. Make sure all of this is finalized long before you tee-off in your first game back of the season. In an ideal world, give yourself at least several months, as this will give you the time to swap equipment again if it’s not quite right for your game.