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How to Keep Your Game Sharp During the Winter

Unless you’re fortunate enough to reside in California, Old Man Winter has likely greeted you and your golf game with unpleasantries by now, forcing some of you to throw the ol’ sticks in the closet to gather dust.

And if you are not a die hard, I get it, golf is not as fun in 40 degree weather with whipping winds and rain.  The ball stops compressing and feels like a hunk of granite.

But your game doesn’t care how unpleasant it may be out in the elements, it needs constant attention.  And although a nice scheduled break from the game can indeed rejuvenate and in some cases aide in (getting rid of) bad habits, more often than not it causes your game to head south like a flock of geese.

It is not necessary to play a ton of rounds during the wet season, but a few would be helpful.

What is essential, however, is that you find somewhere dry to keep practicing.

This is because golf is about creating and maintaining proper muscle memory through repetition.  When you stop playing, even for a short period of time, your mind forgets what you and your body have been working on and the club will feel foreign when you decide to dust off those clubs.  You will also likely forget many of the key swing tips you’ve been working on all summer and fall.

Here are five tips to staying sharp:

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5 Ways to Avoid Botching the Dreaded 2-Footer

We’ve all been there.

It’s what connects us as golfers – both pro and amateur alike.  The difference is, after we blow a short “gimmie” putt, we don’t get to cash a million dollar check for winning a season long points race.

But Lexi Thompson did, and congrats to her on a great season, winning the race for the CME Globe.

But that botched 2-foot putt (that looked closer to 18 inches) on the 18th hole of the CME Group Tour Championship kept her from also winning the final tournament of the year, player of the year honors and an additional $500,000.

Ouch.

And considering the unfortunate and controversial rule violation she suffered earlier this season during the third round of the ANA Inspiration, it wouldn’t be far fetched to think that she might be getting a little nervy in tight moments of big events.

But Lexi is a world class player and technique is not her issue.  Mentally, she will need to figure out how to overcome the tension of the big moment so she can execute properly, and I have no doubt she will in the future.

She shouldn’t dwell on this miss and let it get in her head.  Just stay positive and move on.

But for the rest of us, there’s a little more to it.

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How to Hedge on the Pro Side

I have a question for you.

After missing a putt has anyone ever said “at least you missed it on the pro side,” but you had no idea what they meant?  And perhaps the agony of the subsequent bogey (or worse) kept you from asking?

Well, what exactly is the “pro side” as it pertains to golf?  The pro side, or high side, refers to the side of the hole that has more elevation.

A routine mistake many amateur golfers make is that they do not play enough break when putting.  But by hitting your putt with enough pace and playing enough break, you are ensuring that your putt at least has a chance to go in.

Conversely, if you do not play enough break and/or do not hit the putt with the right speed, your putt will dive underneath the hole, waving goodbye as it passes by the cup.  It was dead from the start with zero chance of going in. This is called the low side or amateur side.

And although it is totally fine to feel like and be an amateur while playing; in golf, as in life, it is always wise to give yourself the best chance at success right?

How great is that?  You can play more like a pro without actually being one!

So ditch the low side and choose to play the pro side.

You will make more birdies, more pars, and save more bogeys.  And considering how vital putting is to your success in golf, playing the pro side will lower your scores, which leads to more enjoyment as well as more confidence.

When your putt is straight, you need not worry about it.  And if you are 100% confident in your read, go with it and hit it on your chosen line.  If you assessed it correctly and struck it well, the golf Gods may very well smile upon you.

But if you are just a hair unsure of the line, play more break.  Even if it’s just a tad more.

If it breaks to the left, aim a bit higher on the right.  If it swings to the right, play it just a little more left.

Here’s a drill you can try.  Find a putt that has some break on the practice green.  Place a tee in front of the cup (at 6 o’clock as you are looking at the hole) and try to enter the hole from the side of the tee that is higher.

Then it becomes mostly about pace.  And obviously, the speed, grain and slope of the particular green will be factors to consider as well.

But at least you will have given yourself the opportunity for a fist pump.

Jason Day reacts after sinking a putt on the 17th green during the third round of the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.  (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Featured photo by Simon Bruty/SI/Getty Images)