3 ways to make your off season COUNT.

 As the cold, wet weather takes over the morning, and the afternoon light fades, the opportunity to get out on the course is reduced. 

For many, this leads to more time on the driving range, and potentially a chance to work on their physical attributes. 

However without the competitive drive of the summer season, the quality of practice, routines, and training, often deteriorate rapidly. 

Here are three things you can do this off season to become a better golfer.

1 - Practice Properly

It is fairly well proven that slamming balls on the driving range isn't the most efficient, or successful method of practice. Yet if you walk down a driving range on a winter evening this is often what you will see. Some golfers will be left frustrated with their lack of swing improvements, others will make progress but will struggle to transfer it to the golf course.

Efficient practice requires an even balance of technical work, random practice and an element of competitive edge. Ensuring that your practice sessions touch all three will allow your game to improve both on the driving range AND on the golf course. 

Your technical work should be guided either by your golf professional or whatever swing improvement you are trying to make. This should be swing focussed, internally driven and will probably have a large spacing between balls being hit.

Your random practice is what it says. Completely random. You can't hit the same shot twice. Hit to different range targets, hit high, low, fades, draws, go from driver to wedge. If you hit a bad shot, that's ok, but you only get one chance. 

Competitive practice should include some kind of consequence or gamified element. There are plenty of competitive games you can search online or TopTracer ranges fill this gap perfectly. 

A good quality practice session should cover all three elements evenly whilst stretching your skill level to a point of being uncomfortable. 

2 - Work on your body

The cold, dark evenings are no longer filled with opportunities for post work rounds. Use this time wisely by working on your physical attributes. This is your best chance to get stronger, more mobile and ultimately build a body that's able to produce a better golf swing. 

I often see golfers grab their running shoes and head out in the rain to try and keep off the winter fluff. But your best approach is to focus on your strength and your mobility. 

I would recommend working your way up to performing three strength sessions per week. These should focus on both upper and lower body movements and could also include some core stabilisation. 

Your mobility training can be done in four or five 10 minute sessions per week. I recommend to my clients using the quiet time late in the evening to get this work done. In front of the TV, in a relaxing environment, is a perfect time to improve key areas involved in the golf swing. Working on hip rotation, torso rotation, shoulders and neck you will be able to make a significant change with these express style routines. 

3 - Maintain Some Course Time

If you play a lot of competitive golf during the season, your competitive drive will often decrease in the winter. This is normal, and often serves as a good way to periodise your focus. 

Although your expectations on scoring, or entering a card should be lessened, your enjoyment of the game should not. Constantly focussing on practice, and ‘grinding’ on your new swing move is a great way to fall out of love with the game. 

Maintaining time on the course, playing different formats of games and challenges and playing with friends whilst removing expectations will keep the game FUN. It will increase your engagement, your joy and your reason WHY you play this game.

For those with the obsession of getting better it will also sharpen your skills. It will force you to play from uncomfortable lies, in thick wet grass, in windy conditions. You have the opportunity to learn skills that can be highly valuable when the conditions turn more favourable.