What Do Golfers Do In The Off-Season?

What Do Golfers Do In The Off-Season?

All the practice and hard work you put into your game during the season can be easily undone during the winter months through inactivity.  Being away from the course doesn’t necessarily mean your game has to suffer. Here’s how to make sure your golf game stays strong during the off-season.

Watch What You Eat

The holiday season provides it’s own pitfalls in terms of your diet.  If you’re serious about keeping your game strong during the off-season you’ll be careful of how many calories you are consuming.  The average golfer will put on around half a stone during the winter months.  Not only will this increase your waist size, but your score with it.  Additional weight will not allow your hips to rotate as quickly, causing a less powerful drive and more ineffective swing.  One easy way to maintain your weight is to cut you portion size, or strictly avoid snacking between meals.  Not only will this help you physically by keeping the weight off, but you will also stay mentally quick through focus and force of discipline.

Keep Your Mind Active

The off-season is the ideal time to keep your mind sharp, a trait that will become invaluable when the season starts up again.  Continue your education of the game by watching as many clips on the Internet as you can.  Watching old highlights on YouTube is a perfect way to increase your overall knowledge of the game, as well as maintaining your enthusiasm and excitement.  Furthermore, there are countless self-help tutorials to help you improve your game technically even though you are not on the course.  The off-season is also the perfect time to get your insurance needs in order for when you are back on the course.  Golfplan’s comprehensive cover will provide you the ideal package to suit your golfing insurance needs. 

Practice Isn’t Just On The Range

Developing body control for better shots can easily be done around the home.  Stability and core strength are vital to a successful golf game.  The stronger your core is, the less likely you are to develop back pain, which will inevitably keep you away from the course.  Military-style push-ups are an effective method of maintaining a strong core.  Also, repetition of sets of lunges is a great way to improve your hip strength, which is imperative for a faster swing.  Start in a relaxed stance, and step forward with a large step until your lead leg’s shinbone is vertical to the floor and the knee is over your planted foot. Next, your rear knee should bend as you rock up on the rear toes.  After maintaining this stance, rise back to a standing position.  Repeating this exercise in sets of 10-15 will drastically increase your hip strength over a relatively short period of time. 

Stay Loose
Any flexibility that you lose during the off-season will have a direct influence on the effectiveness of your swing.  Try to stretch your arms, legs and hips at least once a day, but more if you can.  An easy way to develop hip flexibility is to lie on your back, and leaving one leg flat to the ground, pull the knee of the other close to your chest and hold for twenty seconds, then switch legs.  Repeat, performing two sets on each leg.  Keep your swing loose by practicing with a weighted club, or even your own.  There’s no limit to how many practice swings you can take, which will both keep you loose and game-ready, but also mentally sharp and focused for when the season begins again. 

via GolfPlan