There aren’t many golfers who enjoy playing in the winter. It’s cold, wet and largely miserable.
But this year, you should take a different attitude. It’s not the summer sun you see all the time, but a little snow and rain shouldn’t stop you from enjoying yourself.
The weather also shouldn’t stop you from improving. You can steal the march on the rest of your golf club by persevering and practising now, so PGA Professional Jack Backhouse has six top tips for how to prepare and play in the winter like a scratch golfer.
ALSO: What is the difference between a scratch golfer and the average club golfer?
Tips for winter golf
You’ll hit it shorter, so tee it higher
In the winter, the fairways and rough are very wet and sticky which means your ball won’t travel as far in terms of total distance. If you have had a driver fitting recently and used statistics to discover which big stick was best for you, the numbers probably took into account the total distance.
When it’s cold and rainy, the ball won’t roll so where possible crank up your driver to a higher loft so your ball travels further in the air to make up for the loss of ground rollout.
With a higher loft, there is a higher launch angle too which administers more spin on the ball. This all helps to counteract the lack of rollout. You should also tee it higher to add to this ethos.
Remember how far you hit each club
The temperature has dropped and the conditions in these winter months are different, which means you won’t hit each club the same distance as you did in the summer.
The ball spins differently in colder conditions and you don’t compress the ball as much. The ball essentially goes shorter, so you should head to a driving range which has Toptracer or some type of shot tracing and note how far you hit each club.
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If you have 150 yards to the green, you might hit a 7-iron in the summer, but this will become a 6-iron or a 5-iron in the winter.
Carry two balls – here’s why…
Keep two balls in your pocket. When you play a hole, this ball will be cold and wet and it won’t go as far off the next tee. Before you play on the next hole, pull out your second ball which hasn’t been hit under these conditions yet.
It’s been warm and dry in your pocket and will travel further than the ball you have just been playing with. This will help you get nearer to the green and generally shoot lower scores.
ALSO: Is this a cure for the dreaded yips?
Don’t give up on putting practice
It is easy to stop practising putting in the winter because the greens aren’t as good and you might allow this part of your game to worsen given the conditions.
Stop this from happening and instead, practise longer putts from 10 feet and further to improve your length and pace on the greens. Put shorter putts to one side for now – we can focus on them in the summer when the greens are rolling better.
The greens are slow at this time of the year, so getting your pace right and practising this part of your short game is incredibly important. You will become frustrated if you miss shorter putts at this time of the year, which will be mostly down to the imperfections of the surfaces.
Hit the ball before the soft and wet turf
Under winter conditions, the ground is soft and muddy and whereas in summer you can afford to hit the ground with a little more bounce coming your way, this isn’t the case in the winter.
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Taking more turf than ball is even more problematic at this stage of the year because it is so soft. Focus on taking the ball before the turf now more than ever to improve your ball-striking.
To do this, put the ball further back in your stance and push your hands forward a touch. This will steepen your angle of attack and help to strike the ball first. A low shot with a good strike, hopefully, the product of this tip, is better than one that is fatted two yards in front of you.
ALSO: The Secret To Keeping The Left Arm Straight
Adopt a layering system
It is easy to throw on any old jumper in the winter because you’re terrified of being cold. By all means, layer up but you need to think about this strategically.
Start with a t-shirt then use a couple of thin layers to build up a warm shield. In this way, you still have plenty of room for movement and your body isn’t restricted by the thick layers you might have put on instead. Remember a hat, too.
NOW READ: How To Use Your Wrists For More Power And Stop Slicing
NOW READ: Always Start Your Swing Like This
NOW READ: Why 90% of Golfers DON’T Hit Driver Straight
Use these tips for winter golf and your handicap will come tumbling down! Want more instruction tips as well as winter golf tips? Follow NCG on X!
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