For most golfers, November marks the start of their golfing hibernation. The clocks go back, the waterproofs go on, and the lure of the sofa and a Sunday roast becomes stronger than that of the first tee. But while many of us are packing our clubs away until Masters fever rolls around, a handful of players are quietly doing the opposite, and they’re the ones who will come flying out of the blocks in spring.
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True progress isn’t about hitting thousands of balls in the freezing cold. It’s about being smart. Using the off-season to fix fundamentals, develop skills, and make small, consistent gains that will pay off when the clocks go forward.
In the first-ever episode of the NCG Your Golf Podcast, hosted by Tom Irwin and PGA professional Jack Backhouse, the pair explore what every golfer can be doing over the next few months to make genuine progress before the new season starts.
Here are five simple, practical golf tips you can do this winter to make sure you’re playing your best golf come spring…
1. Straighten Your Drives
If you only work on one golf tip this winter, make it your driver. Backhouse’s number one rule for better golf is simple; drive it straighter.
Most of us club golfers have a tendency to miss the fairway far too often and by then it’s already too late as we find out it is far more penal than it looks on TV. The key? Reducing the amount of curve in your ball flight.
“My first priority for someone trying to get better at golf is to drive the ball well — and that means reducing the amount of curve on their drives,” says Backhouse.
“I spend loads of time trying to marry up a neutral club path with a pretty level to slightly up angle of attack. When people swing it in the direction they’re trying to hit it, they do a better job of hitting it straight.
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“Fixing your path can sometimes be as simple as putting a headcover down or swinging between two pillows in your front room,” he adds. “You don’t need anything fancy.”.
2. Master Your Short Irons and Wedges
This is where the real gains are made. So often, the difference between a 14-handicap and a 4-handicap is all about distance control. This is the key golf tip for reducing that handicap.
“If you drive the ball well, you’re going to have lots of short irons and wedges into greens,” says Backhouse. “And most people are rubbish at it.”
“I really don’t like people hitting full shots with short irons and wedges,” he says. “They’re not designed to be hit like that.”
If you’ve got access to technology like Toptracer or TrackMan, use a random number generator on your phone for random yardages – 86 yards, 104 yards, 118 yards. See how you can perform from those distances with different swings and clubs.
“You might like going short and hitting it hard, or long and swinging slow,” Backhouse explains. “There’s no one way. It’s about finding your way.”
3. Improve Your Putting Tempo
British greens in January are hardly Augusta-fast, but that’s no excuse to neglect your putting. In fact, winter is the perfect time to work on your stroke and rhythm indoors.
“Most people have the same length stroke for every putt,” says Backhouse. “They just jab harder when they need more distance.
“You can get apps that give you a little tick-tock sound,” he says. “It helps build a stroke with better rhythm and distance control.”
During his coaching sessions he gets his players to measure how far their putts roll with six, eight, and ten-inch backstrokes.
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“It sounds simple, but you’ll start to know how far the ball goes with each length of stroke,” he adds. “And that’s what separates good putters from streaky ones.”
4. Get Golf-Fit
You don’t need a personal trainer or an RV full of cryo chambers like Justin Rose, but you do need to move better.
This doesn’t mean you need to live in the gym. Start small. A simple routine of stretching, kettlebell work, or even brisk walking can make a huge difference. It’s also the perfect time to do with all the niggles and sores you may have been dealing with over the course of the season.
“People spend loads of money on clubs every year to eke out performance, but they don’t spend anywhere near as much on their own body, which is the power source of the swing”, claims Backhouse.
“Even 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference,” he says. “I get players swinging five miles an hour faster just by improving flexibility and strength over winter. If you’ve got niggles, get them sorted now. You can’t do it in the summer when you’re playing all the time.”
5. Give Your Gear an MOT
Our final golf tip is all about your gear. Winter is launch season for new equipment and the ideal time to check whether your clubs still fit your swing.
“Your body changes every year,” Backhouse points out. “The clubs you were fit for last year might not be right now.
“A new driver might give you more fairways, but just getting your wedges re-grooved or checking your lofts and lies can make a big difference too.”
“Even a quick session with your pro to check your driver settings can help,” he says. “You don’t have to spend a fortune to play better golf.”
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Golf Tips: Final Thoughts
The temptation in winter is to shut it all down, to convince yourself you’ll pick things up again in the spring. But, as Backhouse explains, that’s a trap most golfers fall into, and one the best players avoid.
Think of the off-season as your golfing pre-season. Every small step you take now is another layer of preparation for the new season. When you walk onto the first tee next year, you’ll have a head start on everyone who spent the winter moaning about the weather.
So don’t waste these months. The hard yards now will make you feel like a golfing gold in the new year.
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