Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
With cold temperatures in the forecast and handicap posting closed in much of the country, golf season is officially coming to an end. All that’s left to do now is put the clubs in storage and wait for spring.
Or is it?
Winter might mean the end of the traditional golf season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your golf game has to suffer. In fact, with the right practice strategy, you can improve your game during the winter months all without leaving the comfort of your home.
There are a variety of things you can do to keep your game sharp as you wait for spring. From mobility training to hitting balls on a simulator, there’s plenty you can accomplish this offseason when it comes to your golf game. All you need to do is focus on the right things.
Putting
In an ideal world, every golf nut would have a simulator in their home. Unfortunately, very few of us actually have that luxury, so making full swings is not always an option.
Luckily, there is a way to work on your short game at home, and it comes in the form of using a putting mat to dial in your stroke.
“The Perfect Putting Mat is the best,” says GOLF Top 100 Teacher Scott Munroe. “When you look down, you see the lines and your eyes match your elbows and your shoulders and you’re able to calibrate your stroke over and over again. That’s one of the best things you can do. It’s all about repetition and consistency.”
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Ball position
Fundamentals might not be the most exciting things to practice, but if you can nail them, it makes gaining consistency a heck of a lot easier. One of the most important fundamentals is ball position, and it’s something you can easily work on in front of the mirror at home.
“Getting in front of the mirror lets you actually see where your ball position is,” Munroe says. “Sometimes students will say, ‘Oh yeah, that feels like it’s in the middle.’ And then they get in front of a mirror and it’s actually in the front or back of their stance. So getting in front of the mirror and looking at their ball position helps them see and feel where the ball actually is.”
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Even if you can’t get outside and hit balls, it’ll be helpful to get in front of a mirror and work on your ball position. By the time spring comes, you’ll have an even better understanding of where everything lines up in your swing.
