RETURN TO GOLF
MAKE THE MOST OF IT BY BUILDING SOME GOOD HABITS
Hurrah, we have a date for a return to the golf course later in the month and now is the time to prepare. We all want to return to the course and enjoy hitting some good shots but perhaps some preparation before then might also help? So today I am going to share my Top 5 tips for returning to golf so you have no excuses not to be properly equipped!
TIP # 1- GET YOUR BODY READY FOR ACTION.
Our enforced rest from the game will have reduced the need to exercise your golf specific muscles. Here’s a great video by the late Ramsay Mc Master of a 5-minute warm up but in this instance can be used as a 5-minute golf muscle refresher. The exercises are a little funky but hit all the right areas!
TIP #2 SWING ON POINT!
Those of you who know me know how much I hate practice swings if they are not towards a target and at an object. Take 4 clubs to your garden PW, 7i, a hybrid and driver. Take 5 swings with each club hitting a tee in the ground towards at a target (tree/clothes line) at the end of your garden. Go through your full pre-shot tee routine, replacing the tee each time. If you would prefer not to damage your nice lawn with your irons/hybrid, you can use a backdoor mat instead. Just squeeze some talc to indicate your ball position and you will be able to see how accurate your strike point is.
You should be able to place a tee down in even the most spectacular of lawns as you should only be hitting the top centimeter of the tee and never the grass!
TIP #3 PUTT IT CLOSE!
This is the one skill where it’s possible to practice in your home, provided you have a carpet somewhere. Use the following two drills to get your eye in.
Starting line– position 2 tees/obstacle at 12”, 18” and 2ft from a starting point and try putt your ball through the gates. Don’t worry too much about distance control, it’s more important to be able to start the putt on your intended line.
Distance control- place a mug or upturned can about 2 ft from your skirting board and putt balls consecutively from 10ft, 15ft and 20ft from the target. Your goal is to leave the ball no more than 18” from the target. Don’t attempt to putt 2 or 3 balls from the same position, change distances every time, remember you only get one chance on the course.
TIP#4 CHIP IT CLOSE!
Choose your best chipping club. Place 3 coins in a row to chip towards a target. When you hear the club ping when it hits the coin, you know you will have made solid contact. Try the same drill again but this time place a ball on the third coin, always listening for the ping. If you can make solid contact with the ball when you chip, you will find it much easier to control the distance of the chip.
TIP #5 EQUIPMENT CHECK
Clean each of your golf clubs both clubface and grips. Use some soapy water and a scrubbing brush on your grips particularly. They tend to get greasy and are hard to hold. If you scrub the handles and they are still difficult to grip, then check with your PGA Professional to see if they need to be replaced. It’s also worthwhile checking your golf bag for gloves, towels and tees and perhaps removing some historical debris from the bottom of your bag! A pet irritation of mine is looking into totally disorganised golf bag and not being able to easily locate the club my students need. So, make sure your clubs are arranged in an orderly fashion in the golf bag. Longer clubs should be positioned at the back and mid and higher lofted irons positioned towards the front of the bag, just like the illustration below.
So now you have 5 tips to get you prepared for starting back so no excuses. Get out there, get your golfing muscles flexed and dial in your swing and you will reap the benefits when you are back on the course. Let me know if these tips helped and hopefully see you out on the fairways soon!