Off Season is Here

Playing Simulator Golf and Off-Season Work

If you’re like me here in Pennsylvania, winter is fast approaching. For those of us in the colder climates, the off-season is upon us.

But it doesn’t mean we have to go into hibernation.

Many areas have indoor golf facilities where you can play golf on a simulator. You can practice or play iconic courses. You can join a winter league. While it’s not quite the same, you can still swing the clubs.

In my area, there is Next Shot Golf. Check your local area for facilities near you. It’s fun and can help with the winter golf bug.

Aside from being able to hit shots in a simulator, there are other things you should be doing if you are in the off season. Perhaps you want to add a little clubhead speed. Or maybe you’re tired of being stiff and sore after a round of golf. Maybe you’d even like to walk the course instead of taking a cart once spring rolls around. Whether you are a serious golfer or the average weekend golfer, here are a few things you can do to be ready in the spring.

1. Lift weights. Increasing strength is beneficial for golf and life. Getting stronger helps increase clubhead speed and promotes general health. As we age, we start losing muscle mass, but we can prevent muscle loss through proper weightlifting. Adding muscle also helps with bone density. It’s important to learn proper technique with weightlifting just as it is important to learn proper technique in swinging a golf club. Go to MyTPI.com to find a TPI Certified Trainer in your area who can get you started. If you’re in the Harrisburg, PA area, I’ll be happy to get you started.

2. Practice swinging fast. One of the most common issues I hear from my clients is they have lost distance and want to regain some of it. Besides lifting weights and working on a specific speed training regiment, one of the simplest ways to increase clubhead speed is to practice swinging as fast as you can. It’s a simple way to get some speed back. For instance, one of the methods runners employ to get faster is to practice trying to run faster. Naturally, they do a lot more to gain speed, and you can, too. I work with all different ages and have seen huge gains in clubhead speed with my clients working with strength and speed training. You can also use great speed training clubs such as Super Speed or The Stack System.

3. Walk. Walk on a treadmill. Walk outside on days when it’s not too cold. The overall health benefits of walking are well documented. It keeps your legs strong and joints mobile. With weightlifting and speed training, you need to take days off to allow your body to recover. But walking? You can walk every day without issue. It is one of the best overall low intensity workouts.

4. Start a breathing regiment. Practice deep breathing. This helps with heart rate, blood pressure and focus. I like Wim Hof breathing. You can find great tutorials on YouTube on the proper technique. There are also several good breathing apps such as Calm and Breathe you can try.

5. Daily mobility exercises. Simple exercises to start the day. 5 minutes of hip, back and shoulder mobility exercises to keep everything moving. We tend to sit more in the winter. It’s important we keep moving our joints and keep them mobile.

These are just some of the things you can do to help yourself get better during the off-season. Each one will help keep or get you into golf shape and help improve your golf. Better yet, they will provide benefit for your overall health.

Even if you are in a warm climate, these are still things you can and should do for your golf game and your health.

If you’re interested in starting a workout regimen for golf, feel free to leave a comment, and I will be happy to reach out to you.

In the future, I will be offering a different weekly exercise along with the correlating swing issue it can help correct to paid subscribers. I will be offering this in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

As always, remember to be thankful when you tee it up. Enjoy the beauty of the course. Be happy as you play with good friends. Now, go golf!