Scratch Golfer

Mark Wainfor, a PGA qualified pro golfer since 1989, has up to 20 years as a PGA Golf Professional to his name. He’ll share his top golf tips and experiences with you here

How to lower your handicap in winter

Use winter to fine tune your golf game

Hi everybody! Now that the cold weather is upon us, it doesn't mean that you should hang up the clubs! Use the winter to your advantage. Below are some tips so you won't have to “re-learn” the game once the season starts up again.

Indoor Golf – Virtual Reality

Hitting balls on the range in winter can actually be detrimental to your golf swing. Due to the cold, muscles tend to be tense and adding extra clothing only restricts movement even further. Practicing indoor on a golf simulator is the best way to improve your game in winter. These days the simulators offer excellent graphics and great courses. The heavy-duty science also provides information like club-head speed, distance and swing path. (see picture)

Home Improvements – Drilling The Wall

Putting on the carpet at home is a simple but highly effective way of improving your technique. You can also try this putting drill: Through the impact zone, the putter should be moving in a straight line, a wall can really help you work on this. Position your head against the wall and practice your stroke with the end of your putter slowly and gently running along the wall. During the winter months you can also practice the correct setup and analyze your swing plane in front of a mirror, at every opportunity.

Did You Know?

Snooker or Pool Billiard use two of the basic fundamentals of golf, alignment and stance, both games also require you to hit a stationary ball. Snooker is a great game to play in winter and will sharpen your pre-shot routine and feel.

Fitness – Cardio Is King

Many golfers play poorly or lose concentration at the end of the round due to lack of condition. Cardiovascular conditioning will help stabilize your energy on the back nine.

Running, brisk walking, swimming, workouts on cross trainers, and aerobics classes are all great cardiovascular activities. You need to work at 60 - 90% of your maximum heart rate for 20 to 60 minutes at a time 3 to 5 times a week for best results. If you cannot manage 20 minutes, then build up gradually!

How do you keep your golf game fine tuned in the winter? Tell us on Facebook.