Golf Game Winterization
For those that live in the north and east, keeping your golf game in top condition is a major thing. Here are a few simple little things that will allow you have your self ready at all times. The time involved is minor, yet has yielded tremendous results for many.
Being raised in the Midwest and up by Lake Michigan, I fully understand the plight of golfers who live in the winter snowbound states. Your season is shortened dramatically by a number of various factors. In the following paragraphs, you will find some simple things that you can do, to keep your game in shape all winter long. The results you will see in the 2010 golf season will be far more than you either anticipate or expect.
Here’s a bullet list:
Put $8.00 per week aside for the next 14 weeks. Why? NEW GRIPS Heat has this dreaded effect on golf grips, it drys them out, makes them brittle and slick. You should change your grips at least once per year AT the BEGINNING of the SEASON. Make sure before you put your clubs away for the winter, you clean them thoroughly…especially the grooves! warm soapy water and old tooth brush will do the trick. Then dry them thoroughly as well, and wrap the heads in saran wrap. The saran wrap will keep the moisture off the clubs and help to keep any rust from forming. Oh I know there are some that will say that stainless steel never rusts…Uh Huh, and pigs can fly too. Not all clubs are stainless steel, and most have some sort of chrome coating on them.
At least by doing this, you won’t have to take another brush to them when the season begins. Alternatively and with a little more effort, you could get some paraffin wax and seal them up for the winter. You do this by melting the wax and dipping each club in it then letting it dry. When the season come about you just peel the wax off. I know this sounds like too much work, but it does serve well to do this. If you do decide on this…don’t use your wife good pans. They have an affinity for getting bothered by this. Go to the dollar store and buy a cheap pan. It’s either that or face the possibility of eating wax once or twice for dinner.
Put your golf bag inside a travel bag, this serves at least three purposes, it keeps them from collecting dust, eliminates some ability moisture at getting to them, and, it keeps them ready at a moments notice. Who knows, you might get an offset chance at taking a mini vacation to a warmer climate to play some golf. Or in the previous wax in the pan case makes for an easy get away. Now for your golf game itself. More bullets for you, grin.
Go to any hardware store and buy yourself a 3/4 inch wooden dowel. Wrap one end of it with guazetex. It only needs to be about 2 feet long. While your sitting at home, you could be watching the golf channel and working upon your grip at the same time. The 3/4 inch dowel is approximately the same size as a grip. The guazetex will give you the ability to hang on to it easier. And the spouse will be appreciative your not leaving golf clubs laying around the house all winter.
With other reference to working upon your grip…grip it firm and hold it for 30 seconds at a time. This will build the strength in your hands and forearms making it easier for you to transition to your golf clubs when the time comes and the season draws near. Yeah I know, everyone is always telling you about gripping the club lightly. In my next article I will talk specifically about the grip and grip pressure. Needless to say it’s not what you may think. And I can prove it.
Practice your putting on the carpet. Trust me this does wondrous things for your golf game and score. And other than shag carpeting (which I thankfully haven’t seen in it seems like forever) it will always keep you in the game. Use a dime as your target and roll the ball over the top of the dime. If your ball rolls more than 12 inches past the dime you hit it too hard. You know the result of drill on the this one already.
If you can get away with this…chip some balls into the couch or your favorite chair. My Disclaimer to all on this is…NO FULL SWINGS, and NO CARPET DIVOTS. I don’t want a plethora of women looking to lynch me because you took my advice and hit the ceiling of tore up the carpet. Remember your only looking to loft the ball up. SOME both learn and keep some feel. This will definitely teach you some touch. The game here is to learn how to sweep the ball from the surface, without leaving damage, and keep all the balls from bouncing out of the chair. Again, there will be a more descriptive article upon chipping in the future.That’s all for now and until the next article Happy Golfing and have a Great Day.