5 Easy Ways to Stay in Golf-Shape This Offseason

Staying in golf-shape during the cold winter months without being able to hit the course or range regularly is tough. Golf heavily relies on consistency in our movements and muscle memory. Not staying active or practicing through the cold winter months, may set your game back farther than you think. However, we’ve always got some answers. Staying in shape and keeping your muscle memory is easier than you may think, and you can do it all from the coziness of your own home or seek out state-of-the-art indoor golf facilities, like our friends over at The Golf Room Everywhere!

Here are the Top 5 Easy Ways to Stay in Golf Shape:

1. Yoga  - If you aren’t familiar with yoga, it’s going to seem incredibly foreign to you. It may even start out as uncomfortable. However, yoga will greatly work on your flexibility and body-weight strength, two incredibly important factors when configuring the perfect golf swing. Just 5-10 minutes every day or two can do the trick, it’s just about ensuring that you aren’t letting your muscles get too tight, or, even worse, letting your muscles shrink from inactivity. 
   
   
2. Indoor Putting Drills - Of course, your living room carpet and a real putting green are not the same thing. However, the muscle movement and strategy of adjusting for speed and the target are exactly the same. Putting at a shoe or cup from the entire length of the living room may get you more comfortable with long putts, but it will keep your muscle memory fresh and keep your putting confidence high, which is a huge factor to everyone’s game.
   
   A simple drill we like to do daily is putting from increments of 2, 4 and 6 feet from your homemade hole. Measure the 2, 4 and 6 foot increments on your floor and mark them with any household object - or use a small strip of painter’s tape if you have it handy. Take putts from 2 feet until you can make 10 in a row, then move back to 4 feet, then move back to 6 feet. This is a good way for you to keep your putt swing mechanics in tune while also practicing aim and swing control at various distances.
   
   
3. Keep The Swing Up - If you’re lucky enough to have a room with high ceilings and plenty of room, getting a few foam balls and keeping the swing up will obviously keep your game in shape in the offseason. You can practice chipping in smaller spaces, and if you have a nice open area, you can really let it rip with full swing reps. However, if space is limited there are still options for indoor ranges and full virtual golf simulators. One of our favorite all-in-one golf training locations is The Golf Room Everywhere. They offer lessons in a state-of-the-art facility for training and getting into and staying in golf-shape year round. We’ve partnered with The Golf Room Everywhere located in offer you a 60% discount on a personalized virtual lesson that you can initiate from the comfort of your home! Check out the details here.
   
   
4. Bodyweight Workouts - You may not realize it, but golf requires more muscle than you think. Keeping these muscles in use and even strengthening them could not only keep you in shape, but put you in better shape for next season. Just a 10-minute workout with a couple sets of push-ups and split squats will improve muscle groups like your legs, chest, and core, all essential for the ideal golf swing. This will help keep your legs and upper body fresh for the next time you step foot on the course.
   
   
5. Find Your Tempo - This could be done at home or at a range, but this exercise is something that may help your game in ways you’d never imagine. Download a metronome on your phone. Find a tempo where you can comfortably start your backswing on one beat and hit the ball on the next. This is usually around 40-60 bpm, but it could vary. This will train your brain to keep a consistent tempo, as well as teach more control in your swing, overall keeping up your confidence. Another option is simply counting out loud “1-2-3” on your back swing, and then “1” on your forward swing. This aims to help you become mentally and physically conscious of the 3:1 tempo by literally counting out the seconds as you swing.

Obviously, there’s nothing better than getting on an actual course. However, in many parts of the country, that is simply not an option during the bitter cold months of winter. We feel for you. It is important to utilize these exercises to keep up your game, and maybe even take some time to improve in the offseason. There's also always the option to skip these winter months altogether and stay in golf shape by hopping on a plane and taking a long weekend someplace warm. In the meantime, utilize your time now to improve your game so you can hit the ground running in spring.

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Article By: Mason Fyffe