How To Stay Golf-Ready During The Off-Season

More than 28 million people played 500 million rounds of golf last year, according to the National Golf Federation. That’s a lot of golfers longingly sitting idle once the weather turns wet, windy, and cold. If that’s you, don’t get bored in the off-season; get better.

Here’s how to make sure your body is ready for that first round in the spring and that your swing is too.

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A golf swing is all about rotation, so use your downtime to work on your flexibility. A stretching routine can make sure you don’t feel stiff when you take that first swing in the spring. 

Use the “open book” stretch to work on the mobility in your mid back. 

To do it, lie on your side with your knees at a 90-degree angle. Take your top arm and swing it open like it’s the top cover of a book. If needed, you can place your bottom hand on your knees to keep them together. If they separate, you’re rotating from the lower back rather than the mid back. 

The kneeling hip flexor stretch can improve hip mobility, ensuring you have the flexibility to fully clear your hips during your follow-through.

To do it, kneel on one knee and put the other foot flat on the ground in front of you, creating a 90-degree angle with both knees. Next, squeeze your glute on the kneeling side and slowly lean forward until you feel a deep stretch in your hip. 

And to help with hip rotation, do the seated figure-four stretch. This will help give you a stable base while you swing. Start by sitting in a chair with your back straight. Cross one leg over the other, your ankle resting on your knee. Then slowly, keeping your back straight, lean forward. You should feel a stretch in your outer hip and the glute of your crossed leg.

Build Functional Stability

Power in a golf swing comes from the ground up. Exercises like planks, glute bridges, and lunges help stabilize your lower body. A stronger core allows you to maintain your posture throughout the swing, leading to better ball-striking.

Many golfers' glutes stop firing because they’ve sat too long. When glutes don’t fire, the lower back does all the work during a swing, and that’s an almost-guaranteed way to injure yourself. But nothing wakes up your glutes like glute bridges.

Glute bridges are easy to do, and three sets of 15 can be completed during a commercial break. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Make sure your legs are hip-width apart, then squeeze your glutes and lift your hips from the floor until your body is a straight line. Hold that for two seconds before slowly lowering back down. 

Struggle with rotation in your swing? Dead bugs can help fix that. Sure, the name is funny, but the results definitely aren’t. Do them right and do them regularly, and you’ll train your body to move your arms and legs while keeping your core still.

Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees over your hips and your arms pointed toward the ceiling. Start by slowly lowering your right arm while, at the same time, extending your left leg parallel with the floor. Bring them back to the starting position, then switch sides. 

Work On Hand-Eye Coordination

Go into the living room or a study and chip into a pop-up net, using foam balls to make sure the furniture is protected. This will keep your hands in the game and help you maintain the touch and feel you developed during the season. Want to save a little money? A laundry basket can work just as well as a net.  

Master The "Dry Swing"

Get in front of a mirror and practice slow-motion dry swings. That’s a swing without a ball. You want to focus on your hand position and your weight transfer. The ultimate goal is to build muscle memory that you can take to the course in a few months. 

Use an Impact Bag for Strike Consistency

The key to a golf swing is consistency. If the only thing you do consistently is finish poorly, an impact bag could help. Grab one and use the off-season to work on your impact position. This will strengthen the lead side of your body and prevent that dreaded, common chicken-wing finish. Don’t want to spend money on an impact bag? A duffel bag filled with towels can also do the job. 

Visit an Indoor Simulator

Last thing. After you’ve done the stretches and worked on your swing, put it all together. The indoor golf simulators that have popped up almost everywhere over the last few years mean you never actually have to pack the clubs away in the off-season. If you have one near you, make a point of visiting regularly. Not only will you get a chance to see if your at-home work has paid off, but many simulators also provide data such as launch angle, spin rate, and club path. You can use that to really dial in your training and hit the course in the spring as a better player than when you left it.