A New England Golfer's Guide to Improving During the Winter

I’ve enjoyed the luxury of year-round golf in the Sunshine State. I know what it’s like to wake up in the middle of January, throw on a pair of shorts and a hoodie, and experience a brisk yet comfortable morning on green-dyed dormant Bermuda. It was fun…for a while. But after growing up in New England and being back in Massachusetts for the last five or so winters, there’s no place I’d rather be this time of year.

The snow, the cold, the constant reminders of the holiday season. But all of it comes at a price. For the next few months, I won’t take a single divot. I won’t feel the nervous anticipation of an opening tee shot. I won’t get to enjoy a beer in the clubhouse.

My sticks have been forced into hibernation, patiently waiting in the corner of my office for their next opportunity to get dirt in their grooves. It’s sad when you think about it. Hopefully they don’t feel a sense of abandonment.

And the end of the golf season stung a little more than usual this year. My last range session, the last time I slipped on a Titleist Perma-Soft, was a stripe show. Sure, it was just a bucket of balls that didn’t mean anything; nothing was on the line. But I put in some great work.

I got my usual outside-the-hands takeaway a little more to the inside, and I dropped my downswing into the slot. My patented pull-cut turned into a tight, two-yard push-draw. It made me feel something.

That was almost a month ago. I’ve since been sequestered to the comforts of my apartment, forced to nothing but mental reps and mirror work. It’s been tough. But I have some big goals for 2026, starting with playing two or three times a week and dropping my handicap from its current standing of 4.5 to a sub-2. If all goes well, I’d love to try my hand at the USGA Mid-Am (at the very least a local qualifier).

So the big question is, how do I sustain my form so I don’t have to use the first month or so of the season as a ramp-up period? How can I start building from the word go come mid-March?

Well, it starts with an occasional trip to my dad’s simulator. He’s got a nice little setup in his garage with a SkyTrak, so I’ll be making a few weekend visits once my Patriots finish up their season (hopefully that doesn’t come until the beginning of February). But outside of that, what’s the plan?

It starts in the gym. I’ve never been known as a weight-junkie. I’d much rather go for a run or hang out in the sauna for half an hour (you can bet that will stay part of my routine). But thanks to this great article I found from Men’s Health, I have an idea of what my weekly workout routine will look like. Not a bunch of lifting, but body-weight movements and a lot of stretching. As the GOAT, Tom Brady, has preached for years, it’s all about pliability.

And the more I see GolfForever’s Training System, the more I consider getting it. If it’s good enough for the world’s best player, Mr. Scottie Scheffler, it’s good enough for me. Plus, I like the idea of being able to work specific golf moves at home (who wants to drive to the gym when it’s 10 degrees outside?).

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The next obvious inclusion is putting. I have a Perfect Practice mat ready for its winter debut, and I plan on wearing that thing out over the next few months. Eliminating three putts starts with buttoning up my stroke. My distance control is usually pretty good, I just have to get more putts to start on line.

And the final step will be to engrain my newfound positions with mirror work. The more I can feel and see where the club should be throughout my move, the easier it will be to translate that to the range and course once the snow melts.

If you’ve never worked on your swing in the mirror, this is exactly what it should look like. Building a feedback station similar to this is key to establishing real change in your move.

I plan on upgrading my setup with this alignment stick set from Why Golf. With this training aid, I’ll be able to perfect my new takeaway move as well as get my swing in the slot on the way down. This was the fastest I’ve put an item in my cart in a long time.

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So, that’s the plan. I’m looking forward to the grind. Set yourself a goal for ‘26, and let’s get to work.

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