The Most Overlooked Way to Improve Your Golf Swing This Winter

Here in Michigan, we are firmly in the dead of winter. Although the temperatures sniffed close to 50 degrees the day I am writing this, we’re still months away from being able to return to spending time on our golf courses consistently. And while the weather may be preventing us from getting a round in, that doesn’t mean practice or range sessions are off the table. Outdoor ranges with shelters and heaters, indoor domes equipped with Toptracer technology, and a new simulator spot popping up on every corner make it easier than ever to get some work in during the colder months.

But just because you can practice all winter doesn’t mean you should.

Grinding all winter isn’t what you need to drop your handicap come spring. In fact, a little time off from the game can do more good than you think. Ask TOUR pros how they spend their offseason and the answer is almost always the same: they put the clubs away. Not because they don’t care—but because they understand how quickly bad habits stack up over a long season.

Throughout the course of a season, a lot of bad habits can creep in. When I was a clubfitter, I heard it constantly at the end of the year—players talking about a new ball flight they hadn’t seen before, with no idea where it came from. If you don’t spend a lot of time with an instructor, or on the range with a camera, new habits that pop up in your swing will go unnoticed.

Repeat them over countless summer rounds, and they engrain themselves into your muscle memory.

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As someone who likes to still play competitively, I usually take a couple weeks off from my normal practice sessions once the weather begins to turn. I compare it to hitting the reset button on a computer that has been running with 100 tabs open for way too long. Sometimes the best thing you can do is shut it down and come back fresh.

And just like with the computer, all the parts are still the same—but the system runs cleaner. When I start swinging again, I am more in tune with how my body is moving. I will notice that my upper body is being lazy in the backswing, and that my lower body is lacking stability—things I would normally gloss over in a range session before a round in the summer because it felt the same as yesterday and the day before that.

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This also isn’t to say you should shut your golf brain off entirely. There are still a bunch of things to do during this time to “improve” without picking up a club.

Near the top of that list is improving mobility and strength. The golf swing is an athletic move, and if you are looking to get better, improving the way your body moves without a club will make your eventual return to golf feel cleaner. Better mobility doesn’t “fix” your swing on its own—it just puts you on the winning side of the equation when looking to make improvements and get your body in “ideal” positions.

I recently went to a TPI certified trainer in my area to see which areas I can improve. Hips and Ankles were the main culprits for me. I didn’t even know ankles were supposed to move.

Now, I have a plan set that I can work on each morning without needing to touch a club.

I’d share this sentiment with our lucky friends who live in a place where golf can be played year-round. Your break may fall more into the dead of summer where the temperature is too hot to play golf. Whenever that time may be, take advantage of it.

Give your body—and your swing—a chance to reset. You might be surprised how much better you feel when you come back.

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