Winter Plan of Attack, Do You Have One?

[thedue]

While were not there quite yet time is against us and sooner or later cold man winter will be settling in for a while. We can certainly hope its all short lived, but to be honest I've found a way to sort of look forward to the break. The 2011 season was a great all around year for golf here and my game improved by leaps and bounds overall, but as I'm sure most here can relate, my game has a lot more room for improvement. As I do with most other area's of my life I am formulating a game plan with goals that are both reachable and far reaching, but I hope to hear from other's as I'm more than open to tweaking my game plan if it is feasible in helping me reach those goals.

First and foremost I intend to get myself into a better physical shape. This I've already started several weeks ago and am seeing some benefits already. I believe I've always stayed in ok shape, but stretching mixed with some weight training has me feeling pretty solid already and can't help but improve a lot on my direction.

Balance is the next area, this may prove to be the hardest overall. I've always struggled with this, but only in golf. I know very little about where the problem lies, but some time spent to research this should find me some answers.

Swing plane drills are on the list utilizing a mirror some along with video. Again, this will be very new to me, but there's no doubt I've developed an OTT move that must be grooved out. My once standard draw slowly turned into a baby fade and by late summer was a pronounced slice, no good there.

Putting comes in as well. This has always been the highlight of my game, along with chipping, and I want to come back stronger than ever in this department. Granted it will be carpet work, but I have the room for it and combined with cementing my new stance this should be worth while.

In my mind timing will be the toughest part and by that I mean setting up a schedule that works without becoming boring or over doing the simple things. Right now I can do most of my early workout in about 30 minutes, so I have been repeating it most evenings. I'm guessing the evening will be replaced with swing training and putting. Anyone else have a plan and if so, can you share your direction with us?

 

[royalwulff]

I have a game plan in effect and have started working on it already. Like you duey I am working on getting myself back into better shape. Next come lessons at GolfTec and then lots or range time and on course time. My on course time will consist of going out when it is not busy and setting up differnt type of shots on different holes and lies and working on the drills my instructor gives me.

 

[Br1an_g]

my winter plan has been in operation for a few weeks.

lessons every 2 weeks, working on short game and some fundamentals that have got slack.

every other week, fitness. going for my TPI test on tuesday and this will provide the baseline for my workouts to improve core, balance, and flexibility.

had some good results from lessons so far, just need to put it all together, and stop collapsing on the 15th hole as im knackered.!!

good luck to everyone over winter, hope it goes to plan

 

[Hanks]

I plan to scrap everything and start fresh somehow. Everything except for putting is an issue for me and I feel that I need to start over to eliminate the habits that I can't shake. It's going to be a long and frustrating winter for me for sure

 

[Hawk]

Once a week after work on the monitor just hitting balls.
Once a week on the sim just having fun.
Putting every night possible.
Working on my new chipping stroke every night possible.
I'm trying to get the motivation to lose 20 lbs at the gym, but I just don't know about that yet.

 

[thedue]

Good luck to all of you and thanks for the input. Lessons here are pretty much out because we have no place close that gives them and with snow on the ground at some point it will all be indoor work.

Hanks, I can't help but think your swing is really close after seeing those vids. Hope you get it worked out soon.

 

[dhjkelly]

For me its gym gym gym gym gym working on strength and cardio. Working in a health club means i have everything at my disposal which is great. Currently i'm doing a 5 day gym program that plans out like this:
Day 1 Legs strength training
Day 2 Upper body strength training and core
Day 3 Cardio
Break from the gym to go the range and work on a few things
Day 4 Legs heavy session
Day 5 Upper body heavy session
Then some swimming to keep me loose nothing major
And finally a day off every week.

i know it seems like a lot but its pretty easy for me because i can use my lunch break to go to the gym or pool.

 

[thedue]

Once a week after work on the monitor just hitting balls.
Once a week on the sim just having fun.
Putting every night possible.
Working on my new chipping stroke every night possible.
I'm trying to get the motivation to lose 20 lbs at the gym, but I just don't know about that yet.

I want to hear about this new chipping stroke. Mine paid dividends this year, but looks like crap, lol. I know mine could be much better, but I need to see it done right to emulate.

 

[INgolfer]

I usually hit the weights a little harder in the Winter time for sure. Other than that this year I plan on hitting the range at least once per week. I have two ranges within driving distance that I can use in the winter. One is an outdoor range with an area by the building where they have some heaters surrounding the hitting mats to keep it warm. There is also an indoor driving range about an hour away where I can pay a flat price for unlimited balls for an hour. The only drawback to that one is that the dome is only 75 yards long so sometimes if you are fighting a slice or hook you can't tell how bad it is in the first 75 yards. But it is great for working on everything within 75 yards, they have numerous targets out the floor to aim at. They also have targets on the walls of the dome to aim at for your longer clubs so you can see if everything is going straight for the most part. Anyhow, I will hit up the outdoor heated mats more often but I will hit the indoor range probably once a month. I also practice my putting regularly in the winter either just putting around the house, but I think this year I am going to invest in one of those birdieball mats. They seem like a great investment.

 

[JF]

My pro shop has simulators, hitting nets, and an outdoor heated driving range, along with an indoor turf putting green (rumor has it they are putting in an indoor grass putting green next year!). I will hit these up a few times a week along with getting in better shape.

 

[Damaikis]

Great thread Due and your plan sounds great! I also have a big plan for the winter, so I'll share mine as well.

First off, like you, I plan on improving my flexibility. Stretching doesn't take long, so I am going to stretch when I wake up in the morning and before I go to sleep at night. I plan on stretching my whole body, but I want to focus on my legs and my midsection. I will also work with my arms and shoulders, but not as much as the other areas.

Next, I will be working out after school 4 days a week, and running/biking/some sort of cardio for 2 days a week. I am in pretty decent shape, but I want to get stronger. I will be doing area-focused workouts in two different sets. One on Monday and Thursday, and the other on Tuesday and Friday. I will be doing cardio on Wednesday and Saturday. One of the sets will be back and legs, and the other will be upper body and midsection. Hopefully that will help me with all areas of my body throughout the winter.

As for actual golf, I plan on ignoring my swing for the most part. I will likely hit into a net once or twice a week to keep my swing in shape, but I don't plan on doing any sort of swing reconstruction or anything like that. I will just be swinging pretty freely and the vast majority of my golf work will be on putting and some short game.

I will be doing a routine of 40 putts religiously every day to gauge my improvement, and I will also be doing a few other putting drills and stuff to help more. My set routine of 40 putts goes like this: 2 reps of 5 balls around the cup in a star 3 feet from the hole, 2 reps of the same thing from 6 feet, and one rep of 20 balls set up in a cross (5 on each leg) between the distances of 6 and 15 feet. This gives me help with short putts and a lot of mid-range work which is where scoring happens IMO. My various other putting drills will be to help me with more short putts and a bunch of lag putting.

Finally, I will do a bit of wedge work. I will be doing as much as possible woth only snow keeping me from it. I plan on doing a lot of bunker work as well as short chips and pitches. Nothing more than 15 yards from the green. I will just use a shag bag and hit a lot of shots from a lot of different areas with the majority of the work being from bunkers and the rough with a lot of tough lies and such. I don't know how much I will be able to get out and do this, but the goal is to get out 2-3 times a week.

Sorry for being so long-winded, but I hope to improve my game by a lot this off-season. Not only improving my golf game, but I just hope to become a little bit healthier and more motivated as a person.

 

[JF]

I want to hear about this new chipping stroke. Mine paid dividends this year, but looks like crap, lol. I know mine could be much better, but I need to see it done right to emulate.

Don't keep your hands forward like everyone will tell you to. Sway your hands, move your hips, do it exactly like you would a full swing just 1/4 the size. Works so much better for me.

 

[Buckjob]

keep taking my lessons weekly and doing the drills over and over again till they are instilled in my head. i also wanna keep my short game in check since i spent so much time working on that and getting it straightened out this year. finally work on my putting more and get my stroke more consistent. that should fill up most of my time this winter.

 

[Hawk]

I want to hear about this new chipping stroke. Mine paid dividends this year, but looks like crap, lol. I know mine could be much better, but I need to see it done right to emulate.

Well, I'm hinging and holding, which works for me with pitch shots. In fact, I feel more comfortable from 40-70 yards than I do right off the green right now. It doesn't work well for me greenside because it seems to bring too many opportunities to fail into the picture. I'm going to use the putting stroke method and just work on clean contact every time.

 

[Buckjob]

Don't keep your hands forward like everyone will tell you to. Sway your hands, move your hips, do it exactly like you would a full swing just 1/4 the size. Works so much better for me.

i feel the exact opposite about this.... forward press on my chips and not swaying my hands has made my chips so much more consistent this year and i couldn't be happier with my short game.

 

[VA. Vince]

I am lucky enough to have an indoor range a few hundred yards behind the site I am on (for another year) so I can go there after work. Also have a heated outdoor driving range close to my house where I plan on taking lessons, just not sure if I am going to do weekly or bi-weekly. Debating the plane finder to practice with in the house?

 

[thedue]

Ton's of great info already, thanks for the replies so far. I'm not blessed with gym equipment to do any heavy weight work, but weight stretching is more along the line of what I would guess my workout consists of. My diet changed about a year ago to a pretty balanced amount of growth and energy, I was always very skinny, lol, but that is being scaled back right now as well and I'm a bit unsure how that will effect my goals.

 

[KellyBo]

I have started stretching every day to increase my flexibility. I'm also trying to shed about 15-20 lbs through exercise and diet. I know my game will not improve much if I don't get in better shape. I've seen what it has done for Ole Gray's game. He's been working out for a year now and his flexibility and strength is really good.

As for golf, I'm trying something new this winter. I talked to my instructor who has a lot more free time in the winter than warmer months. He has worked out a wonderful package deal with me this winter and I will be getting weekly lessons with him for three months. He said it will give me the chance to be consistent and keep me on point instead of having my mind running all over the place. He knows me all too well. He says our goal is to get me to a single digit handicap. We'll see!!!! I feel stuck where I'm at right now. Maybe this will be the push I need.

 

[INgolfer]

I bought the Phil Mickelson DVD last winter and it did wonders for my short game, other than bunker play. I can't really practice bunker shots because my courses bunkers are like concrete. I am looking at joining a different course next year, and the bunkers are much better and the greens are much faster. It should really help me improve my short game.

 

[VA. Vince]

i feel the exact opposite about this.... forward press on my chips and not swaying my hands has made my chips so much more consistent this year and i couldn't be happier with my short game.

^^^^This^^^^ My arms work the same as my putting stroke

 

[dhjkelly]

Great thread Due and your plan sounds great! I also have a big plan for the winter, so I'll share mine as well.

First off, like you, I plan on improving my flexibility. Stretching doesn't take long, so I am going to stretch when I wake up in the morning and before I go to sleep at night. I plan on stretching my whole body, but I want to focus on my legs and my midsection. I will also work with my arms and shoulders, but not as much as the other areas.

Next, I will be working out after school 4 days a week, and running/biking/some sort of cardio for 2 days a week. I am in pretty decent shape, but I want to get stronger. I will be doing area-focused workouts in two different sets. One on Monday and Thursday, and the other on Tuesday and Friday. I will be doing cardio on Wednesday and Saturday. One of the sets will be back and legs, and the other will be upper body and midsection. Hopefully that will help me with all areas of my body throughout the winter.

WOW sounds like you have a great plan for the winter. Just one thing if you do your back on tueasday and upper body on wednesday be careful because paying to much attention to working out your back will cause your shoulders to round back bringing your shoulder blades tighter together. All well and good if thats what you are trying to do but be careful if its not

 

[Damaikis]

Don't keep your hands forward like everyone will tell you to. Sway your hands, move your hips, do it exactly like you would a full swing just 1/4 the size. Works so much better for me.

I do not agree with this. Open your stance a bit, forward press the club, and make a putting stroke. Do not flip your wrists or sway your hips, it makes distance control miles harder

 

[Hanks]

I wish man but it feels so long ago that I had a decent round to talk about. Health and bad weather has prevented me from playing and practicing as much as I usually do and it's all caught up to me. Always feel like I'm shaking off rust each time I hit and I get more and more frustrated

Good luck to all of you and thanks for the input. Lessons here are pretty much out because we have no place close that gives them and with snow on the ground at some point it will all be indoor work.

Hanks, I can't help but think your swing is really close after seeing those vids. Hope you get it worked out soon.

 

[Damaikis]

WOW sounds like you have a great plan for the winter. Just one thing if you do your back on tueasday and upper body on wednesday be careful because paying to much attention to working out your back will cause your shoulders to round back bringing your shoulder blades tighter together. All well and good if thats what you are trying to do but be careful if its not

Thanks for the caution. I did this same lifting routine last winter and it worked out fine, so I'm not too worried. Thanks again though.

 

[thedue]

For me its gym gym gym gym gym working on strength and cardio. Working in a health club means i have everything at my disposal which is great. Currently i'm doing a 5 day gym program that plans out like this:
Day 1 Legs strength training
Day 2 Upper body strength training and core
Day 3 Cardio
Break from the gym to go the range and work on a few things
Day 4 Legs heavy session
Day 5 Upper body heavy session
Then some swimming to keep me loose nothing major
And finally a day off every week.

i know it seems like a lot but its pretty easy for me because i can use my lunch break to go to the gym or pool.

I would love to have access to the kind of equipment you and Damaikis have, but that's not the case. Simple hand weights and possibly a set of band and/or large ball will have to get me through. Your work outs sound great though.