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What skill do you lose most in the "offseason?"

gmiller598

gmiller598

Par 3 Net Zero
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I try not to but for the last 2 winters here in Ohio I've ended up not swinging my clubs for 2-3 months. I'm just now getting out of the winter slumber once our last snow just melted and I see the light at the end of tunnel for Spring coming.

In my first range sessions my irons weren't too bad. Chipping was a bit rusty but is starting to come around. However, my driver swing has been atrocious. Everything is out of whack. I ended up watching a youtube video to remind myself of what I forgot over the winter. Still time to get things rolling before I get back on a course but does everyone have one particular skill set that just goes away completely after a layoff?
 
Driver swing. Just got outside for the first time in close to five months and my driver swing was as close to a mess as it could be. It sucks because I worked all winter on a sim but it's completely different outside and it will take a time or two to get my groove back. Good thing I'm back at it tomorrow!
 
I cannot hit a driver inside. Can. Not. Do. It.

Crowned my 3 year old (gasp) driver last Trackman 4 session. Freaking tee height with badminton looking tees? It was 100% pristine prior. I still haven’t had the balls to see how bad it is. Even took a pic of its shaft today. Still didn’t look at the crown. Can’t. I hurt baby and I shouldn’t have. Waaaaa!

If it’s any club off the deck it’s the same as hitting outside, no issues. Can’t get the stupid tee right with driver. I usually error short. I thought I had until I hit a drive that went 152.6 carry and 152.2 total with 10.5k spin. Half the damn ball was still between the CNC face and the crown. I’ll live with the occasional top, please don’t let that ever happen again golf gods.
 
Chipping and all the partial wedge shots take the longest to get back in the spring. My ball striking on full shots doesn’t suffer much over the winter.
 
That’s assuming there was ‘skill’ to lose in the first place...😜
I’d have to say short game
 
I lose the ability to get my hands in front of the ball and it’s a real killer. Something about hitting in a dome messes up my swing. It’s 100% mental but I can never overcome it
 
Short game. My touch goes away quickly if I don’t keep it up, it’s easily my most perishable skill.
 
First thing I lose when I take to long of a break from the game is my full swing tempo, and timing.

The longer Im away from the game, the longer it takes to get those two swing parts back.

To help with this, I watch, and mimic a Tiger Woods warm up video on You Tube. His warm up swings are quite helpful as far as his body movements go.
 
tahoebum said:
Chipping and all the partial wedge shots take the longest to get back in the spring.
Click to expand...
^^

As soon as I read the thread title there was only one word in my head - WEDGES
 
Short game goes first on any break. It seems like the short game is always like "Crap, did I ever know how to do this right?"
 
Chipping and half wedges are the last to feel normal for me in the spring.
 
All of it. :p

Actually, I just lose my edge slightly with some bad ball strikes and it takes a bit to get it back. I think my aim suffers some. I practice as much as possible in the off season and that helps, but nothing like the real thing. Some winters that are mild I still play but this past winter I could not play much as the weather was horrendous here.

Went out yesterday and was some good hits and some really bad hits, yet I kind of expected that. It was more of a "get back into it" game and I did not set high expectations on it. Only got one par, had two penalties :mad: and a triple on a Par 3 that completely ruined what would have been a fairly decent game for an after winter ice breaker. Putting was better than I had expected which was nice.
 
Feel shots like chipping, putting, half wedge, etc. It only takes a few minutes on the range to get my full swings back to mediocre. The short game needs some rhythm and takes me a few rounds.
 
tahoebum said:
Chipping and all the partial wedge shots take the longest to get back in the spring. My ball striking on full shots doesn’t suffer much over the winter.
Click to expand...

Same. The touch/partial shots are usually the last thing to come back.
 
Short game for sure. Full swing takes a few range sessions and putting can be done in the house but those touch shots require practice so they are the first to go
 
This year it was everything :LOL:

Most times it’s touch. Takes me a solid month or so to get things cleaned back up.
 
I’m surprised no one has said putting!

For me tbf it is short game. Chips and pitches are all over the place for a few weeks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Feel around the greens.
 
tahoebum said:
Chipping and all the partial wedge shots take the longest to get back in the spring. My ball striking on full shots doesn’t suffer much over the winter.
Click to expand...

This is the same for me. My short game feel hurts early on!
 
Although I get to play year 'round, I still consider the months from mid-November to about April 1 as "off season". For me, the part of the game I seem to lose this time of year is my short game, chipping and putting. With no growth, lies around the green in the fairway and aprons tend to be tight, and with little warmth they also tend to be damp. I just have the hardest time chipping in those conditions. Then with putting, with no growth and being somewhat soft the greens aren't smooth and it is difficult to get the ball to hold the line. Putts that should break don't and vice versa.
 
Falling back as a result of winter has less to do with swinging a club than it is just not playing. I practice all winter and I'm not sure it does anything positive with the full swing in regards to starting off the new season. I sometimes think the only thing that helps me improve is more playing time on an actual course.

While hitting off a mat and into the net is more enjoyable and maybe keeps me in better golf shape than doing nothing golf related, it's far from the real thing. Those skills are what I lose the most.
 
What's an off season?
 
For me it is definitely touch shots/short game. I would say shots inside of 40 yards. My full swing and putting usually comes through the winter pretty well.
 
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