No matter how wet, cold or dark it gets, engage with the game in the coming months – you’ll feel a lot better for it
The wintertime really drags if you’re not getting out to play, doesn’t it? In November I spent five consecutive days without visiting a golf club or driving range, or even talking about golf to another human being. In those five days I learned something – I bloody love golf and I get a hell of a lot from being involved in the game.
The appalling weather recently hasn’t made it easy, but there is so much to enjoy about the game and being around other golfers. Playing is the best fix, but practising on the range or in a studio, particularly with a couple of mates and using technology like Toptracer or TrackMan, is a great alternative when it’s wet, cold and/or dark.
There’s so much to enjoy from engaging with the game. Of course, golf is a big part of my job, but it’s also a huge part of my life. While we haven’t been playing nearly as much as normal, I’ve met up with my golfing friends at the driving range; to watch the football; to have a coffee or go out for a drink. That social interaction, built around a shared love of the game, is what’s so special about golf – whether we’re playing it or not.
It may be wet and cold out there, but there’s still nothing better than engaging with the game
There’s also the personal time to enjoy the game. I’ve always enjoyed practising, so going to the range is easy for me, and that time spent listening to a podcast, working on some drills from my coach or just playing a course on the screen, is genuinely fun – even when it is freezing cold.
Given the lack of time on the course recently – I can count the rounds I’ve played on one hand since the last edition, which is probably the least I’ve played in a two-month window in more than a decade – engaging with the game and other golfers is really important.
So, while it already feels like it has been a long winter, don’t let it get you down. Get out on the course whenever you can and don’t take it too seriously. Hit the range, either to work on your game or just for fun. Pop down to the clubhouse or pro shop for a coffee, to watch the football, or enjoy an hour or two reading a copy of Northern Golfer. It may be wet and cold out there, but there’s still nothing better than engaging with the game, however you do it.
