• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Practical Golf

Golf Tips Made Simple

  • Home
  • Deals
  • Content
    • Physical
    • Mental
    • Reviews
    • Videos
    • Practice Games
  • Practical Golf
  • Insider Access
    • Videos
    • Practice Games
    • eBooks
    • Interviews
    • Contributors
  • Forum
  • Contact
golf tips
Big news!
My new book, The Four Foundations of Golf, is now available on Amazon ➡

5 Ways to Have a Productive Golf Offseason

golf offseason

With the golf offseason approaching, I wanted to give you some ideas on what you can do to make your time productive, and make positive changes to your game.

1) Look Back, and Look Ahead

If you are serious about improving as a golfer you need to make an honest evaluation of your game, and then set measurable (and realistic) goals. One of the best times to do this is at the end of your golfing season.

Think back to your year and think about what was holding your game back. Was it three putting? Errant tee shots? Poor wedge play?

Or it could be mental mistakes, or perhaps even losing your temper too much on the course (we’ve all been there before).

Using stats is a great way to make this evaluation as well. Once you’ve picked a few things that you absolutely need to work on, make your short list and set measurable goals for the next year.

Keep that list handy, and focus on it exclusively so you know what you should be practicing, or changing in your game.

2) Prevent Your Swing from Hibernating

For those of us who live in cold weather climates, our golf season doesn’t get started until March/April and then it can end as early as November. That leaves about 7-8 months of playing time.

If you’re not doing anything to work on your swing during the winter than you might end up spending the first 2-3 months of the golf season just trying to get back into the swing of things (sorry, had to make that pun).

So what can you do to prevent your swing from going dormant over the winter? For many golfers who have access to a heated driving range it would make sense to go there.

If you have room in your house to set up a driving net, you can certainly hit balls all winter. However, for some players that might not be reasonable.

My recommendation is to use a training aid like the Orange Whip. I’ve written about it before in several articles, but I can’t think of a better product that any golfer can use in the comfort of their own home to continually groove their swing. Swinging the Whip for as little as 5-10 minutes a day will not only keep your golfing muscles fresh, but it will also help you find a smooth, rhythmic swing that eludes many players.

I can tell you from personal experience, this is one way to make sure your swing is ready for the Spring.

3) Evaluate Your Equipment 

Golfers tend to just buy new clubs for the sake of buying new clubs. This is a mistake for a number of reasons.

If you are thinking about getting a new set of irons, driver, or wedges the best thing to do is to see a knowledgeable club fitter who can evaluate your current equipment. They can accurately test if any of the newer clubs on the market can provide you with a performance upgrade.

You may find out that your current set of irons is performing just fine, but you might need to adjust your lie angle. The offseason is a great time to do this because you’ll have a few months to hit your clubs on the range and get used to them before the season starts up again.

Be sure to get a real benchmark test with a professional using a launch monitor like Foresight, Flightscope, or Trackman before you make any changes. Many times your current equipment might be fine, and you can save yourself some money.

4) Learn

The off-season is a great time to brush up on your golfing knowledge. Books are one of my favorite tools to learn because they can help change your perspective as a golfer.

Check out our list of 10 recommended books for all golfers. These will keep you busy for most of the winter.

Additionally, we have created a great library of drills, practice games, eBooks, and interviews for our Insider members.

5) Get Away

Terrible winters can make obsessive golfers feel a bit fidgety.

Why not plan a trip for the absolute dead of winter to give you something to look forward to? There are plenty of destinations to choose from. Check out this article for some ideas of where to go.

Do Something!

The point is, you have to do SOMETHING. If you put the clubs away for 4 months, and don’t think about golf then you should not expect to come firing out of the gates when the grass starts turning green.

You can get a lot accomplished in the late fall and winter for your golf game if you set a few goals for yourself.

Want to Get Exclusive Discounts on Some of the Top Golf Products?

Check out our deals for Practical Golf readers!

SEE THE DEALS

About the Author

Jon Sherman is the owner of Practical Golf, a website dedicated to being an honest resource for the everyday golfer who is looking to enjoy the game more, as well as improve. He is the author of the bestselling book 101 Mistakes All Golfers Make (and how to fix them). You can find him on Twitter here - @practicalgolf, where he is happy to chat about golf with anyone.

More Practical Golf Articles:

The Best Golf Swing Analyzers on the Market Right Now

How to Hit Your Driver 20 Yards Farther (Seriously)

Pre-Shot Routine

golf ball spin

Real Talk on Golf Ball Spin: Let’s Not Go Down the Rabbit Hole

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Scott says

    January 4, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    I like that you suggest to think about what you did good and what you could improve on for the next year. I can see why this would help you make plans and set goals on how to improve. For me, the biggest problem I had was three putting par 4’s and 5’s. I definitely need to set the goal of improving the quality of putting far away and right next to the hole.

    Reply
    • Jon says

      January 6, 2017 at 12:47 pm

      Specific, measurable goals are key!

      Reply
  2. Justin Harper says

    March 24, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    On the offseason I go to my local indoor driving range. It’s really helped me to keep my swing on point when the courses just aren’t available to be used in the winter (especially since I live in South Dakota). Thanks for these 5 great tips – I’ll be sure to implement them in the future. There’s definite value in what you’ve shared here!

    Best regards,
    – the Golf Best Price team

    Reply
  3. Micheal Carberry says

    November 5, 2017 at 7:45 pm

    Great Stuff. To be honest i was expecting the same from you guys. Keep on doing the best work. Cheers

    Reply
  4. john bella says

    January 6, 2018 at 9:24 pm

    glad to see this keep sharing good stuff

    Reply
  5. saleena john says

    February 3, 2018 at 6:18 pm

    keep it up guys you are doing really good job i am also working on golf http://www.bestgolfironreview.com/ suggest me some for my website

    Reply
  6. john says

    August 25, 2019 at 1:21 pm

    helpful tips i seen first time in your blog

    Reply
  7. Ali says

    March 14, 2020 at 6:29 am

    keep it up guys you are doing really good job i am also working on golf

    Reply
  8. epsxe says

    April 1, 2020 at 1:05 pm

    you are doing really good job buddy. i am also working on golf.

    Reply
  9. Drakonx says

    September 18, 2020 at 6:35 am

    On the offseason I go to my local indoor driving range. It’s really helped me to keep my swing on point when the courses just aren’t available to be used in the winter (especially since I live in South Dakota)

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Before Footer

  • Insider Access
  • Account
  • Logout
  • Login

Footer

About The Site

Practical Golf is an honest resource for the everyday golfer who is looking to enjoy the game more, and find ways to improve - Learn More
golf tips

The Book

101 Mistakes All Golfers Make is your complete guide to golf. It will be your reference guide for years to come!

Subscribe To The Newsletter

Join more than 30,000 golfers and receive email updates when new articles post. We'll also send you a free copy of our bestselling eBook on course strategy

Become a Fan On Facebook
Follow Us On Twitter

Copyright © 2023 Practical Golf | Powered by: WP Engine | Built on: The Genesis Framework
Advertise With Us | Privacy Policy | Affiliate Disclosure | Site Design by 3200.PRO

/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Single Post - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /*.logged-in .non-logged-in-ad-block { display:none; } .non-logged-in-ad-block { display:block; position: fixed; right: 0px; top: 250px; } @media only screen and (max-width: 1400px) { .non-logged-in-ad-block { display:none; } } .code-block-2:nth-of-type(even) { display:none !important; } */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Single Post - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */
Practical Golf
  • Home
  • Content
    • Physical
    • Mental
    • Reviews
    • Videos
    • Practice Games
    • Back
  • Deals
  • Forum
  • Insider Access
    • Videos
    • eBooks
    • Interviews
    • Practice Games
    • Back
  • Insider Login
  • Contact