10 Ways To Get Better At Golf This Winter... Without Going Outside

1) Book some lessons

If you genuinely want to make some improvements then book a series of lessons with a PGA Professional now. A good majority of professionals now have an indoor facility and can teach all year round. Don't wait until the weather picks up in March or when other golfing mates are showing interest in playing again because The Masters is on TV. Take some lessons now and begin to see the benefits of them when the leaves start reappearing on the trees. Nothing stirs our interest more than hitting better shots and overcoming all those deficiencies that have been part of our golf for the past handful of years. Book a collection of indoor lessons to give yourself a chance of making some real improvements.

2) Play more indoor golf

Indoor golf is becoming more and more popular which is fantastic for an upturn in new golfers getting into the game and for established golfers to play more golf. Take advantage of them to keep hitting balls and having some fun. Golf simulators are so interactive these days that there is no real excuse to stop playing if you are a keen golfer. There is the opportunity for some cutting-edge practice, access to many of the world's best courses, games for all skill levels and real-time data. And it's all sociable so you'll be doing it with friends which makes it more likely that more of you will tee it up outdoors when the weather improves.

3) Refuel better

There is never a better chance to lose a bit of weight or cut down on the drinking than January. What other month is synonymous with being dry than the first one of the year? The gyms are busier than ever and more of us spend far more time than usual looking up ‘healthy options’ before things head south in the months to come. See this as a good thing for your golf and try and shed some weight. Many of us are ‘golf fit’ by the middle of the year as we’ve tucked a load of rounds under our belts but we can struggle at the start after some time away from the course. Why not make it a bit easier for yourself while everyone else is cutting down a bit?

4) Stretch more

How flexible are you? Does your body work properly? This is probably the easiest way from the comfort of your own home and yet many of us can’t find 10 minutes in a day to do some very simple stretching. There is no shortage of online help, a lot of them selling quick bursts of exercise, but we still don’t help ourselves. It can be as easy as doing something every time you put the kettle on. Just start doing something to start helping yourself and your golf will benefit from it. If you miss a day, it doesn’t matter. Nobody will know or care, start again the next day.

5) Educate yourself

Keep your interest in the game by involving yourself in the game even though the days are short and golf seems a long way away. There are endless books and films that are entertaining or informative so set yourself the goal to educate yourself in some way. The obvious ones, such as Bob Rotella, will crop up first but there are so many brilliant books to get yourself thinking better out on the course. If you do want to truly stimulate your golfing brain then this is a brilliant way to kick off the year.

6) Open your ears

Similarly audiobooks/podcasts are a great way to take in a huge chunk of knowledge even though your time is limited. Why not tick off a Rotella while in the car? Where many of us excel these days is our ability to be attached to our phones so put them to some good use by filling your mind with what it is capable of as opposed to getting in the way over a shot.

7) Keep putting

There’s a good stat that someone shooting in the 90s will hole something like 20 per cent of a 10-foot putt while a tour pro will knock in twice as many. This tells us that a lot of us don’t hole enough putts and also that tour pros don’t hole as many as we think. Putting takes up approximately 45 per cent of your shots and we face a lot of putts of this length and in. A great way to improve is to practise putts of this length. It might as simple as putting into a glass, ideally you will invest in a putting mat to give yourself some more feedback. Many of us don’t enjoy putting because we don’t hole enough putts but also we don’t like our own putting strokes. This is the perfect time to build yourself, ideally with the help of a Pro, a better stroke.

8) Make some goals

We hear a lot about how the tour pros set themselves goals for the year ahead. Justin Thomas is a great one for revealing all, others like to keep their cards closer to their chests. There is the obvious danger that any goal setting will go by the wayside by April but, by writing them down, it will give you half a chance of focusing on them. A good idea is to split them up into process and outcome goals so how you’re going to go about it eg play six rounds a month, practise chipping once a week and what you want to achieve eg break 80, win a board comp. Ideally it would just be to have more fun but maybe that’s too romantic.

9) Book a golf trip

We should also have some fun in trying to improve. Many of us might put the absolute minimal effort into buying a new dishwasher but, give us a golf trip to get stuck into, and we’ll leave no stone unturned. Messages in their hundreds will be exchanged, hole-by-hole videos devoured and mental notes of what we might wear at each course taken as we look forward to the greatest few days on the 2025 calendar. If you really want to whet your appetite then pencil in one three-nighter, one two-nighter and one overnighter to give yourself the chance to spread your golfing wings and set your imagination off.

It’s great, isn’t it? Your brain is already cramming in 54 holes somewhere cool a three-hour driver away.

10) See more proper golfing friends

Draw up another list but this time make it your 10 favourite golfing pals. You needn’t show this to anyone or reveal all at the end of the year but quietly tick off at least one round with each of them. Golf is like no other sport for presenting four hours in the sunshine followed by more time before or after with a drink or some nice food. There are no phones, or at least a lot less screen time, and proper conversations can be had. It really doesn’t matter how you play, you’ll get more out of these rounds than others during the year (and generally you will play better as it isn’t really about the golf).