How To Shake Off The Dreaded Winter Rust
- Updated: March 26, 2022
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The past few months especially in Colorado where I live, there has been zero golf due to weather. As a golfer, it feels like Hell literally froze over!
Every time the golf courses were almost free of the snow, ice, and frozen tundra; it would just unleash hell all over again bringing more winter glory.
As a golfer, this is very depressing and the weather has been toying with my emotions! One day it would almost be nice enough to play and then wham another snowstorm!
Thankfully it looks as though winter is over. The sun is out and below zero temperatures are hopefully gone for good until November! It’s time for me to dust off the clubs and begin shaking off this winter rust.
As a golfer and instructor, I see my students regress when they have a long forced break in their practice and playing routines.
I want to help fellow golfers with some tricks to shake off the winter rust and get back to good scoring.
Appreciate the time off!
The psychology of a forced break can be detrimental to a golfer, especially if negative thoughts are allowed to creep into their mind.
Most golfers think because they have to stop practicing and playing, they will automatically suck when they play again.
I have found this thought process to be completely false and be driven by fear! If you have this thought, completely ignore it.
Have you ever skipped a proper warm-up routine and teed it up with your golf buddies anyway?
Some of the best rounds I’ve ever had have come from situations where I’m not fully warmed up!
This is because my expectations are lowered. I’m simply trying to make contact and enjoy the round instead of feeling pressure to score well.
In other words, I drop back to the simple basics of golf:
I clear all thoughts out of my mind and focus on the target and swinging freely to that target. That’s it.
I have played and practiced for hours, days, and years of my life. Sometimes I just have to remember the basics and lower the expectations of playing well.
BREAKING NEWS: When I do this I score so much better!
So, if you’ve been stuck inside this winter…
Remember it’s not the end of the world for your golf game. You have practiced for years and it will stay with you.
This is a time to reset and focus on the basic fundamentals and get rid of all expectations.
This is an opportunity to start with a clean slate. Use it to your advantage. Be excited to play again! If you happen to play bad, who cares?!?! It could still be a frozen tundra outside!
I recommend that your first round out:
- Don’t over-prepare.
- Don’t hit golf balls.
- Don’t even putt before your round.
This is a chance to see where you need to focus on your game to get back into shape.
99% of the time a golfer will get caught up in their full swing performance and long game before they tee it up.
I’m willing to bet that if you step on the first tee and take a rip sans practice, you’ll find your full swing is still there. Or it’ll be at least pretty close to being where it needs to be!
Don’t focus on ball striking or any mechanical thoughts during your first few rounds of the season! This is a total waste of energy and time.
The Scoring Zone
If we take an honest inventory to see where we need to improve, it’ll be 100 yards and into the hole. This is what I call a scoring zone.
I can guarantee your first round will feature some rusty putting, mediocre chipping and pitching, and hitting knockdown and half shots are almost nonexistent.
For the first three rounds just focus on these two questions:
- How many shots did you take in total within 100 yards?
- How many shots did you take outside 100 yards?
The answer will be astonishing and hopefully eye-opening especially if you start with zero expectations and have a fresh slate.
Hopefully, you realize that spending hours and hours on a perfectly flat practice tee pounding full swing shots will not shake off the winter rust.
This time and energy can be better spent 100 yards and in if you wish to get back to constant scoring, take notes during your rounds, for example:
- Did you putt well?
- How was your chipping from off the green?
- Were you able to control your distances (pitching and half swings?)
This is your time to shine and focus on improving your scoring ability. Instead of going to the driving range, use that time to practice your weaker scoring abilities… you will thank me later I promise!
Yes, flushed 4 iron shots are a thing of beauty, but it’s much more fun to hole wedge shots from off the green.
Good luck and let me know how it goes. Tell me about your rounds and I can give you some drills or insight to help shake off the winter rust. Comment below! Hope to hear from you soon.
– One Putt Chuck –
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