The winter break is the greatest obstacle to getting better. Motor memory does not vanish, but precision does — after four months without a club it takes roughly six weeks to get back to where you were. Anyone who practises anything over winter does not start from zero in April.
Putting gives the best return for the effort. A thirty-euro mat, fifteen minutes a day, and by March you have a stroke you did not have in October. Do not watch whether the ball drops; watch whether the path repeats. Set two tees two centimetres wider than the putter head and stroke between them.
Second comes chipping onto the carpet. A wedge, a foam ball and a basket in the far corner is the whole set-up. You are training contact and distance control, which are the first skills to disappear over winter. A foam ball will not harm the lamp or the marriage.
Strength and mobility matter more than anyone admits. Thoracic rotation is limited in most players over forty, and it is thoracic rotation that sets the length of your backswing. Ten minutes of mobility work three times a week in January is worth a genuine 3 to 5 mph of clubhead speed by April — we have measured it on our own customers.
If you use an indoor bay, do not simply hit balls. An hour on a simulator costs €30 to €45 and most people spend it hunting a long drive. Far better: twenty 7-irons aiming to finish within three metres of the flag, watching the dispersion. The numbers tell you more than the feel does.
Winter equipment work: November is the ideal month for regripping and a loft and lie check. Nobody has time in season, and by March our workshop is booked three weeks out. Clean the clubs properly too, and store them in a heated room rather than a garage.
One more thing: winter is the right time to book a fitting. We have slots free, more time per customer, and custom clubs take two to four weeks to arrive, so you play with them from your first round in April. In May the diary is full and the wait is longer.
