Are you ready to play golf?
Without getting too perfectionistic, are you really ready to play golf this year?
- Are you fit enough to avoid injury?
- Do you have the right equipment and accessories to make your golf season a real pleasure?
- Will your golf swing and short game help you bring home a scorecard to be proud of?
- Are you taking regular golf lessons to review the basics, starting with a good grip on the handle?
When in doubt, you’d better heed the advice of the late Joe Wooden, considered the best college basketball coach of the 20th century in the United States: “I you fail to prepare, you preparee to fail.” Bet you don’t want to fail, right?
Four keys to getting ready to play golf
1- Physical preparation for golf
Get fit to perform better and avoid injury, do regular exercises that improve flexibility, strength, balance and cardiovascular fitness, such as aerobics, yoga, tai chi or qi gong. This way, you will be more physically ready to play golf.
2- Essential equipment and accessories
- Have newer golf clubs, as older clubs are harder to swing because they are heavier.
- Have your handles (grips) replaced at least once a year, otherwise they become hard and slippery and force you to have a tense swing that lacks fluidity.
- For the same reasons, throw away your old gloves and buy new ones.
- Buy balls with the right hardness for the speed of your swing:
- Ladies balls for beginner and intermediate golfers,
- Men’s balls for most men and experienced women golfers,
- Balls that “bite” more on the greens, like the ProV1x, for advanced golfers.
- For a fraction of the price of new balls, recycled balls do the job very well, I assure you.
- Good golf shoes or, failing that, good athletic shoes will give you more grip on the ground.
3- Useful accessories
- Don’t forget a golf umbrella, some golf towels and additional gloves for rainy days.
- Good sunglasses make it easier to read the greens.
- Do you have a sand wedge ± 56° and a lob wedge 60° or 64°? Rarely standard, these two clubs will allow you to save many shots around the greens.
4- Technical Preparation
Improve your short game (shots of 100 yards and under). Sign up for every possible clinic on the subject and take classes: putt, chip, pitch, lob, green bunkers, fairway bunkers, etc., because the short game is where you score.
In other words, if you prepare before you hit the golf course, you will triple your enjoyment.
