Do you get a “forced” couple of months off from the game this time of year? Do you feel a sense of depression knowing that it might be 5 months before you touch your clubs again? Are you planning a vacation already to break up the coming “season of discontent?”

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you and I are in the same boat.

There are some ways to get your golf fix while the weather prevents you from playing. They might not be the same, but they can help pass the time.

So if all you need is the thought of golf and the strategical side of the game to get you through, you can do a couple different things.

First, you can play video games.

I know what you are thinking. “Those are for kids,” but if you have yet to play some of the new golf themed video games, you might just be surprised.

EA sports’ Tiger Woods Golf franchise of games are as close as you are going to get to real strategical golf decisions as you can sitting in your living room in your boxers. Club selection and course management are at a premium as your ability increases and the courses get harder.

If a bit more fun and easy is your cup of tea, there is the always popular “Hot Shots Golf.” This game is a bit more cartoonish, but the game is still golf. The courses are varying in difficulty, the characters have different strengths and weaknesses, and the game is just fun.

Those are games though. How do you keep YOUR game sharp while the snow is piling up?

If you have a golf dome or an indoor range, you are in luck. I do not have access to that kind of facility so I have to find ways to keep golf muscles, and my mind, in peak form.

The first thing I do drives my wife CRAZY!!!!!!!! I set up a chipping course in my living room. I know what you are thinking, “You can’t possibly have enough room in your living room to chip!” Well you are right. I don’t, which is the part that drives her crazy.

I will start at the front door and chip to the front leg of the dining room table. Then I chip from the table to the first stair leading upstairs. It is about 15 yards or so in total distance, but it keeps my reinforces my impact positions and works on my touch when I can’t get out and bang em for real.

So if that is step one to work on my touch and feel, I still need to work on the full swing. I accomplish that using a couple training aides. I prefer the Momentus weighted golf club. They make a short, “inside” version that allows me to swing in the same living room without destroying the ceiling.

If that one does not do the trick, and you have a day that you can get outside and do some swinging in the yard, the Swing Kite is amazing. While it is larger, demanding more space, it is a great swing trainer that provides resistance as you swing. A great way to work on your golf muscles, and groove your swing when you cant get out and play.
Here are a couple ideas for the physical part of the game. Next time we will talk about the mental side and how to keep your mind sharp when the weather tries to turn it to mush.

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