One of the biggest challenges golfers face is the yearly requirement to keep their game in shape during the winter months, and especially the holidays.
There are many things that you can do to help maintain your golf game during a lay-off that doesn´t mean regular visits to the local range or golf course.
It is often a case that golfers lose their flexibility during a break so the absolute best thing to maintain your golf game is to keep stretching daily. You need to focus on the golfing muscles so try to stretch the large muscles in your back, your quadriceps, calves, hamstrings and your triceps and biceps.
Have a chat with your doctor or your health care specialist to find the best stretches for you to perform daily, the beauty of maintaining your flexibility is that it helps you throughout your whole life and not just your golf game.
I would highly recommend stretching your adductor and abductor muscles as well, this will help with your rotation and keep you nice and supple for when you do return to the golf course.
Stretching should be done carefully to avoid pulling or straining muscles, so always do them in a warm environment and when you are sufficiently warmed up.
Another idea is to take a few minutes each day to make some practice swings in the back yard, this is quite simple but it is something that very few people do it, especially when you do not have the chance to hit balls at the same time. However, practicing your swing without golf balls is an extremely good way to hone your golf swing. You can practice your swing and improve your technique without the added pressure of watching and obsessing over where the ball goes and how it gets there. Instead you just simply concentrate on your swing and making the necessary changes to make it better.
As all golfers know, the first area of your game to really suffer from a prolonged break is the short game, clever golfers also know that this is the easiest area of the game to practice at home as it requires very little space.
If you do not have carpeted floors invest in a putting at that will keep your touch on the greens going. If you have a carpeted floor then you are laughing, as you can practice on the living room carpet.
Use your walls as an indicator for distance control, try to roll balls just up to the skirting boards, do not hit them though as you will be in trouble later!
My favourite on carpet practice exercise is the 1 penny coin, throw it down and putt ten balls in a row right over the centre of it. Keep going until you can do three sets of 10 in a row. You will be amazed how big the cup will look when you go back on to the course.