“Hey, I’m over here.”
“Did you hear something?”
“No, did you?”
“IT’S ME, YOUR GOLF BAG. I’M RIGHT HERE. USE ME.”
“What the…”
Happy Monday, young adult golfers.
We come bearing good news: The weather around the country is improving. Slowly, but steadily, the short days of winter and growing in length and the big orange ball is starting to do its part melting snow.
And, we all know what that means.
The beginning of golf season is coming soon.
If you are competing in the NCCGA Spring season, your season is beginning sooner than most. The club golf season officially kicks off this upcoming weekend in the Southwest Region, where the 10 teams in Southern California look to tame Sterling Hills Golf Club.
For the rest of us, it is a waiting game for at least a couple more weeks but NOW is the time to grab your bag and hit the range to shake off some rust.
Here are five quick tips to make sure when you hit that range for the first time, you aren’t hacking up the tee box and sending balls left and right:
- Build up stamina – Don’t go out the first time and bang out 200 balls. You are in your 20’s now and your body will not like you very much when you are done.
- Focus on each step of your swing – Split your first bucket (say 60 balls) into six sections. Focus on a different part of your swing every 10 balls starting with the takeaway, the top of the backswing, the downswing, the contact point, the follow through and then take 10 full hacks at the end. Your swing needs the fine-tuning.
- Don’t forget to putt – We all know the short stick gives you the biggest headache in the dog days of summer. Finding your rhythm can prove crucial in shaving a couple strokes off your score in Regional Tournament play.
- Take a trip to the beach – With the unusually cold weather all around the nation, the last part of the golf course to recover (depending on where you play) is probably the traps. Grab your shovel and pale and make sure to carve a couple balls out of the sand and onto the short grass.
- Record your swing – Having one of your club golf teammates record your swing can pay big dividends. Use an app to analyze your swing plane and make sure you are making all the right moves and getting in the right spots.
Take the advice as you will. I leave you with a quote from season two of the Netflix original House of Cards that can also apply to NCCGA Regional Tournaments around the nation… “Hunt or be hunted.”
David Uhrmacher is the NCCGA Director of Communications. He can reached via email at BlogNCCGA@gmail.com or on Twitter, @DaveUhrm.
