5 Things you Should do to Prepare for Golf Season

The more you practice the better you get.

With just over a month before we go outside to play, here's 5 things I would do to prep for the season.

1st - Practice Wedge Ladders

What the heck is a wedge ladder? Ladder drill refers to working your way up or down the range. The way I tell students to start is at 30 yards and work up to 150 yards. Start short and work longer. You can spend as much time as you want on these yardages but the way I would do it is by hitting 2 shots to each number. 30, then 40, then 50, then 60 and so on. You'll find yardages you're good at and you'll find some you suck at! They key is to only hit a couple shots to each yardage when you're doing the drill, then go back and work on that number after.

The majority of your strokes are taken inside 100 yards, so the more you practice those yardages with simulator feedback, then better you'll play! When you get outdoors you seldom get to know EXACTLY how far the ball goes, so use the simulator data to your advantage!

Start a notes page in your phone, test the yardages from 30-150 and write down the ones you're good at, and bad at. Get to work!

2nd - Focus on Good Contact with Irons

When you hit off matts all winter you can get a little lazy with contact. It happens! Hitting matts are forgiving and if you happen to hit a little behind the ball you usually still hit an ok shot. When you get outside the grass is less forgiving!

Practice hitting the ground in front of the golf ball instead of sweeping it off the turf. We tend to get shallow in the winter so we don't smash the club into the matts. Time to get steep! Work on that low point in the swing and make sure you're making ball first contact followed by the turf.

3rd - Start focusing on picking targets indoors

We tend not to pick targets indoors. The hitting matt lines us up, the screen lines us up.... there isn't a lot of thinking! Yet, when we get outside we focus on the 1/2 inch thick pin and pick that as our target for every swing. Start picking targets indoors. The trees, the clouds... anything you can pick out in front of the ball to get yourself thinking of a target instead of just aim and fire!

4th - Get your clubs loft and lie checked or adjusted

If you haven't had them checked in a long time... it's time. Even if you did it last year and you've been hitting balls all winter, it's time! Hitting balls from matts and outdoors can slowly change the loft/lie of a club. It happens. So it's time to get them checked so you know they are right.

If you have never been fit for the right lie angle then this is the time. It might cost you a lesson fee but you'll get to know what the club needs to be! Perfect example would be a student I had recently who worked so hard to close the club face to stop the slice... the lie angle of his irons was too flat. The toe was digging causing the face to open so he was fighting the club the whole time. Gave him the right lie and BAM.... best shots he had hit in a long time.

Get your lofts and lies checked.

5th - Check you stock of golf balls and take advantage of deals!

No one thinks about golf balls until they book their first tee time of the year and remember they have none. Stock up now! Most companies run a 4 for 3 golf ball deal. Get on it! Save yourself $80! Want some? get in touch with us here at The First Tee, we can help.

On the golf ball note, get a golf ball fitting! Maybe you've been playing. the same ball forever and maybe you haven't. Talk to a pro and make sure you've

got the right golf ball. It's the only piece of equipment you use every shot. It better be right.

There's 5 things you should do to prepare yourself for the upcoming golf season! Most of all, enjoy MASTERS week and clean those clubs. It's going to be a great summer.