If you have not got it by now then there is always next year.
I personally do not look at it this way but some of you might.
In golf there is always tomorrow. But as we near the end of the golf season the courses will soon close their doors, there will soon be no tomorrow.
The only thing many of us will have to look forward to will be next year.
Of course, now that the golf season is slowly coming to an end, other activities will begin to occupy your time.
Some will dive into the winter schedules of their children’s sporting activities, others will become weekend warriors cheering for their favourite sports teams, while still others will simply hibernate — attempting to stay warm while wishing the cold months to disappear.
Not so quick, the golf season is not over yet!
We have had an incredible run of sunny days for well over a month now. As a matter of fact, I do not remember in recent years a summer being this nice.
It does not appear to be over yet as the forecast is for at least another two weeks of average temperatures and sunny days.
Therefore the season is far from being over.
Over the past four months I have written articles that have covered many different topics.
The attempt this season was to discuss and point out various swing flaws and the likely cause of those flaws.
Some of these included the hip sway and slide, early extension and the dreaded chicken wing, to name a few.
Of course, not all golfers suffer from each and every one of these swing flaws, but most players can call at least one of them his/her own.
In other words, we all have swing flaws and understanding what those swing flaws are is the first step to eliminating them.
This of course is where golf lessons come into play.
Most of us need a trained eye to assist in understanding what our swing flaws are, how to fix them and — of course — in what order they need to be repaired.
Identifying the swing flaw is only the first step; developing the sequential motion of the swing in an systematic order becomes extremely critical to improved ball contact and can not be underestimated.
Educating yourself is the first step to improving your golf game. You get out of it what you put into it. That says it all.
As a matter of fact, I believe if you check your memory banks, you were likely told that by your parents many years ago and are likely telling your children that as we speak.
You can take what you want out of life and golf is no different. In other words, if you believe you can, you will!
Golf is a unique and intriguing game. In many ways it is no different than the game of life.
If you believe in yourself, have visions, set goals, educate yourself and are willing to work for it and of course never lose faith, then you will achieve all the success that you had ever hoped for.
Golf knows no boundaries and you can achieve whatever it is you set your mind to do.
I guess this is why golf is such an attractive game.
No matter what your age, your gender, physical ability and or even your physical limitations, you can achieve the goals you set for yourself. You just have to work hard to succeed.
Having said that, the winter months are coming up and your clubs will be going in the closet until next year. Believe it or not, the off-season is the best time to spend working on your game. How so you ask?
First of all, there are many things that you can do to improve your playability without even hitting a golf ball.
The first step is to understand what your body can and can not do.
This can come in the form of a physical assessment of your body’s physical limitations.
This program called the TPI program completes a full physical assessment of your body’s muscular and skeletal system which isolates specific muscles and joints that have strength, flexibility and mobility restrictions.
From here a specific six-week exercise program is designed that works specifically on developing these areas of concern.
The best part of this program is it is designed specifically to develop the areas of the body that cause most of the swing flaws.
Living in Alberta during the winter months does have some drawbacks if you are so inclined to hit balls.
Therefore, one does have to be a little creative when it comes to developing their golf swings over the winter months.
Static swing drills is another good way to make changes to your swing and make it more efficient.
There are many different swing drills that one can perform indoors that do not involve swinging a golf club or even hitting a golf ball.
Performing these drills is best done in front of a full-length mirror so that you can watch yourself while performing the movement.
The visual feedback that you receive standing in front of a mirror goes a long way to assisting you in making the necessary changes to improved motion.
There are a few locations in town that you can hit balls indoors if you have that need to make contact over the winter months.
Searching them out and spending some time working on your swing (assuming you are working on the areas that need to be improved) can go a long way towards developing your swing.
Finally, there are even some indoor programs that you can be involved in that are designed to assist the development of your swing motion.
These are generally designed to give you drills that make your swing motion more efficient.
It is amazing how quickly a player’s golf swing becomes more efficient without even hitting a golf ball. These programs generally run for four to six weeks and are a great way to assist in the preparation for the upcoming golf season.
Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
If you truly want to improve your golf game then you must start making some changes.
Those changes do not have to wait for next year, they can start right away. Align yourself with a good CPGA instructor and discuss designing a plan over the winter months that will assist you in achieving your goals.
Working hard over the winter months will allow you to hit the 2012 golf season running.
Have a great winter and I look forward to seeing you next year.
Scott Bergdahl is the head professional at Lakewood Golf Resort near Sylvan Lake.