Winter Golf Shape et. al.

[JerBooth]

Wondering what everyone does in the winter to keep their swing, putting stroke, etc. in golf shape while the snow flies.

Winters up in Northern Ontario are snowy and cold. Unfortunately, where I live there are no indoor driving ranges or golf Sims you can go have a couple beers at and go play Pebble Beach or Bethpage with the boys.

Closest fitter to me is 2 hours away so that tells you what I'm up against.

Curious to see what all of you who live north do to stay involved.

[Shankster]

The only thing that kept me sane was the indoor facility at the college (NMU) in Marquette Michigan.  That and practicing bunker shots in the snow.  
 

Being that you do not have any indoor facilities... have you looked at a sky track?  They offer payment plans, and if you compare that to what you’d be paying in greens fees (depends on how much you play) mig be even.

Im sure some of our other northern spies will join in too.

[Crowev01]

1 hour ago, JerBooth said:

Wondering what everyone does in the winter to keep their swing, putting stroke, etc. in golf shape while the snow flies.

Winters up in Northern Ontario are snowy and cold. Unfortunately, where I live there are no indoor driving ranges or golf Sims you can go have a couple beers at and go play Pebble Beach or Bethpage with the boys.

Closest fitter to me is 2 hours away so that tells you what I'm up against.

Curious to see what all of you who live north do to stay involved.

When I lived in Maine I too practiced bunker shots in the snow. I had a little chipping mat and would chip and putt in the hallway upstairs. I also had some of those foam balls and would hit them against the garage wall to work on trajectory. I also bought a momentus (which was the hot deal at the time) I would work on keeping a groove. Otherwise, I'd work on strength training. I honestly am not the biggest fan of putting practice, but by snow month 4, I would be so excited to get home and can that full hallway triple breaker.

[Alf. S]

Don't know if we are further north than you because Ontario is pretty big we are North of Ottawa, Scotland's weather is pretty temperate and off the Atlantic so Autumn and Winter tend to be rainy and windy. Our competition season for most courses end in October and we move into Winter golf. The links course tend to stay open but some will make you play off fairway mats, the conditions on links are OK, the greens tend to be slower than the summer but you can still get a decent round at discounted prices. For the inland parkland courses it tends to be  a bit different. Our course take off the low lying holes and these are replaced by a Winter course the par drops from 71 to 64 and yardage 6200 to 4800 yds. I drop from playing at least 4 times a week to twice. The Winter course for me is too short with only a couple of holes requiring anything more than a 9i for an approach. My long game is normally in tatters by the end of Winter.

I'm complaining by at least most weeks I get out with 4 or 5 layers of clothes on. 

Most years we will go away late Autumn and early Spring to warmer European climates Turkey, Portugal, The Canary Island for 2 weeks, this gives a respite from the Scottish Winter which is always welcome. This was before Covid so this year it is stay at home. 

[JerBooth]

Don't know if we are further north than you because Ontario is pretty big we are North of Ottawa, Scotland's weather is pretty temperate and off the Atlantic so Autumn and Winter tend to be rainy and windy. Our competition season for most courses end in October and we move into Winter golf. The links course tend to stay open but some will make you play off fairway mats, the conditions on links are OK, the greens tend to be slower than the summer but you can still get a decent round at discounted prices. For the inland parkland courses it tends to be  a bit different. Our course take off the low lying holes and these are replaced by a Winter course the par drops from 71 to 64 and yardage 6200 to 4800 yds. I drop from playing at least 4 times a week to twice. The Winter course for me is too short with only a couple of holes requiring anything more than a 9i for an approach. My long game is normally in tatters by the end of Winter.
I'm complaining by at least most weeks I get out with 4 or 5 layers of clothes on. 
Most years we will go away late Autumn and early Spring to warmer European climates Turkey, Portugal, The Canary Island for 2 weeks, this gives a respite from the Scottish Winter which is always welcome. This was before Covid so this year it is stay at home. 

I’m in North Bay. Snow from November to Marchish. But winter temps can go as low as -40*C


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[tony@CIC]

I’m in North Bay. Snow from November to Marchish. But winter temps can go as low as -40*C


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that's all I can say.


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[Nolan220]

I live in NJ so sometimes I can still ply year around but I convert my garage into my winter training facility. I have a net and couple of mats and a heater to keep warm. 

[GaDawg]

Not being a Smart A, but why does anyone want to live in these areas? If it gets below 35*F, I hate it!

[ejgaudette]

4 hours ago, JerBooth said:

 

I’m in North Bay. Snow from November to Marchish. But winter temps can go as low as -40*C


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That is bitterly cold for sure. Also fun fact for those that like random things -40 C is also -40 F this is the point where the scales cross. On another not I am working on general fitness and speed this winter personally. Doing SuperSpeed training, lifting, and running. Thankfully it only gets cold here not downright arctic. That plus just swinging when possible to keep the feel up. Maybe a simulator session though who knows when the how US Covid cases are trending. I miss golf but the break makes it that much sweeter when it comes back, though 2 months feels about right not the 5 or so it is here.

[Shankster]

9 minutes ago, GaDawg said:

Not being a Smart A, but why does anyone want to live in these areas? If it gets below 35*F, I hate it!

My wife keeps bringing it up.  She wants to move back.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Michigan.  But the winters are terrible.

[HardcoreLooper]

2 hours ago, Nolan220 said:

I live in NJ so sometimes I can still ply year around but I convert my garage into my winter training facility. I have a net and couple of mats and a heater to keep warm. 

Growing up in NJ, we played as long as the ground was more green than white.  Brings back memories of temporary greens.  

[Nolan220]

6 hours ago, HardcoreLooper said:

Growing up in NJ, we played as long as the ground was more green than white.  Brings back memories of temporary greens.  

Yes thats what I do too .. last winter we barely got any snow and I played 4-5 times in dec and Jan .. weather was like 50 and above highs .. 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

Winters are hit or miss here in MA. Last winter we played to December and without covid could have started end of March beginning of April probably. This year no doubt will be bad.

for me simulator is right down the road. At the house I have a putting mat and newly discovered chipping foam balls to the stairs actually returns the ball right to me. Can do different trajectory’s and distance depends on which stair I’m going for.

[russtopherb]

I hit an indoor sim that's around 25 mins away a couple of times a month if I can. But honestly, for me winter is a time to go to the gym (hopefully the Y will remain open), work on stretching with yoga/pilates to keep my back & knee limber, that sort of thing. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

6 hours ago, russtopherb said:

I hit an indoor sim that's around 25 mins away a couple of times a month if I can. 

Just curious,  what do they charge to play 18 holes on a simulator?

[Chip Strokes]

Just now, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Just curious,  what do they charge to play 18 holes on a simulator?

there’s a place by me that $35 for a round 

another place is $50/hour but that gets you full access to the whole training center. they’ve got hitting bays, putting greens, etc. 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

4 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Just curious,  what do they charge to play 18 holes on a simulator?

36 here for an hour can easily get 18 in and range time.

 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

6 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

36 here for an hour can easily get 18 in and range time.

 

Wow, more than I thought it would be. The courses around me are about that or less for real golf with a cart.  I took one of my garage bays under the house and converted it to my practice area. I put a simulator in for rainy days or February. We only have one month where its typically too cold to play. Courses stay open but there might be a couple days in February where its in the 40's which isn't too bad. But its a lot easier to go downstairs and play. 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

1 minute ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Wow, more than I thought it would be. The courses around me are about that or less for real golf with a cart.  I took one of my garage bays under the house and converted it to my practice area. I put a simulator in for rainy days or February. We only have one month where its typically too cold to play. Courses stay open but there might be a couple days in February where its in the 40's which isn't too bad. But its a lot easier to go downstairs and play. 

Yea it’s tough here. Some winters are better than others (this year we are anticipating a real bad one we’ll see) but it’s typically atleast 4 months of indoor golf.

courses on average are about 40-50 for 18 without a cart here so 35 is pretty reasonable 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

2 hours ago, Chip Strokes said:

there’s a place by me that $35 for a round 

another place is $50/hour but that gets you full access to the whole training center. they’ve got hitting bays, putting greens, etc. 

Where is that located. My wife was from Queens and I was from Elmont.  I played Kissena a few times. But played mostly out on Long Island. But I've been gone a long time now.

[Chip Strokes]

26 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Where is that located. My wife was from Queens and I was from Elmont.  I played Kissena a few times. But played mostly out on Long Island. But I've been gone a long time now.

there’s a screen golf place in Bayside. they’ve got 10 bays and charge $35/hour. i usually go with a buddy and we split it, so $17 to play a round on the sim isn’t bad.

the other place is in Rockville Center. i’ve never been. i think it opened recently and seems like it’s really well set up. there’s simulators that you can either play or practice on, and a short game area inside as well. that’s $50 for an hour of practice.

[russtopherb]

8 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Just curious,  what do they charge to play 18 holes on a simulator?

$45/hr on weekends and it’s roughly 2 hours for 2 people to play 18. It’s $30 if you go on a weekday. 

[JerBooth]

My wife is from up here but I love the outdoors. I grew up outside Toronto in Niagara Falls. It was just too hustle and bustle. It's nice to wake up in the morning and not hear cars all day. Night sky is gourgeous where I am too as I'm an amateur astronomer.

Edited October 27, 2020 by JerBooth

[JerBooth]

On 10/24/2020 at 10:52 PM, GaDawg said:

Not being a Smart A, but why does anyone want to live in these areas? If it gets below 35*F, I hate it!

My wife is from up here but I love the outdoors. I grew up outside Toronto in Niagara Falls. It was just too hustle and bustle. it nice to wake up in the morning and not hear cars all day. Night sky is gourgeous where I am too as I'm an amateur astronomer.

[edingc]

On 10/24/2020 at 11:02 PM, Shankster said:

My wife keeps bringing it up.  She wants to move back.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Michigan.  But the winters are terrible.

You know, if you stay under the bridge the winters can be considerably better.  I played golf the day after Christmas last year and on January 3 the year before.

As to the thread's question, I have a heated outdoor range about 35 minutes away that I frequent, and they are reasonably priced. Eventually a Skytrak might be in the cards. Otherwise, I spend a lot of time dreaming of better weather while I'm lifting weights in my basement. The only two simulators in town charge $50-60/hour during the weekend, which is just too rich for my blood.

[tchat07]

I'm doing a lot of putting. (I know it's going to be boring as crap but it killed me this year) I also have the planemate so was going to do all of the practice protocols with chipping motion. Thinking if I can really clean that up itll help my full swing come the time of year it is warm enough.

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[ncwoz]

I try to hit a range with heated stalls once or twice a month if I can. Past that, it's a lot of slow/practice swings, chipping, and putting in the living room. I also try to hit the weights pretty hard, as that definitely goes to the wayside during the season. Once my wife and I get a house though, I am gonna do my best to carve out at minimum a spot for a net and mat, and maybe I'll test my luck with her on a home simulator

[ChitownM2]

Guess I'm lucky to be living in the suburbs of a major city. I have an outdoor driving range with those heat lamps 5 min away and there are a couple of places with indoor sims reasonably close and then a couple of indoor golf "bubbles" if I'm willing to drive for ~30 min. 

[Larryd3]

Not to rub it in or anything, but I'm glad I moved from Minneapolis to Tampa Bay area around 5 years ago.  Lots I miss about Minneapolis but not the 6+ months of winter.  I remember one of the winters we were up there, I had to have the driveway plowed 2 times in May.  That's just nutzzz.  

[Golf Dawg]

We have indoor domes nearby, that my instructor has lessons during the winter. I try to get there at least one hour every weekend.

I turned a spare bedroom into a putting center with a 10’ WellPutt mat, a four hole Birdie Ball mat and a PuttOUT. I use the PING putter app for stats, and would love to get an ExPutt unit. I average 1.85 putts/hole this yr (35 rounds), so the effort keeps me from cabin fever in the winter and shaving strokes in the summer! That room also has resistance training bands for strength and mobility - that I need to use more...


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