Top 10 Training Tips for the Golf Off-Season: Part 1
I was driving from Minneapolis to Milwaukee earlier this week and I couldn’t believe it, but there were some leaves already turning colors for the coming fall.
And this got me thinking…
As tough as it is to hear, the golf off-season draws near for me and my fellow Midwesterners.
And then I asked myself, what are the 10 most important things golfers need to know before the depths of the off-season falls upon us.
Let's dive in.
1.) The Goal Isn’t to Lift Weights
Now, of course lifting weights SHOULD play a large role in your off-season program, but the goal of training isn’t to lift weights. The goal of training isn’t to max out our back squat or bench press.
It’s deeper than that.
Lifting weights and throwing med balls are just tools that we use to uncover our true goals.
So, what are your goals?
This is where your off-season should start.
This first tip challenges you to think both within and outside of the sport of golf to set goals for yourself.
I am sure many of us share two common ones:
Play better golf.
Play injury and pain-free golf.
But why do we want those things? Try to dig deeper and discover the underlying purpose behind these goals.
Write them down. Share them with others. Let's make them happen!!
2.) Prioritize and Execute
Our training time is often limited. We have stuff going on, and don’t have time to workout all day.
If I had it my way, I would spend 2 hours a day at the golf simulator shop down the street and maybe another hour at the gym. But, my Master's program and running two companies says otherwise.
I’m sure you are in a similar boat.
Life is hectic.
Have a plan every week.
Where are your workouts coming from?
Where will they be completed?
How will they push you closer to those goals you created in tip #1?
SCRATCH is here to help you with this.
We lay out your workouts in an easily accessible and use friendly format.
We communicate with you to make sure you are on a program that is working towards your goals.
We want to help you make your training sessions EFFECTIVE and EFFECIENT.
3.) Keep it Simple
Training and golf performance is a very complex process.
The way in which the body creates adaptations is a physiological miracle.
Understanding the intricacies of this adaptation process as well as that of how it relates to the golf swing and performance can get very complex.
But that's my job.
To understand this and reroute that knowledge into a training program.
As I have grown in my coaching and training journey...
As I have understood more of the complexities that exist in training and golf...
As I have worked with more athletes, helping them find greater levels of athleticism
The simpler the training sessions I program for athletes have become.
Simple training allows us to maximize intensity and consistency (Tip #6), which are amongst the most important pieces of a successful training program.
Every training session pick a few different exercises. Hit them hard. Explore 1 novel mobility exercise or motor pattern. Raise your heart rate a bit. Call it a day.
Do this consistently for a long period of time and at an intensity that promotes adaptations.
Watch function and golf performance thrive.
Simple.
4.) Build outputs, express them often.
Your training should both build outputs as well as give you the opportunity to express them.
An output is your body's ability to produce something, and in our case, it relates to your physicality.
Strength, power, mobility, stability.
Build upon them within your training.
Expression, for our purposes, comes in the form of the golf swing.
The golf swing is our art form. It is the way we showcase the outputs we maintain. Therefore, in training, we need to make sure we are both building those underlying physical outputs as well as expressing them in a more similar way to how we will be on the course.
Throw medicine balls. Jump higher and further. Rotate powerfully.
Express the outputs you are building!
Some links to other things I've written about this topic:
Hit the Golf Ball Further - Like Bryson
Instagram Post - Building Outputs
5.) Never Stop Golfing.
The greatest form of output expression is actually playing golf - it’s also the most fun part of this whole training process.
So, if you can, go play golf.
Not only will it help you transfer your off-season training and growth, but it will allow you to maintain skill levels you have developed over the course of the season.
If you are anything like me, I always play much better in the fall than in the spring.
Maybe it’s something in the air, but if I had to guess, it’s the fact that I have been playing for the last 4 months, as opposed to playing once or twice a month in the 4 months prior to spring.
I am sure many of you are in a similar position and, being the case, don’t stop playing golf this off-season. Simply because we are ramping up training elsewhere, doesn’t mean we need to eliminate playing the sport!
Go find a local simulator shop.
Go find a golf dome.
Go put up a net and a heater in your garage.
Find tips 6-10 HERE.
Carter Schmitz
Founder and Head Coach - SCRATCHGolfTraining.com
CSCS, TPI
Carter is a strength and conditioning coach out of the Milwaukee area working with athletes, in-person and virtually. Having helped hundreds of athletes, ranging from the middle school to the professional level and beyond, Carter brings a breadth of experience and knowledge to every athlete he works with. He launched SCRATCHGolfTraining.com in the summer of 2021 to help empower golfers to greater performance and longevity.
Carter believes ALL golfers are athletes, and they should be training accordingly.
Become a SCRATCH Athlete today, and start training like the ATHLETE you are!
