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March, 2025

Winter Conditions

If you are in the UK the season feels like it is really drawing to a close now with the dark nights and incredible amount of rainfall!

Conditions have become really soft and winter-like very suddenly.

Remember to visit my Adjusting your short game for winter golf video to remind you of some of the subtle adjustments required to help you to achieve solid strike's around the green.

Thank you for all the fantastic feedback for my 18 hole You Tube video from the round I played on the Marquess course. I had been receiving many requests for an 'on-course' video and I am glad it has helped so many of you as well as providing an enjoyable hour for you learning along with the beauty of Woburn.

The key learnings I hope you can take from the video are how you can think a little more before every shot. Take a couple of seconds to simply consider where is the easiest place to play my next shot from. This game is all about managing your ball around the course, too many golfers simply lose too many balls! This is often due to poor course management, not playing to the widest part of the hole or leaving it the correct side of the green. Of course you still need to execute the shot, however, by playing to your strengths (as I did on the 9th when I hit a low draw which I knew wouldn't get my ball near the hole, but I could hit the green) you avoid the disaster. Many golfers would have elected to play over the tree to give the angle in to the pin, if the shot had of then been miss-hit, it would have hit the tree and could have gone anywhere!

Also, asking simple questions around the greens, such as "if I land the ball there, at that height, what will it do?" By asking yourself a question, you then have the chance to see a shot in your mind and then decide on the club, release and landing spot accordingly. We all know the power of the mind in life, and of course golf, and if you have "painted the picture" first of the shot you intend to play, your mind and body have a much greater chance of executing that shot than if you just play it blind.

The winter time is a great time of the year to take out half set's. I played last weekend with half a set, I took my Driver, Hybrid, 6 iron, 8 iron, Pitching Wedge, 56 and putter out with me. It makes you invent shots, it is so good for your game and a lovely light carry around the course as well!

Let me know if you are interested in some winter coaching using Skillest, it is a fantastic platform where from your home you can get a lot better as we swap videos back and forth.