Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
So grim for golf but we have ways to stay in the swing of things
IT has been a really tough week for golf in Ireland.
The reality is none of us will be teeing it up for the next six weeks.
Does it make sense putting the game into lockdown? Not to my mind, but it is what it is and we just have to get on with it for the greater good.
So, what can we do over the next few weeks to sustain our golfing appetite and is there anything we can do in lockdown to improve our game?
Podcasts or Vodcasts are always a great way to dissect the mindset of top golfers and there are plenty of really good shows out there.
Padraig Harrington’s twitter feed offers some great tips in particular.
There are also plenty of routines younger golfers can perfect from the comfort of their home.
I always try to keep my kid s smiling around golf so avoid giving them boring drills.
Yes, practice and re p etition are key in golf, but don’t get bogged down in instruction.
Here are a few simple games, tricks and drills to keep you going...
Fine tune your control by bouncing the ball on the head of a club – and add some variety by adding an obstacle course to the challenge.
If you find the control drill too easy, change hands; or if you have a garden, set down an obstacle to chip over and a target to aim for on the other side.
Younger kids can use an air ball to help them get elevation in their shots.
With a wedge and two balls, try to chip one ball onto the other; or if there are two of you, play against each other, trying to strike the other person’s ball as you go.
Carpets are a great surface to sharpen your putting and the smaller the target the better.
Take a handful of balls, try chipping them into a bucket and see how many you can convert in a row. Keep a daily record and tally to target.
B e g i n n e r s d o n’ t sp e n t enough time swinging their driver without a ball, so try making 100 swings per day.
This routine will encourage you to swing freely and provide a great exercise without being fixated on or worried about the flight of the ball.
Throwing and catching a tennis ball, while alternating hands, is also fantastic for hand-to-eye coordination and the cognitive skills of both kids and adults.
Peter O’keeffe, one of our outstanding amateurs, has some fantastic online courses to help you with your golf and I fully recommend checking him out in the weeks ahead.
It has been a really strange year for golf and I never thought I’d be looking forward to playing in December.
A sign of these troubling times.
Stay safe, keep active and try out some of the above drills.
Peter O’keeffe, one of our outstanding amateurs, has got some fantastic online courses