How to Prepare For The Big Golf Season

Louis Pringle

Mar 21, 2021

9 minutes

We’ve made it! Majors' season is right around the corner and we’re about to get into the thick of golf season. Nothern courses will gradually open their tee times for the most eager of golfers and Southern courses will transition to their summer setup for the peak of the season.

Some golfers will finally come out of hibernation and others will be able to ramp up their playing time and hit the course as much as possible as the peak season for golf makes it return. For anyone feeling like the peak of golf season snuck up on you, give these topics a look to be ready for your first round:

Apparel

Everyone likes to look good on the course. While clothing may not be a key priority for you, there’s no denying the classic saying “Look good, play good”, and if you’re not feeling good in your golf clothes anymore, then it might be a good time to step it up.

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Be sure to prepare ahead of time when it comes to dressing up for the golf course. Depending on the region where you’re playing you might need to adjust your outfits to match the weather.

If you need any tips on how to dress appropriately based on the weather, be sure to check out our guide on how to dress for golf in all conditions.

Accessories

You can’t understate how important your accessories are to your game when you’re out on the course. While they may not be difference-makers, missing out on tees is always frustrating and you don’t want to be THAT player who has to beg the rest of the group for tees.

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If you want some friendly advice, we strongly suggest going for plastic tees as their life expectancy is much greater than their wooden counterparts, which will ultimately translate into more money in your pocket as you’ll be able to make it through a few seasons with a single pack.

Beyond tees, gloves are just as important. If you can find a good deal, we suggest you load up on your favorite glove ahead of the season. This way, you’ll never have to worry about holes appearing out of nowhere.

Most importantly, you’ll need some golf balls. These little white pearls tend to be water magnets, which is why you’ll need a good amount of them. Make sure to have at least a good dozen in your bag before heading out for the first round of the year. Consider getting recycled golf balls, especially at the start of the season, it’ll be a little less frustrating for your budget.

Related | 10 Golf Essentials You'll Need on the Course

Essentials

Some players don’t mind walking around with regular running shoes. However, any experienced golfer knows that proper golf shoes will play a critical role when you’re out on the course. Good traction and comfort are essential to your enjoyment of the game.

Now that your toes are taken care of, time to move on to your head. You might be in luck and still have all your hair on top of your dome, but not everyone is lucky enough to have a natural sunroof. This is why hats are so essential, especially when the sun is shining down on you with a lot of strength.

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Another useful essential that golfers tend to forget is a towel. One is the basic minimum you’ll need for your round. This one towel is either going to serve as your club towel, to wash off the dirt from the grass, or as your face towel. In some cases, it will serve as both.

However, if you like to keep your face clean, while also keeping your clubs clean, then going with two towels will be the best move for you. Using two different towels will allow you to use towels specifically designed for what you need them to do as some towels are better on the skin and others are better with plastic and metals.

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Clean your clubs

Now that everything else is taken care of, time to give proper attention to your clubs. The first thing you’ll want to do is clean your clubs, especially if you didn’t do so before putting them away last time. Better get after it because your local driving range will fill up sooner than you think.

All you’ll need to clean them is a brush (a toothbrush and a tool to clean the inside of the grooves), a little bit of dish soap, about two or three inches of water in a bucket, and a towel to dry the clubs off as you go along.

Make sure to give your grips and your shafts a good wipe to put the finishing touches on your clubs. If you’re looking for additional tips on how to clean your clubs, be sure to check our guide on how to clean your golf clubs at home.

Also, while you’re already in cleaning mode, we suggest you give your kicks a shine as well. This way, you’ll look your best when you show up to the course.

Start The Season Fresh with a Refreshed Set

Swing

It’s only natural, everyone wants to get back out there and start hitting balls. No matter if it’s at the range or on the course, some golfers are eager to feel the ball connecting with the clubface.

Make sure to go about progressively and allow yourself a ramp-up period before going into to avoid injuries. We recommend you start with your wedges by hitting smooth chip shots on the green.

You can also mix in some short-distance wedge work in there to get a good feel for the ball flying off the clubface. Focus on tempo and simply getting the ball to a designated area. This will be key to developing consistency in your swing before you start putting your full force into it.

Once you’ve done some wedge work to warm up your swinging muscles, you can transition to the real thing and head to the range. Once again, take it easy here as well. No need to reach for the driver right off the bat.

Instead, take a small bucket and start feeling out that full swing with irons, hybrids, and woods. Make sure to mix in the clubs between your different shots to best simulate what would happen on the course. Here again, focus on tempo and feel with your full swinging motion to ease back into the swing of things.

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Finally, we hope this list helps you sort through the next steps you need to go through before returning to the game. While they may seem obvious to some experienced golfer, it’s never a bad thing to lay out these steps in a detailed manner to make it easier for golfers who aren’t as used to the return of golf season.

Until next time,

The Golf Avenue team