Get your golf grips now before the season starts.  A tackier grip means a more relaxed grip.  The more relaxed the hands, what we call a live tension, leads to higher clubhead speed.  Higher clubhead speed means higher ball speed.  Higher ball speed = better distance. 

In short, get a fresh grip, get more distance and control!  Check out the new Golf Pride VDR grips, they are pretty sweet. 

Alright golfers, grab your sticks, throw some polish on those footjoys, make sure you have a few Titleist and maybe even a performance golf tee or two cause the season is here!!!   Hello Golf, we missed you and we look forward to throwing darts at your flagsticks for the next six to seven months.  Look out Old Man Par, cause my winter enhanced golf swing should be good for some extra birdies on the back, maybe even an Eagle.  Head to the links this week cause in Chicago, April can be soggy and windy.  I know the Village Links has holes open as well as Oak Brook, but of course call ahead to confirm times and such.  Happy golfing and I'll see you on the tee!

10 Things to Improve Your Golf Game This Winter #1

#1 - Commit Yourself to Better Golf

Half-hearted efforts to game improvement will not be rewarded. Your current game is your comfort zone. To improve beyond your comfort zone, we need intensified effort. Once you have a break-thru, you'll have developed a new comfort zone. Maintaining your game is easy. Regressing is easy. Raising your golf game a notch takes a plan and some commitment. Some people get better by accident, but more get better when they have committed to their game plan.

Commit to a tournament schedule.

Commit to a practice schedule.

Commit to better golf.

Finally Commit to each individual shot you take. Whether you succeed or fail, you have yourself to thank.

10 Things to Improve Your Golf Game This Winter #2

Create your Practice Schedule.

Build a Tournament Schedule and arrange your practice to peak for those times.

Whether you play golf like Tiger Woods or like Johnny Awful, tournament golf will give you a true measure of your game and ability. How do you know if you have gotten better if you never truly measure your skill as defined by performance in tournaments? And I am not talking about handicap tournaments. I am talking about you versus old man par. No one cares what your net is. What did you shoot?

Take a look at the year 2011, sign up for a tourney a month and maybe more as you near the late summer club championship season or high school golf tryout season. Start as soon as your weather allows. In Chicago, April is probably the time to start.

Got your tourney schedule set? Good, now plan your rests and practice sessions accordingly. A good practice schedule will be balanced, to address all aspects of the game. It should be reasonable to follow. Don't get so ambitious that you can't realistically follow the plan. Sometimes less is more. Make sure to allot time for the wildcard of the week. Each week you will probably have a different trouble area, so use your brain and address it before it demolishes your psyche.

If you need help setting a practice schedule, call a PGA Professional, discuss your tournament schedule, goals, and draft up a plan. What is holding you back?

10 Things to Improve Your Golf Game This Winter #3
Build your Routine

Alright Chi-Chi, don't have a routine? Get one this winter. Watch some tape of your favorite player and guess what you are going to find? They have a routine. However odd it may be or normal, they repeat the same pre-shot routine before every golf shot. Full swing routine's may vary a tad from a putting routine or bunker routine. Whatever it is make it short and sweet and repeat. If it is too long, not only will you freeze yourself, none of your golfing buddies will ever want to play with you, because you are too slow.

Come up with a draft this winter, try to ingrain it and refine it as necessary until you are happy. Once you have it repeat it over and over and over and over again. 42,000 repetitions and you should be good to go!!!

A solid routine combats pressure situations and allows for better scoring as it intensifies your focus on the task at hand while allowing your mind to temporarily check out and the body take over. Having a routine is a significant factor in the scoring game.