Spring is here, and that means it’s time to shake off the rust and get back on the course. But early-season golf comes with its own set of challenges—cooler temperatures, wet turf, and the need to focus on process over results. Here are three key tips to help you play your best this spring.
1. Keep Your Golf Ball Warm for Better Distance. Cold temperatures can have a big impact on your game, especially when it comes to distance. A colder golf ball doesn’t compress as well at impact, which means it won’t travel as far. To counter this, keep a spare golf ball in your pocket, up against your body, to keep it warm. Every other hole, swap your ball out to maintain optimal compression. This simple trick can help you get a few extra yards, which can make all the difference in your approach shots.
2. Control Your Divots on Wet Turf Spring means wet and soft course conditions, which can cause your club to dig into the ground if you’re getting too steep. To improve your divot control, work on shallowing the divot and monitor where it starts relative to the ball. Here are a couple of drills from Be Golf that will help:
a. The Tee Drill: Place a tee about an inch in front of the ball and focus on making contact with it after striking the ball. This encourages a proper divot control in your swing.
b. The Towel Drill: Lay a small towel a club head behind the ball. If you hit the towel first, your divot is too far behind the ball. Focus on making clean contact with the ball before the ground.
c. Swing Height Drill: Make a few swings attempting to take a deep divot, no divot, and then brush the grass. Remember there may be a disconnect between intention vs. reality. What were you committing to that allowed the club to brush the turf? Take that intention to the course with you to be sure the club doesn’t dig too much in the wet turf.
By mastering divot control, you’ll strike the ball cleaner and avoid the frustration of heavy shots in soggy conditions.
3. Stay Process-Driven, Not Outcome-Focused One of the biggest mistakes golfers make—especially early in the season—is getting too caught up in results. Instead of focusing on your score, commit to a three-step process every shot. From the Be Golf book, here’s a proven method to follow:
a. BE Prepared (behind the ball) – Gather the necessary information, including wind, yardage, and lie. Get CLEAR on what you WANT the ball do and what ONE THING you’ll commit your attention to during your swinging motion. All decisions need to be final behind the ball.
b. BE Silent – Quiet your mind as you walk into the ball and are setting up. Be sure to commit to one of your tools to keep the prefrontal cortex quiet. (Examples: breathing, mantra, quiet 9’s, music, counting.)
c. BE Committed – Commit your attention to your one thing while being detached from the result. NO ANTICIPATING THE OUTCOME!
Hold yourself accountable to this routine, and over time, your results will take care of themselves.
Spring golf requires adjustments, but with these three tips—keeping your ball warm, controlling your divots, and sticking to a strong process—you’ll set yourself up for a great start to the season. Now, get out there and BE GREAT!
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