Instruction
A Transitional Mistake: Are you still training like it’s the off-season?
Both off-season and in-season training share equal importance when it comes to building and maintaining swing speed, power, efficiency, recovery and consistent performance. There is a distinct difference, however, between how you should be training for both seasons.
Off-season training focuses on fundamental weaknesses within your body. For instance, poor hamstring strength will affect power transfer from the beginning to the end of your swing. Addressing this issue in the off-season allows two things to happen:
- Improved strength
- More efficient movement
Once golf season begins, golfers should enter the transitional phase. If you don’t change your training protocol, you are putting yourself at risk for overtraining. How does that affect your game? Let’s just say the correlation is an increased likelihood of chronic injury. The end result is you could end up like Tiger.
Whether you live in a cold or warm climate, golf seasons are invariably different. Some of us have the opportunity to play year round. In this case, it takes some planning to create a training protocol that staves off overtraining. Regardless, you must define your off-season.
During that time, you train specifically to improve your weaknesses. Being honest with yourself is crucial. Ask yourself, “What really needs improvement?” Then a strength coach can build you an 8-to-12 week program to improve your weak points.
After 12 weeks, it is absolutely imperative that you transition. You determine that transition based on the frequency and intensity of the golf you are playing. Do you play 3 or 6 days per week? Are you a competitive or recreational player? All of these aspects are important in determining your plan of attack.
You ultimately want to avoid losing all the work that you put into the off-season. Inevitably, you will lose some strength, power, etc. This loss correlates to the fact that you have likely decreased your strength training sessions by one or two per week. Maybe you trained 5 days a week with a focus on speed and power development. Fortunately, strength and power losses decrease at a significantly slower rate than cardiovascular losses. If you’re a walker, then this really doesn’t apply much to you since you continue to maintain a high level of cardiovascular endurance.
The only way that you can avoid losing strength, power, speed or agility is to train these energy systems at least twice a week. That can be difficult for the 5-to-7 day a week golfer, but it is necessary. Otherwise, you will begin to see a rapid decline in those aspects of your fitness. However, even at two sessions per week, you must watch for signs of overtraining. These can be poor sleep patterns, poor aspects of your mental game, decreased appetite, immediate decreases in strength and mood changes.
Fatigue is the largest factor. It not only affects your training, but it also affects the mental aspects of the game. Poor shot decisions, mishits and frustration are common issues with fatigue. You can avoid becoming fatigued in the gym by doing three things:
- Decreasing intensity by 20 percent
- Decreasing the frequency of your training
- Decreasing the overall duration of your workout
Remember, you don’t need to change your entire routine. I’m simply saying that it will be in your best interest to decrease the load (weight) and increase the amount of repetitions. Maybe you were doing 225 pound back squats for 4-to-6 repetitions. What you’ll want to do is decreased the weight by 20 percent and add 4-to-6 reps. This will prevent the decline in strength significantly.
If you train each movement within a 4-to-6 set range, you’ll also want to drop that to three sets. That insures you won’t overreach and will recover more efficiently because there will be a lessened lactic acid build up. See, lactic acid is a byproduct of “work.” It’s what creates muscle soreness and prolongs time between training sessions.
As I mentioned earlier, you’ll also want to decrease the amount of times you train per week. If you train at a five-session protocol, you’ll need to address how you can efficiently train sport specific groups in two sessions. It may seem difficult, but it’s rather simple. Training Monday and Friday gives your body ample time to repair tissue, so you can basically train all of the golf specific muscle groups (i.e. core, legs, and back) in both sessions without much risk of overtraining.
Additionally, you’ll need to decrease your session duration. Finding a way to train efficiently combines 3 sets with 8-to-12 reps at 30-seconds to 1-minute rest intervals that total no more than 7-to-8 movements.
This protocol in a well-trained individual can be completed in about 30 minutes. You want your sessions to be no longer than 45 minutes.
Again, this all has to do with efficiency, fatigue control and the limiting of lactic acid build up. By transitioning your training correctly, you effectively decrease the risk of overtraining and injury. You also can maintain a level balance of the strength and power that you built during the off-season.
You have to be strict with yourself. Watch out for signs of overtraining and continue to have fun with it. Aside from practice, training is the only way to maintain a competitive edge.
Feel free to contact with me any questions or if you’d like me to build a program for your in-season or off-season training at chris@assistperformance.com
The LPGA Tour is kicking off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and the pros are dealing with something most Florida golfers rarely face: freezing temperatures.
“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said England’s Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Even Lydia Ko, who lives at Lake Nona, seemed surprised by the cold snap. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise,” she said.
If the world’s best players are adjusting their games for cold weather, recreational golfers should, too. Here’s how to play smart when the mercury drops.
Understand What Cold Does to Your Game
Before you change anything, you need to know what you’re fighting against. Cold air is denser than warm air, which means your ball won’t fly as far. Period.
Hull noticed this immediately during practice rounds at Lake Nona. She mentioned hitting a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needing a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. That’s a difference of four or five clubs for the same shot.
Action item: Expect to lose 5-10 yards on every club in your bag when temperatures dip below 50 degrees. Plan accordingly and don’t be stubborn about club selection.
Layer Up Without Restricting Your Swing
Hull admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice. While that might be extreme for most of us, staying warm is critical to playing well in cold conditions.
Your muscles need warmth to function properly. When you’re cold, your body tightens up and your swing gets shorter and faster. Neither of those things help you hit good golf shots.
Action item: Wear multiple thin layers instead of one bulky jacket. Look for golf-specific cold weather gear that stretches with your swing. Keep hand warmers in your pockets between shots. And don’t forget a good hat because you lose significant body heat through your head.
Take More Club Than You Think You Need
This is where ego gets in the way of good scores. When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress as well off the clubface. Combined with denser air, you’re looking at serious distance loss.
The pros at Lake Nona are dealing with a course that measures 6,642 yards but plays much longer this week. If they’re adjusting, you should too.
Action item: Take at least one extra club on every approach shot. In temperatures below 40 degrees, consider taking two extra clubs. It’s better to fly the ball to the back of the green than to come up short in a bunker.
Adjust Your Expectations on the Greens
Cold weather affects putting in ways most golfers don’t consider. The ball is harder and doesn’t roll as smoothly. Your hands are cold, making it harder to feel the putter. And if there’s any moisture on the greens, they’ll be slower than normal.
Ko mentioned that she still sometimes reads the greens wrong at Lake Nona despite being a member for years. Cold weather makes that challenge even tougher.
Action item: Hit putts more firmly than usual. The ball needs extra speed to hold its line on cold greens. Take a few extra practice strokes to get a feel for the speed before you putt.
Embrace the Mental Challenge
Hull said something interesting about cold weather golf: “I like the mental toughness of it.”
That’s the right attitude. Everyone on the course is dealing with the same conditions. The player who stays patient and doesn’t get frustrated by the extra difficulty will come out ahead.
Action item: Lower your expectations by a few strokes. If you normally shoot 85, accept that 90 might be a good score in 40-degree weather. Focus on solid contact and smart decisions rather than perfect shots.
Warm Up Longer and Smarter
This might be the most important tip of all. Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get injured easily.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season. Cold weather makes those kinds of injuries more likely if you don’t prepare properly.
Action item: Spend at least 20 minutes warming up before your round. Start with stretching, then hit easy wedge shots before working up to your driver. Keep moving between shots on the course to maintain body heat and flexibility.
The pros at Lake Nona this week will adapt and compete at the highest level despite the cold. You can do the same at your local course by following these tips and keeping a positive attitude.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, and whether you love him or hate him, the guy knows how to win when it matters. After his LIV Golf stint, the five-time major champion returns this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.
What makes Koepka fascinating? He doesn’t fit the mold. His swing isn’t textbook. He doesn’t obsess over mechanics. Yet he’s won three PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens, regularly making it look easier than guys with prettier swings.
So, what can average golfers learn from someone who treats the game so differently? Quite a bit.
Stop Overthinking Every Shot
Koepka describes his approach as “reactionary” rather than mechanical. While most tour pros grind over swing thoughts, Brooks sees the target and hits it. No mental checklist.
This might be the most valuable lesson for weekend golfers who’ve watched too many YouTube swing videos.
How to actually do this:
On the range, hit five balls where you stare at the target for three seconds prior to addressing the ball. Don’t think about grip or stance. Just burn that target into your brain. You’ll be shocked at how pure you hit it when your brain focuses on where the ball is going instead of how you’re swinging.
Next time you play, give yourself a rule: Once you pull the club, you’ve got 15 seconds to hit. Koepka is one of the fastest players on tour because he doesn’t give his brain time to sabotage him.
If you feel tension in your hands at address, you’re trying to control too much. Koepka’s grip pressure is famously light. Loosen up until the club almost feels like it might slip, then add just enough pressure to hold on. That’s your swing thought: soft hands, see the target.
This approach works better under pressure. When you’re standing over that shot with water left and OB right, the last thing you need is a mental checklist. See it, feel it, hit it.
Play to Your Strengths (Even If They’re Not Pretty)
Koepka uses a strong grip that wouldn’t pass muster in some teaching circles. But he’s built his game around what works for him, elite driving distance and recovery skills. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.
Here’s how to build your game like Brooks:
Look at your last five rounds and figure out where you’re actually gaining strokes. Bombing it off the tee, but can’t hit greens? Lean into it. Play courses where distance matters more than precision. On tight holes, grip down on your 3-wood instead of trying to thread a driver through a keyhole you’ll miss seven times out of ten.
Koepka knows he can scramble, so he’s not afraid to miss greens. If you’re deadly from 50 to 75 yards, start leaving yourself those distances on the par 5’s instead of going for them in two every time.
Know when to take your medicine. Koepka in the trees at the PGA? He’s punching out to 100 yards, not trying to bend a 6-iron around three oaks. You’re in the rough with a flyer lie and water short? Hit your 8-iron to the middle and move on. That’s not playing scared, that’s playing smart.
Save Your Best for When It Counts
Here’s a wild stat: Koepka’s putting average in majors is often more than a full stroke better per round than in regular events. He elevates when pressure is highest.
How does an amateur tap into that gear? It’s not about trying harder, it’s about caring differently.
Here’s what actually works:
Decide which rounds matter to you. Club championship? Member-guest? That annual trip with college buddies? Circle those dates and treat them differently. Koepka doesn’t care much about regular tour events, but majors? That’s when he locks in.
Two weeks before your big round, change your practice. Stop beating balls mindlessly. Play nine holes in which every shot has consequences. Miss the fairway? Hit from the rough on the next hole too. Three-putt? Twenty push-ups. Koepka’s practice intensity ramps up before majors because he’s rehearsing pressure, not just swings.
Develop a between-shot routine that resets your brain. Koepka is famous for his blank expression after bad shots. Try this: After any shot, take three deep breaths while walking, then find something specific to notice, a tree, a cloud, someone’s shirt. That’s your reset button. By the time you reach your ball, the last shot is gone.
The Bottom Line
Brooks Koepka’s return reminds us there’s no single path to success in golf. His “substance over style” approach proves that results matter more than looking good.
You don’t need a perfect swing; you need a reliable one that holds up under pressure. You don’t need to hit every shot in the book; you need the shots you can count on. And you don’t need to play great every time; you need to play great when it matters.
Welcome back, Brooks. Thanks for the reminder that golf is ultimately about getting the ball in the hole, not winning style points.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
Blades Brown made a big impression last week in the California desert, and not just because he’s only 18. He put up numbers that would catch any weekend golfer’s attention. Most of us won’t hit 317-yard drives or find 86% of our greens in regulation, but there’s a lot to learn from how Brown managed his game at The American Express.
Here are three practical lessons from his performance that you can use on your own course this weekend.
Step 1: Give Priority to Accuracy Over Distance Off The Tee
Brown’s driving stats are impressive. He averaged almost 318 yards off the tee, ranking 12th in the field. More importantly, he hit 76.79% of his fairways, tying for fourth place in the tournament.
Think about that ratio for a second. Brown could have swung harder, chased more distance and tried to overpower the course. Instead, he played smart golf and kept his ball in play.
Your Action Item: Next time you’re on the tee box, ask yourself a simple question before pulling the driver. Do you need maximum distance here, or do you need to be in the fairway? If there’s trouble lurking or the hole doesn’t demand every yard you can muster, take something off your swing. Grip down an inch. Make a three-quarter swing. Do whatever it takes to find the short grass. Brown’s approach illustrates that fairways lead to greens, and greens lead to birdies. He made 22 of them last week, along with an eagle.
The math is simple. When you’re hitting three out of every four fairways like Brown did, you’re giving yourself legitimate looks at the green with your approach shots. That’s when scoring happens.
Step 2: Commit To Hitting More Greens
This is where Brown really separated himself. He hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, an 86.11% clip that tied for first in the entire field. Read that again. An 18-year-old kid tied for the lead in one of the most important ball-striking statistics in professional golf.
How did he do it? By keeping his ball in the fairway (see Step 1) and giving himself clean looks with mid-irons and wedges.
Your Action Item: Start tracking your greens in regulation. You don’t need a fancy app or a statistics degree. Just mark down whether you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes. Par 3s in one shot. Par 4s in two shots. Par 5s in three shots.
Once you know your baseline, set a goal to improve it by 10%. If you’re currently hitting five greens per round, aim for six. The beauty of this approach is that it forces you to think strategically about club selection and shot shape. Brown’s strokes gained approach number was positive (0.179), meaning he was better than the field average. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be on the dance floor more often.
When you hit more greens, you eliminate the need for heroic short game shots. Brown only had to scramble 10 times all week, and he got up and down 70% of the time. That’s solid, but the real story is that he rarely put himself in scrambling situations to begin with.
Step 3: Minimize Mistakes And Stay Patient
Here’s the stat that jumps off the page: Brown made only three bogeys all week. Three. In four rounds of professional golf against the best players in the world.
He also made just one double bogey. That kind of clean card doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you play within yourself, avoid the big miss and trust that pars are never bad scores.
Your Action Item: Before your next round, decide that you’re going to play boring golf. No hero shots over water. No driver on tight holes just because you can. No aggressive pins when there’s a safe side of the green.
Brown’s performance shows us that consistency beats flash every single time. He didn’t lead the field in any single strokes gained category, but he was solid across the board. That’s how you post numbers and cash checks.
Give these three steps a try. Your scorecard will thank you.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
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Patrick
Jun 29, 2014 at 5:21 am
I’m going to try and help you out Jack. You can really only peak twice per season./ year. If you are truly a fine golfer you’ll know that your peaking for your state/provincial championships and maybe a season ending tour type championship. You cannot humanly possible play 100% at your peak all the time.
My background is professional squash and training NHL players.
Off season we train players at very high loads and maybe up to 12 reps. Every player is different. During the season the teams take over their regimens. During the season most players are in the gym to warm up or cool off after the game. Everything is monitored expertly by the teams. Every players ice time is monitored precisely as is there injury history.
I’m a 6 handicap so not a great golfer but I play about 15 tournaments per season. The worst thing I can so is overtrain because this affects my central nervous system. Some will call it getting “stale” or overtraining.
This author has very good information. If you are anywhere near an elite athlete you will appreciate this viewpoint.
Pingback: A Transitional Mistake: Are you still training like it’s the off-season? | Spacetimeandi.com
Momo
Jun 27, 2014 at 5:38 pm
what is you play all year?
Momo
Jun 27, 2014 at 5:38 pm
what if
Chris
Jun 27, 2014 at 6:53 pm
Start training using the on-season training whenever you can. As soon as winter hits start working out to build strength and power. Your game might have to be sacrificed for a few months. However if you can sacrifice your game for a few months, your golfing ability may get better for the next few years if you maintain your gains properly.
Chris Costa
Jun 27, 2014 at 10:58 pm
Momo,
There should still be a “season” period. Just like the seasons of the year. Use the seasons accordingly to the way in which you’d like to tailor your golf season. Train as if you have a season. At some point, you have to taper to avoid overtraining or you have to find the right program that can be sustainable for the entire year without sacrificing gains (near impossible, even in the minimal sense).
Jack
Jun 28, 2014 at 9:22 am
Which apparently you have no answer for… Not sure which part of that you think is past or present but timeline doesn’t change the explosive nature of the sport, nor the energy pathways used within it. It is comical to think dropping volume and intensity is going to keep your strength where it needs to be. Have fun making people weaker with that! (and more sore, as it goes)
Chris Costa
Jun 28, 2014 at 9:32 am
Jack,
Do you always insult those whom disagree with your opinion? I kindly ask you to give me the same respect thats been given to you.
Jack
Jun 28, 2014 at 9:44 am
Of course, but dodging a question doesn’t seem like you have too much confidence in your own opinion? You have no answer for what I proposed?
Chris Costa
Jun 28, 2014 at 10:09 am
We all make choices, Jack….
Jack
Jun 28, 2014 at 10:13 am
We do, and you choosing not to respond to valid points, doesn’t look like a good choice.
Chris Costa
Jun 28, 2014 at 10:16 am
Yet challenging someone, just for the sake of continuing to argue is? Please take your banter elsewhere and leave the comments for those that don’t think they know it all.
Jack
Jun 28, 2014 at 10:19 am
Absolutely not, I just wanted your opinion on what I suggested…
Patrick
Jun 29, 2014 at 5:35 am
Jack I don’t know what your background is but, in performance sports like golf, no one can be expected to be at 100% power and strength all the time. It’s not humanly possible. Your body has to recover especially after a hard muscle tearing workout. This type of training during a golf season where your fine motor movements are critical (putting, chipping, even precisely working an iron or driver) and compromised if your large prime movers are preventing the smaller less flexible muscles from doing their job.
Most of us are golfers not long drivers. If I can driver the ball consistently in the fairway without injury and I recover after two or three hard rounds, I know I’m fit.
My background besides having represented my country is that of an exercise physiologist. The author writes good sound valuable information. Please respect his article.
Jack
Jul 3, 2014 at 4:15 pm
Patrick, while I do respect that the author has taken time to write this article using good grammar and punctuation, I also have to respect the fact that it is in large part, completely wrong. Talking about taxing workouts with “muscle tearing” qualities in season is a valid point, in the sense of it should in fact be limited in season when trying to maintain strength/power etc. However, the article talks in a contradictory fashion when speaking about rep ranges, of which these have very little whatsoever in training for power/strength (which, incidentally only needs to be trained once a week not “at least twice”), which if I am not mistaken is the point of the article and “in-season training”.
I am not really sure what point you are actually making with regard to do with golf specific training, but playing golf itself isn’t very taxing on the nervous system and that needs to be trained to maintain strength and power. Also, not sure what point you were making about 12 reps and high loads for an ice hockey player? Relevance? Also the relevance of “making it through two or three rounds” without injury I don’t think is defining fitness for golf in any way shape or form.
Jack
Jun 27, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Chris,
I am interested to hear how you think adding more reps and backing off intensity is going to elicit a lessened lactate training response? The rep ranges you have suggested would actually INCREASE lactate build up and diminish strength a lot quicker than a lower total volume and higher intensity
Chris Costa
Jun 27, 2014 at 3:49 pm
Hi Jack,
Majority of lactate accumulation comes from highly intense movements. Off-season training assist in raising the threshold, as well as decreasing accumulation.
If you drop intensity minimally (20%), decrease the duration of your workout (less time) that means you are cramming more movements into a shorter duration. Therefore, overall intensity wouldn’t drop off significantly.
Hopefully, someone trained effectively in the off-season to allow LA and O2 to do their part in the energy systems.
Thanks for your comment, Jack.
Jack
Jun 27, 2014 at 4:57 pm
My question is this, why wouldn’t you look to increase absolute intensity (rather than relative intensity) and lower total volume? This would be far more effective in maintaining power and strength from a motor recruitment perspective and a hormonal response (with regard to testosterone). Lactate and oxidative pathways are really irrelevant in a sport whereby a the movement takes less than a second with ample recovery time.
Jack
Jack
Jun 27, 2014 at 4:58 pm
*whereby the
Chris Costa
Jun 28, 2014 at 8:24 am
We are clearly on different wavelengths here. That’s ok though. You’re speaking on past. I’m referencing the present. Thank you for your opinion.
Nick Randall
Jul 6, 2014 at 10:39 pm
Jack has a really valid point here, it’s the policy of the Golf Australia S&C coaches (of which I am one) to reduce VOLUME (reps and sets) and not INTENSITY (bar speed and load) during tournament weeks in order to minimise the fatigue and soreness of the players. This is common practice across many sports, not just golf.
Chris Costa
Jul 7, 2014 at 7:34 am
Hi Nick,
While I appreciate your viewpoint, simply reducing volume and not intensity is not an optimal protocol. In fact during tournament weeks, loads should be considerable lighter (as mentioned in the article). In season is about MAINTENANCE or maintaining the gains/benefits that you achieved during the off-season. If your basic premise is to keep the 1RM load, but decrease frequency, then you what will happen to your maximal strength?
However, it’s unfair for all of us to assume that “their way” is the ultimate best way. No one athlete is alike, so different stimuli need to be addressed.
Chris Costa
Jun 27, 2014 at 2:47 pm
Hi R,
That could benefit you, but not necessarily from a performance factor.
R
Jun 27, 2014 at 11:46 am
I’m just training like I need to lose weight.
Hieronymus
Jul 1, 2014 at 1:49 pm
P90X.
Chris Costa
Jul 1, 2014 at 6:21 pm
Sure, but it wont guarantee game improvement.