The weather is starting to turn, and that means it’s time to play golf outdoors again for some of us. Even for those with a year-round golf climate, a winter break is good, too. There is more excitement in the air when you know you can go to the course.

Hitting the ball on the simulator indoors is absolutely a part of the process, but it is great to verify your ball flight outdoors. After a winter break, we stopped playing in the fall where routines and rhythm for the game were established, now it’s time to start the engines for the new campaign.

Here are five things I would keep in mind when it comes to equipment, starting the new season.

Start with your grips

Might as well start with the connection to the club. Checking in on how fresh your grips are is a nice start. Even a wipe down with a wet towel shows your clubs you care about them. It’s good to come back to the game after a break with a refreshed feel. Personally, this spring I am trying out a midsize grip on all of my clubs. This stems from years of building up my standard-size grips. I thought it would be worth trying midsize and cutting out some of the variation in building up the grip tape for each club. I have a friend who significantly changed his grip size after some discussions with his coach over the winter. If there is a time to experiment, the beginning of the season is the place.

Check your loft and lie

Over the course of a season, thousands of shots are struck. Each club is taking the brunt of the ball and turf. Easily overlooked, it is worth the time to examine the loft and lie of your irons and wedges. Sometimes that occurring miss to the right or left might not be your fault; the lie angle could be off by a degree or two. Or if a couple of irons or wedges are going a similar distance, the loft might be closer than it should be. I don’t like to point the finger at myself that I hit a bad shot, so an easy first target for an excuse is directed at the golf club. A benefit of getting your loft and lies checked is knowing the clubs are set to your swing, and you eliminate a variable for your equipment being off-kilter. 

Typically, my irons and wedges can shift a degree with the lie angle every few months. When I get them adjusted back, it is a refreshing look at the club, and the ball and club have the right sound at impact.

Take your new fit to the course

Over the winter, maybe you got fit with some new shafts for woods, irons, or wedges. When you get your clubs out on the course for the first time, there can be a little bit of an adjustment period. When you hit a great shot with any club, it’s going to be a great shot. Now it is time to learn about the mishits with the new shafts. Hitting a ball slightly thin could result in making the front of the green instead of coming up short. Off the tee, the ball that used to fade in the right rough will be on the right side of the fairway. Those shots and results help with course management as you learn the new equipment in your bag.

Dial in your wedge setup

I’m maybe not the best one to ask here, as I have a hard time saying no to trying new clubs, but when it comes to scoring clubs, how can you say no? Starting out in the spring, conditions differ from mid-season. Trying wedges with different bounces is worth a look. Higher bounce wedges for softer conditions, and lower bounce in firmer conditions. Commonly, you will see a mid to high bounce approach wedge, higher bounce for a wedge ranging from 52-56, and lower bounce for 58-62 degrees. That wedge setup can work year-round. But tinkering with some different styles is worth a shot to see what works, starting around the practice green. 

Remember the 15th club!

From Harvey Penick’s beloved Little Red Book, “the mind is the 15th club in the bag.” No need for me to talk about the mental game or instruction. Briefly, I can say that patience will prevail for a better start to your season and your game. Easy to say here while I write, but in the heat of the moment out on the course is much more difficult. The anticipation of playing golf all week and then seeing the ball fly in the opposite direction can be less than ideal. Over the winter, whether it is lessons or simulator golf, you have been playing; give yourself a break to let those new patterns set in. On the course, there are uneven lies and wind; in the simulator room, it’s a flat surface and calm. All of the work will click into place with a light-bulb moment. For now, it’s time to take flight this season, and let’s make one to remember.