Five Quick Tips Before Playing Golf after 4-6 Months Off

1. Check Your Grips & Your Grip
2. Become Athletic, Relaxed Athleticism
3. Check Your Expectations at the 1st Tee.
4. Simply Enjoy Being Outside 
5. Don't Get Too High on a Good Start or a Bad Start

• Check your grips because if they are old and worn down, this will affect how tightly you hold the club. Gripping the club too tightly introduces tension, which is a killer to any golfer.  If you do not have time to put new grips on, wash them with warm, soapy water for the short term. 

Check your grip on the golf club to make sure you can see 2 knuckles on your left hand (right handed player) and make sure the right hand "v" points up to chin (illustration below).

• As any athlete will tell you, they tend to perform their best when they are relaxed but ready for anything.  If they are ready and relaxed they can more clearly react to whatever comes their way. This is exactly what the early season golfer should do, simply react to shots. Don't think technically just try and produce a shot.  If you succeed great, if you fail great.  Learn from what worked and what didn't and leave it at that.

• Checking expectations at the 1st tee is great for any player, early or late in the season.  It is especially important early in the season as many of us will be rusty that we cut ourselves some slack.

• To follow up on checking expectations, a great way to have lower or preferably zero expectation is to simply enjoy being outside on a nice day!

• Last but not least, stay even keel.  A great start to the season is a nice positive way to begin and can be a momentum builder but it can also cause raised expectations.  On the flip side, a bad start is not the end of the world either.  

Happy May Day! 

Kevin Trobaugh, PGA Apprentice at Des Moines Golf & CC