It is no secret that playing is the best way of keeping your game up to scratch. Take every opportunity during the occasional breaks in the weather. But, to ensure good conditions all year round many players choose to escape to the sanctuary of a sunny destination for an enjoyable and intensive golfing break.

These sun kissed retreats are the perfect way to keep your hopes up and keep your game on track during the winter. There are many affordable destinations, ideal for golfers, just a short flight away. Check our Golf Travel Guides for more ideas and details.

Practice makes perfect and the driving range offers the best way of maintaining your swing and staying loose during winter. The act of striking a ball once a week will help enormously with the fundamentals so crucial to your game. Maintaining the basic swing plain; rotation; release and contact will engrain the muscle memory into your swing, leaving you poised for the spring.

All this can be achieved with less effort and better protection from the elements. You will even find some driving ranges like The Leaderboard Golf Centre in Reading will provide a convenient floodlit practice opportunity so you can play late into the eve and not be constrained by the short winter days.

Winter can also provide an opportunity for improvement and the chance to work some of the bad habits out of your game. Lessons with a pro is the best way to improve your swing and helps any golfer move to the next level. Practicing once a week and seeing your local pro each month will really help you move a step forward come springtime.

It’s more important when you’re playing less to build a good relationship with a PGA qualified professional you trust, who can deliver the know-how and expertise that really makes a difference. Take a look at our team of professional instructors who would love to help at the Leaderboard Golf Centre and other Leaderboard Courses.

Simulators Golf simulators provide a viable alternative to the course or driving range if you are unable to get out of the city. In my experience the various Urban Golf venues in London provide a really fun, weather free opportunity to swing your clubs and play some virtual ‘courses’.

However they are ultimately rather expensive (approximately £25 p/h depending on time of day) although costs can be reduced by sharing a session with a friend. I would classify this as more of an enjoyable day out rather than a long term practice option (unless you are not limted by costs) but it is certainly a great addition to a driving range alone, especially when combined with tuition.

When you are training for any great sporting event like a marathon the advice is always to find someone who you can train with and help keep you on track. This is no different for golf.

Training with a friend will push you and make the whole experience much more enjoyable. By planning and setting out a training regime you are more likely to succeed if you have company and even a healthy rivalry for when you return to the course.

Keep fit and supple Now you have your buddy it’s a good idea to keep fit and stay flexible when you return to the course. In the new era of golfing, hitting the gym has become as much a part of the game as hitting the range. Most of the high flying pros will work out, not for the sake of bulking up but to retain power and flexibility which will unleash itself on the course.

Far from the weights room a number of Pilates exercises and stretching techniques will help you maintain balance while staying nimble. Slow stretching, swinging with two clubs or using smaller aids like the Momentus Golf Swing Trainer will help keep you supple and fit. 

Practice at home - Long game Depending on your set up at home you can practice both indoors and outdoors. Provided you have enough space in your garden or even garage you can purchase a driving mate and hit into a variety of portable nets such as the highly recommended Quick Hit.

This allows you to practice your swing throughout the bag so you can stay sharp without having to go to the range. The portability of this new generation of nets allows you to practice wherever want and will keep the rust off your swing and your clubs.

It’s not just your swing that suffers during the winter. Your feel and alignment around the greens is of equal importance and the most likely factor for scoring a good round. Like the Quick Hit nets there are a number of portable short game aids that help keep you focused.

Even with limited room the Golf Chipping Net will help you keep your wedges and check while the Indoor Floppy Golf Ball allows you to chip around the home and office without the threat of breaking anything. It is also a good idea to get a putting matt that will allow you to hone your touch and alignment when it’s too wet to hit the greens.

Winter gear and preparation If you stand any chance of hitting the course before spring it is important that that you have all the gear that will allow you to overcome the conditions. Ultimately you will need: wet gear, warm gear, winter golf shoes/spikes, winter glove/mittens and of course an umbrella.

Being able to play golf in the UK requires you to be prepared and comfortable no matter what the weather throws at you, so to stay on form you need adapt to the weather and not let it ruin your game or scare you from the course. See our review of the best winter golf accessories.

Mental Preparation This may sound odd, but like any sport, your mental attitude and focus on the game is paramount. Simply forgetting about golf for a number of months will show on the first tee when you decide the season starts again. Training and visualising your game or favourite courses will keep you in a strong frame of mind. More importantly a positive mental attitude is more likely to motivate you onto the course or range when you would have otherwise abandoned the idea.

You have to be strong minded to play in the conditions we are used to so persevere and when the skies eventually clear up you will be focused and able to take on anything. The mental aspect of golf is a huge factor in your performance. Take every opportunity to practice and you will be rewarded in the springtime.