Winter golf season in most of the US arrived with Winter Storm Fern last weekend.  This is where tee times are replaced by snow shovels, and your clubs are hibernating somewhere under three layers of gear you swore you’d organize last year.

Across most of the country, courses are closed, ranges are frozen, and golfers were on the sidelines watching the PGA Tour stroll around La Quinta in short sleeves while sitting in their house in Parkas. Totally reasonable reaction: mild jealousy, followed by another cup of coffee.

As Lee Trevino once put it, “If you think it’s hard to concentrate on golf, try doing it when you can’t feel your hands.”

Winter has a way of stripping the game down to what actually matters.

Shoveling Snow Is Golf Training (Whether You Like It or Not)

If you spent last weekend clearing driveways and sidewalks, congratulations! You accidentally did golf-specific training.

Shoveling works your core, legs, grip, and rotation — all the things your swing depends on. Bonus points if you switched sides and didn’t just muscle everything like you were mad at winter (we’ve all been there).

It’s miserable. It’s exhausting. And somehow, it’s exactly the kind of movement your body needs in the offseason.

Pro Tip:  Hydrate after shoveling (your choice of hydration)!

Indoor Practice: Where Dignity Goes to Die (and Feel Improves)

No range? No problem.

Winter is the perfect time to work on the one thing that actually lowers scores: feel.

Chip foam balls or soft practice balls into a laundry basket. Pick a couch cushion and land shots softly on it. Brush the carpet without digging in. You’re not fixing mechanics — you’re training touch, distance control, and confidence.

If your family asks what you’re doing, do what Scottie did and just say “short-game work” and keep going.  Ignore the eye rolls and keep chipping.

Pro Tip:  Don't use real golf balls for this drill unless you enjoy patching holes in dry wall!

The Cleaning You’ve Been Putting Off All Year

Let’s be honest — your wedges need attention.

Winter is the only time you have the patience to actually clean grooves, wipe down shafts, and take a hard look at grips that probably should’ve been replaced two seasons ago.

Clean grooves don’t just look better. They spin more, control distance better, and make scoring shots feel predictable again. It’s not flashy, but it works.

Pro Tip:  Do this inside with warm water and not outside in the arctic cold.  Studies have shown that frozen water doesn't clean clubs nearly as well!

Watch Golf Like a Scorer

If you’re watching the PGA Tour while snow piles up outside, change your focus.

Stop watching tee shots. Start watching wedges.

Pay attention to trajectories, distances, and where the pros miss — because that’s where strokes are saved. Scottie's chipping and wedge play at the American Express was UNBELIEVABLE!  Scoring happens inside 100 yards, and winter is when smart golfers start thinking that way.

Pro Tip:  Get your shoveling in before turning on the TV and use this time for your post-golf training workout hydration session.

Winter Builds the Golfers Who Score First in Spring

Yes, winter sidelines most of us. But it also creates separation.

Golfers who use this time to sharpen feel, care for their tools, and rethink how they score don’t need weeks to shake off rust when courses reopen. They’re ready.

So shovel smart. Chip indoors. Clean your wedges.
Arctic cold builds character — and if you do it right, a better short game too.

That’s how you stay Inside the Scoring Zone, even when the fairways are frozen.