Sponsored by Aventon
Winter is when good golf intentions go to die under a comfy blanket, somewhere between the remote and the snack bowl. But a little work now can help you show up at the course in April ready to swing it like a champ, walk with the vigor of a young Jane Fonda, and maybe even remember where you left off improving your short game. No complicated plan required. Just keep moving, stay loose, and give golf a little attention before the season comes back around.
1. Stay limber
Stretching and yoga can help you feel less stiff when you get back to teeing it up for real. Put on the Golf Channel or your favorite YouTube golfer while you stretch. If you invest in a yoga instructor and she says “lengthen your spine,” take it as a gentle reminder that you’ve been folded into the couch like a lawn chair.
A few minutes of mobility work a day is really all we are recommending here. Focus on your hips, shoulders, and back—the parts expected to rotate when the thaw arrives. No need to twist yourself into a pretzel or audition for a circus. Move comfortably and regularly. You’re aiming for your first spring swing to feel like golf.
2. Maintain your strength
You don’t have to live in the gym to maintain your strength. Work with a personal trainer for a structured plan, or keep it simple with basic push and pull exercises (start with push-ups and dips). A few consistent sessions a week can help you hold onto the strength you’ll want when the season starts again. If you can’t grip it with a baseline of forearm strength, you won’t be able to rip it down the first fairway.
Pick a routine you’ll actually follow. A short workout you do beats an elaborate one you avoid while researching the perfect playlist. Push-ups, rows, and other basic movements can keep your upper body engaged; add leg and core work if it fits your plan. Keep the effort sensible and your form controlled. The goal is to show up in spring feeling capable, not to spend February walking around like your arms were replaced with borrowed garden hoses.
3. Train your golf speed—and keep swinging
If you have access to focused golf speed training, winter is a good time to work on it. At minimum, get outside and swing your clubs every other day, rain or shine, when conditions allow for it. That last part matters: a heroic swing on an icy driveway is a great way to train your physical therapist.
Mix in wedges and drivers so the motion stays familiar, from short shots to full swings. A few deliberate practice swings can remind you that golf involves more than standing indoors and explaining what went wrong on the last hole. Pay attention to balance and rhythm; you don’t need to turn every session into a contest against your personal speed record. If weather or footing makes swinging unsafe, practice indoors or call it a day. The clubs will be there tomorrow, patiently waiting for you to stop blaming the wind. 80’s Pro Tip: Grab an old driver, some duct tape, and the change rattling in the glove compartment box. Wrap the money around the clubhead and you instantly have a heavy club to swing.
4. Keep the weight off
Stay active and pay attention to what you eat. Winter makes it easy to let routines slide: one cozy night becomes a cozy week, and suddenly the couch knows your preferred side. It’s harder to feel ready for golf if you’ve spent months parked there with snacks within putting distance.
Keep moving in ways you enjoy, and make food choices that help you feel good. You don’t have to treat every holiday cookie like a rules violation or weigh dinner like you’re preparing evidence for the tournament committee. Just don’t let “I’ll get back to it in spring” become a four-month membership in the Couch Golf Club. Unless you want to play like shi* in April, keep moving. Your future self—and possibly your belt buckle—will appreciate it when you’re walking up the first fairway.
5. Build your cardio
Aim for focused cardio three to five days a week. Jog, walk hills, or—if your course allows it—take a walk around the golf course on the cart paths. Put on a podcast and go. The hosts can keep talking while you decide whether sprinting up that hill is doable. Challenge yourself.
Regular walking can help you feel more comfortable covering the course when the season returns. Start at a pace you can maintain, then build from there. You don’t have to sprint between holes like you’re late for your tee time; the point is to give your heart and legs a regular reason to show up. .
6. Get fresh air and work on your stress
A little time outside can be a good reset during the darker, colder months. Take a walk, breathe deeply, and give yourself a break from the daily grind. Fresh air won’t fix your slice, but it may make you less inclined to blame it on your inbox.
Lower stress and a clear head won’t help you hit out of a fairway bunker, but it may help you hit it less into fairway bunkers when the season starts up again after the thaw. Try a short walk without checking your phone every thirty seconds, or pause somewhere quiet and take a few slow breaths. Heaven forbid we all focus on our breathing and staying more present.
7. Try riding an e-bike
An e-bike can bring several winter-training goals together: time outside, steady cardio, and a reason to get moving. On a cold, windy morning, pedal assist can take the sting out of hills and headwinds, making it easier to get out the door. Keep pedaling and let your legs do the work; otherwise, you’ve bought a very stylish way to be chauffeured by a battery.
The Aventon Pace 5 suits this kind of ride. Its double-sided torque sensor reads how hard you’re pedaling and matches the assist to your effort, so pushing harder gets you more assistance while still giving you a workout. Ride Tune in the Aventon app lets you adjust torque, assist level, and pedal response independently. Turn the motor down for a training ride, then back up for an easier trip home. Swept-back handlebars and upright seating offer a relaxed position that may feel easier on a golfer’s lower back.
For longer, harder winter miles—or commuting—consider the Aventon Level 4. The Level 4 REC has a rear hub motor and regenerative braking; the Level 4 ADV has Aventon’s Ultro S mid-drive motor and 100 Nm of torque for climbing. Both have a torque sensor, suspension seatpost, and customizable display for ride details such as distance and time in the saddle.
Try two or three rides a week for 30 to 45 minutes at a conversational pace. Once a week, find a hill, select your lowest assist level, and push hard for 30 to 60 seconds before easing off. That change of pace can echo golf’s stop-and-go effort and help build the leg strength you’ll appreciate on the 16th tee—when the clubhouse is visible, but suspiciously far away.
A head start on April
Stick with these habits through winter and your handicap may even come down in April, while everyone else is struggling to fit into their britches, reach par 4s in two, and walk 18 holes without an oxygen mask. You’ll have kept your body moving, your swing familiar, and your legs ready for the guys trip to Ireland.
The goal is to come out of winter looking more like Tiger and less like Daly: fit, loose, and ready to play—not negotiating with your waistband before the first tee.