No Golf in Winter

I live in Maine, and from October to mid May, there is no golf to be played here. I was wondering if any of you cannot play golf for extended periods of time like this. Usually I don't do anything really golf related from the end of the season until late winter/ Spring, and then I begin to get ready mentally, and start to go just swing a golf club in the snow. What do you do if anything that is golf related when the season doesn't allow outdoor golf?

-Thanks

keith
not sure i would play golf if i had to take a long break like that every year.
2 work colleagues store their clubs away for winter every year but then bemoan that its like starting again in spring and that their handicaps have hardly changed in 10 years of playing!

No golf in Winter = accute depression, I live in central British Columbia, on average the season would be mid March to the end of October. I guess a full seven months is not too bad at all, the last of the snow cleared from the new club I joined a couple of weeks ago.
There is one practice facility in the area that should be open this week so that's a bonus. I take out my Hogan book and go over my basics, grip, stance and posture and practice short putts in my spare room. There is an indoor practice facility at one of the large golf outlets ( virtual golf ) so I go there for an hour while my wife is shopping. I enjoy doing that although it's a wee bit pricey ( $ 32.50 an hour to rent a booth ).
I guess patience is the answer, let nature do it's thing and we shall be out there shortly. I enjoy watching the pro's playing on big screen HD at home on the weekends and there is hours of instruction on The Golf Channel's website. It's also nice to be a member of this website, lot's of good advice from a bunch of good guys !! Happy golfing when it arrives.

I live in Ohio and I push the winters to the edge. I usually golf from February/March to December. As long as there is no snow on the ground I am out there.

One side note, during the months of January and February, when I don't play, it usually gives me a chance to forget the bad habits I picked up and start anew....haha

I also play chess and poker during those months....

Chessbum...

Thanks for all the replies. I can play at an indoor simulator where you hit off artificial turf at a screen and it can track all speed and therefor distance. You can play an 18 hole on there, but it's just not the same.

I tinker with clubs, hit a ton of chips, putt around the house, post a ton on message boards

Since my brother in law started wintering in Florida, I get down there for a week (just got back yesterday!) and get an in-person lesson with my coach.

But generally speaking, it's short game and mental practice.

Like the rest of us chumps in Canada ... looking at a golf season from April to October ... so generally 4-5 months of snow.

This will be my 6th season. In previous years, I have:
- gone to a simulator occasionally but this just taught me to trick the sim - bad spring.
- went to the indoor range every 2-3 weeks, but I did not progress ... too much time between visits ... and too much thinking about my swing - very bad spring.
- putting only (last year) - putting improved greatly in the spring.
- done nothing or 1 or 2 visits - actually ok spring.

This winter I have gone to an indoor practice facility 4-5 days a week and practiced: chipping, putting, full and partial swings, flop and sand shots. The place also video analysis, but I had to limit myself to once a week or else it would have been every shot. Every swing had a purpose and I was not just swinging to "swing".

I am hopeful that this spring will be a good spring.
I will let you know.
Charles

Cool, I just try and hit snowballs around outside towards the end of winter, haha. Thanks again for all the replies.

Living in South Australia i suppose we are spoilt, we play all year round here apart from the occasional washout, or for the people who cannot handle the odd hot day up to 44 degrees centrigrate. From November to March is the best time as we have daylight savings which means it does not get dark till 8.30pm, these months is where i improve most as i can practice after work.

What if the winter break is a blessing? We have a 6 - 7 months golf a year in central Finland. In winter you have all the time to learn about swing techniques and view slo-mo videos of tour players:-)

Or educate your hands by chipping an putting around the house:-)
Short game is what counts so we have a 5 month period of full time short game practice - isn't that nice :-)

Hannu
(did some chipping and crosscountry skiing today)