It’s that time of year again. The mornings are warming up, the courses are greening out, and your buddies are already texting about tee times. But before you grab your bag out of the garage and head straight to the first tee, let me tell you what I actually do to get ready for the season. Jumping in cold is how you shoot 15 over your average and tweak your back on hole 6.
I’ve been through this cycle more times than I can count. Every spring, same thing. Here’s what the first week looks like for me.
🏘️ The Bag Audit
First thing I do isn’t hit balls. It’s sit down with my bag and go through everything.
Grips. Are they slick? Worn down on the left side? If you played 30+ rounds last year and didn’t regrip, they’re done. You’re losing shots because your hands are slipping and you don’t even realize it. Fresh grips cost maybe $8 a club. Best money you’ll spend all year.
Then I check the grooves on my wedges. Take your thumbnail and drag it across the face. If it doesn’t catch, those grooves aren’t doing their job anymore. Wedges wear out faster than people think, especially if you play a lot of sand shots.
I also pull everything out and ask myself: did I actually use this club last year? That 3 iron collecting dust? Replace it with a hybrid you’ll actually hit. The point isn’t to have 14 cool clubs. It’s to have 14 clubs you trust.
🏋️♂️ The Range, But Not How You Think
Most guys go to the range and immediately start ripping driver. I get it. It’s fun. But after a few months off, your body isn’t ready for that.
I start with a pitching wedge. Half swings. Just feeling the club in my hands again, getting the rhythm back. I’ll hit maybe 20 of those before I even think about moving to a 7 iron.
The first range session isn’t about fixing anything. It’s literally just reconnecting. Your body remembers more than you think, but it needs a minute to wake up.
I spend maybe 45 minutes total. Half the bucket is wedges and short irons. The other half works up through the bag. Driver gets maybe 10 balls at the end, and I’m swinging 70%.
If you try to go full send on day one, two things happen: you get frustrated because the ball isn’t going where it should, and you’re sore for three days after. Neither helps.
⛳ The Short Game First
This is the part nobody wants to hear, but it’s the truth. If I only had one hour to prep for the season, I’d spend it on the putting green and the chipping area. Not the range.
Your putting stroke doesn’t really go away over the winter, but your feel does. Speed control, green reading, confidence over the ball, that stuff fades. I’ll spend 20 minutes just rolling putts from different distances. Not aiming at anything specific. Just getting the speed back in my hands.
Then I’ll chip for a while. Different lies, different clubs. Bump and run with an 8 iron. Flop with a lob wedge. The thing about chipping is it builds your confidence faster than anything else. When you know you can get up and down, the rest of your game relaxes.
🚶 Play 9 First, Not 18
I know you want to play 18. Everyone does. But trust me on this: play 9 your first time out. Late afternoon, no pressure, just you and the course.
By hole 12 or 13 on your first round back, your body is tired, your focus is gone, and you’re grinding just to finish. That back nine can leave a bad taste that sticks with you for weeks.
Play 9. Enjoy it. Walk if you can. Don’t keep score if you don’t want to. Just play golf. Feel the grass, read some greens, hit some shots. Remind yourself why you love this game.
Then next week, go play 18 and you’ll feel like a completely different player.
🛍 The Gear Trap
Spring is when every brand drops new stuff. New drivers, new irons, new putters. And some of it is really good.
But here’s my advice: don’t buy anything for the first month. Play what you have. Get your feel back with familiar equipment. Once you’ve played 4 to 5 rounds and you know where your actual gaps are, then look at gear.
If you’re going to upgrade one thing, make it your wedges. That’s where scoring happens. A new driver might gain you 10 yards. A new wedge with fresh grooves might save you 3 to 4 shots per round.
🎯 Set a Number
Last thing I do before the season starts: I pick a number. Not a crazy goal. Just something realistic to work toward.
Pick one thing. Maybe it’s breaking 90 for the first time. Maybe it’s hitting more fairways. Maybe it’s just playing once a week no matter what. Write it down somewhere you’ll see it.
Goals that live in your head get forgotten by May. Goals you write down have a way of actually happening.
✅ That’s It
Nothing complicated. Check your gear, ease into the range, prioritize the short game, play 9 before you play 18, resist the urge to buy everything new, and set one goal for the year.
Spring golf should be fun. It’s a fresh start. The rust comes off faster than you think, especially if you’re smart about it.
March 31, 2026 • Written By: BogeyBlasters
