The penalty for missing fairways during the winter season are harsh. Hitting more fairways during the winter months is absolutely crucial, far more so than during the warm, dry, summer months. If you miss the fairway you run the risk of losing your ball under leaves, losing it in a plugged lie or ending up with such a bad lie you’re only option is to hack the ball out sideways. I’ve listed a few points to help you hit more fairways over the coming months, some may apply to you and some may not but hopefully they will help you up your ‘fairways hit’ stats:

• Add extra loft to your driver (if it’s adjustable). Increasing the loft on a driver will help reduce sidespin for straighter drives. Definitely worth considering if you slice the odd drive. If your driver is fixed in loft and you still slice the ball it may be time to start thinking about trying one of the NEW adjustable, increased in loft, anti-slice drivers available for you to try in a custom fitting.

• Use a reliable club. If your driver is a bit ‘unreliable’ take a club you know you’re more accurate with off the tee, maybe a fairway wood, hybrid or even an iron. Sacrificing distance for accuracy may just be the best ‘on course’ swing choice you make.

• Tee the ball lower. This will encourage a slightly steeper angle of attack at the ball. The ball will fly lower (under the tree line for less wind effect) with more spin for straighter, more accurate drives.

• Study the wind conditions. If you hit the ball high the wind will have a major effect on the ball flight, especially if the wind is contributing to the spin you put on the ball. If you hit a fade into a strong left-to-right wind the ball will move dramatically so allow for that by aiming into the left-hand rough. If you fade into a right-to-left the wind will negate some of the spin so you can aim straight (or only slightly left). It’s vice versa for draw/hooked shots.

• Work on your rhythm for tee shots. The temptation in bad weather is to go too hard at the ball resulting in a swing that’s out of sync. Work on a good rhythm with the hands and body working in unison before you play, resist the temptation to hit ‘at’ the ball.

• Stick to your tried and tested shape of shot. You may have been working on hitting the draw shape that sends the ball further but if your reliable shape of shot is a gentle fade then play the fade. The golf course isn’t the time to ‘try new things out’. Trying to hit shots that aren’t natural to you will only end in tears (that’s what the range is for).

• Align well. Just because it’s chilly don’t skip through or miss out your alignment routine. Knowing you’re aiming where you intend the ball to start will give you confidence to hit the good shot. As mentioned earlier, you may need to aim into the rough if the conditions and slopes are against your natural shape of shot.

• Layer Up. Staying warm is crucial to keeping the swing flowing properly. If you get cold the swing becomes short, your backswing doesn’t complete and the general result is a pull or slice. Good quality base/mid/outer layer clothing, a hat, gloves and handwarmers are all essential to help you stay warm.

If you hit the fairway more often you can take advantage of the winter rules; hitting a longer shot from the fairway with a clean, dry, ball and clubface is often easier than a shorter shot from a thick, wet, rough lie with a dirty ‘mudball’. Hitting more fairways at this time of year WILL reduce your scores, make the game so much more enjoyable and help you take the money off your friends, the latter being so very pleasurable.