Now that Old Man Winter is finally making his annual exit from the Western Colorado weather scene, our thoughts turn to more pleasant things such as golf. With that in mind, I urge golfers to manage their expectations early in the season.

It's no secret that it has been a terrible winter on Colorado's Western Slope. Snow that arrived before Thanksgiving stayed with us almost until the Super Bowl, making it impossible for anyone to even think about going outside to hit a ball.

And, so, for most of us, it has been months since we've hit a golf ball. That means that the first few times we go out this spring, we need to manage our expectations of our golf game. In other words, don't expect to go out and play your first round of the season the same way you played your final round of last season. Unless you are an above average golfer, that most likely is not going to happen.

Spring time can be a frustrating time for golfers because their game often times is not what they think it should be. If this applies to you, I would admonish you to lower expectations and realize that before you even go out, that things might not go perfectly well. You should expect to hit plenty of bad shots. If you expect them, you won't be surprised when they happen and because of your managed expectations you should be able to respond more favorably to your mis-hits.

My advice, in that regard, would certainly be different later in the season where it would just be crazy to go out and expect to hit bad shots. For the average hacker, there is a difference between expecting a bad shot, and knowing that it's going to occur from time to time simply because of your skill level.

I would suggest getting to the range a handful of times before you actually play a round. This will help you get some of the cobwebs cleaned out, and help you get back into the swing of things. Bad shots on the range aren't nearly as devastating as bad shots on the course.

When you do get out to the course, remember not to put too much pressure on yourself early on. Stay relaxed and let it happen.

Lincoln Park, Tiara Rado, Chipeta, and Adobe Creek all have excellent driving ranges that will facilitate your efforts to improve your golf. Weather should be fabulous this weekend, so get those clubs out of the closet and I'll see you at the range.

 

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