When winter hits us here in Michigan, I know many of you look out the window, see the lake-effect snow blowing sideways, and think: Well… that’s it for golf until April. But I promise you, your game doesn’t have to go into hibernation.
The off-season is one of the best times to grow as a golfer, especially when you can’t physically be on the course. I encourage all my students to use winter to build their mental game, understand their swing better, and stay connected to the sport. So here are my personal recommendations for the best golf podcasts and books to dive into during Michigan’s snowy months.
🎧 Podcasts
1. The Golfers Journal Podcast
This podcast takes you into the heart of the game—stories, personalities, and the culture that makes golf special. I often listen to it while doing winter practice plans.
Why I recommend it:
It reminds you why you love golf, especially during long stretches off the course.
2. Hack It Out Golf
Mark Crossfield and Lou Stagner offer a blend of instruction and data-driven advice that cuts through common myths.
Insight:
If you want to understand what actually improves your scores, not fads, start here.
3. Chasing Scratch
This isn’t instructional. It’s entertainment mixed with real improvement lessons from two regular guys.
Why it matters:
Golf can feel intimidating. This show makes the journey relatable and fun.
📚 Books Every Michigan Golfer Should Read in the Off-Season
1. Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons
You’ve heard me say it in lessons: fundamentals never go out of style. This book lays them out clearly and simply.
Why I give this book homework:
It helps you visualize correct positions when you can’t physically train outside.
2. Every Shot Must Have a Purpose
This book completely reshaped how many golfers approach their rounds and practice sessions.
Golfers who read this:
Hit the course in spring more focused and less frustrated.
3. Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect
A mental-game classic. Most of you struggle more with confidence than swing mechanics. This book helps fix that.
Winter takeaway:
Your mindset can be trained even when your swing can’t.
Winter may take golf away from us physically, but it also gives us something incredibly valuable, time to grow without pressure. Time to learn, reflect, rebuild, and reconnect with why we love this game in the first place.
I want you to remember this:
Golfers aren’t made in the summer… they’re revealed in the summer. They’re made in the quiet months, when no one is watching, when the courses are buried in snow, and when you choose to stay committed anyway.
Every podcast you listen to, every chapter you read, every drill you squeeze in between shoveling the driveway, those little winter habits become the foundation of your spring confidence.
So don’t wait for perfect conditions. Don’t wait for the grass to turn green. Start building the golfer you want to be right now, in the heart of Michigan’s winter.
Because when April finally arrives and it will, you’ll step onto that first tee with a sense of readiness most golfers only dream of. And you’ll know exactly why:
You didn’t take the winter off. You used it.
Let’s make this your most prepared, most confident, and most exciting golf season yet.
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