Just had a look at my last rounds.....The last time I was able to play was the 8 Dec !!!!! I didn't realise it was that long ago. To top it off I was starting to get in the groove and my score had got down to 89 (Off winter tees) from 103 (off yellows) on 2nd Sept.

I really need/want to get back on the horse and start moving forward again. Hopefully by this time next week the courses will be playable again.....how I miss grass!

For you seasoned fellows, how long does it take you to get back into your groove after a few weeks off?

Exactly the same enforced lay off as me, Lewis. And many others, no doubt.

You might be surprised how well you do play when you get back out there. A few weeks shouldn't make any difference. It's when it runs into months or years you need to worry. My longest single lay off was 5 years

Lewis,

I had a 3 month lay off with a back injury during the summer, Came back last month and shot my best round on the Derby, playing to handicap and whipping my playing partners arse in the process,

As David says probably do you more good than anything as you'll just be focused on playing and not tweaking swing etc,etc.

Lay-offs either work for you or they don't and I believe that if they don't then it is because you do not have a retentive thought process about how one should swing the club.

I tend to suffer now, not beccause of this, but because my aching bones get locked up with the inaction and they need a little time to unlock themselves.

When I was younger and working hard I have been known to not play for six months because of pressure of work, yet then pop out to the course for a game and shoot 68. All luck of course.

Gary Player used to say the more he practiced the luckier he got too JP......

I still play crap even after a lay off!  Desperate to get out for a knock now though!! This weather is torture.

I don't feel I have the muscle memory yet to be able to slot back in without needing to find my swing again.....I'm sure it will come back quick enough though. I felt I was just on an upward curve before the snow came - I was doing 7-10 hours a week practice, with the odd game too.

In my head I have a clear view of what I need to be doing - but the plan is to get it feeling natural.

John, any titbits you would have towards the mental approach would be greatly received.... During one of my rounds my strokes only take around 190 seconds !!!! on a 3.5 hour round that leaves alot of time for my head to ruin my scorecard!

No such thing as muscle memory, Lewis, all muscles are controlled by the brain. It is the brain that remembers the feel of a good swing.

I am not a great beleiver in the mental theories that are bandied about now as if they are the be all of end all. Books and videos are made to make money by sales tio the gullible.

If, however, you do feel that it would help you then perhaps our own Mr Wayne Santorini could help, as he is newly qualified in this field.

Lewis, Just relax and play. Once we all get out there that is of course

Dont think too much about it, just play hole for hole with course management as your No1 dog and all will be fine

Anybody tried indoor golf over the last month or so?

Quite a few around the country and their offering good deals too. Okay it may not be 100% accurate to being out on the beautiful fairways but good fun all the same and you can find yourself playing some of the best courses around the world!

 Look out for golfshakes new feature on indoor golf coming soon.

Must admit I can't get enthused over "Cyber Golf", I'd rather go without if I can't play on a proper course.

Had a quick peak at indoor golf in brum(getting desperate now) looks like Livinggolf in B'ham have go bump, Not many enthusiastic either

Lewis,

If I've had a lay off for any reason I find that it usually helps my game as I go out on the course with the intention of not trying to hit the ball as hard as I can and just swing within myself. All is fine until I get over confident and forget about swinging within myself which is when my round starts to deteriorate. If only I could train my brain so that it doesn't get over excited......... You'll be fine mate. Probably be suprised at how natural it all feels when you finally get back out there.

A few of us from the CGL had a go at Cyber Golf in Nottingham at the weekend.  OK, it's not a substitute for the real thing, given a chance (and only slightly better weather) we would all rather be out on a course.  But it was good fun, lots of banter (11 of us in 3 bays) and a friendly, sociable atmosphere.  And inevitably the competitive instinct surfaced, especially as I shot out the of blocks with a stunning 2 under after 7 holes, ending up with 40 points - at Pebble Beach off the whites!  Yes, I'm the first Cyber Bandit!

It's better and warmer than a driving range and it has a bar and food.  You can take your own clubs but they also had some decent Titleist and Mizuno kit available.

Glad you had a good time Tim,

Any of you out there that want to find out more about indoor golf have a look at this:

http://www.golfshake.com/news/view/1385/AllyouneedtoknowaboutIndoor_Golf.ht
ml

Tim,

Could get a bit embarrasing if you don't make it past the ladies tee & you have to do the forefeit, especially with woman & young kids around

Mind you I suppose there's no chance of you slipping on a muddy bank!!

You do have to finish the hole's off as you would when playing the real thing. Grab your putter and aim towards the red line on screen. In theory, if you hit in and around the line at a good pace you should see your ball drop in the hole, however it is quite hard to get the pace right. Anything with 6ft is a gimme though, so take that and move onto the next hole.

That explains why you were 2 under after 7