Gear up for another year of golf.

(NC)—Gearing up for another year on the golf course involves more than just dusting off your clubs and heading to the course. Take a few moments to examine your equipment, assess your spring fitness level, and keep a few tips in mind to help ease yourself – and your equipment – into another year of golf.

Equipment overhaul

After you've retrieved your golf clubs from the closet (hopefully you didn't store them in the garage, where they can be damaged by cold air and humidity), do a close inspection on all your clubs to check for rust or imperfections on the shaft or head, and any cracking on the grips.

"Look to see if your grips are shiny, if so, it is time to replace them," recommends Barry Wallis, on-staff golf professional at Callaway Golf Canada. "To clean last year's dirt off your clubs, fill a bucket with warm soapy water and scrub your clubs from top to bottom, then dry them completely."

Fitness check and warm-up

Before you head to the course for your first round of the season, take your freshly-cleaned clubs to the driving range. Before hitting any balls, take at least 10-15 minutes to stretch your hands, wrists, back, arms, hips and legs. Start slowly and stop if anything starts to hurt. And, most importantly – keep it short.

"Limit your first session at the driving range to one bucket of balls," says Wallis. "Straining yourself this early in the season could sideline you from the course for weeks."

Round one: start slow

When you are finally ready for your first round (preferably at least three days after your first time back at the driving range), have another stretching session. And once you are on the course, resist the temptation to hit the ball as hard and fast as you can right away.

"Start practicing with half wedges, then full wedges, then work your way up from a nine-iron to driver," says Wallis. "By easing into the season, you'll be more likely to stay injury-free until the snow falls again."

- News Canada