10+ Ways To Practice Golf At Home
Last Updated on 7 May, 2021 16:58 by Pri
How to practice golf at home?
Knowing how to practice golf at home is crucial if you struggle to get to the course or driving range on a regular basis. Practising at home is not as restrictive as you might think, either. There are countless exercises you can undertake in any indoor space to help improve grip and posture, not mention master your swing and putting ability. Read on for our in-depth guide on how to practice golf at home to dramatically improve your performance on the golf course.
Fitness Foundations
As with any type of sport or outdoor activity, you will need to ensure you have good levels of basic fitness when it comes to getting geared up for golf. Thankfully, getting yourself fit enough for the golf course is something you can easily take charge of from the comfort of your own home. There are many different aspects of physical fitness that can be focused on to improve your golfing proficiency. Improving your overall health and fitness levels are essential for keeping up with fellow players during a full par game of golf.
However, you will also need to ensure you are flexible enough to properly perform during a game.
When looking to improve your fitness, one key area of focus should your balance and general flexibility. Good balance is essential for lining up a shot and taking a full swing at the ball. Your balance can be dramatically improved by simple exercises. Consider introducing some stretching exercises to your daily routine. If your current fitness levels allow for it, you may also want to delve into yoga to see serious gains when it comes to flexibility and balance.
You should also be looking to build your core strength as this will yield significant improvements to your posture. Almost any form of abdominal exercise will help you build your core strength. The more adventurous golfer may also want to consider undertaking pilates or yoga classes from home.
To get the best out of your swing, you should also look to build your muscle strength. Building muscle strength is relatively simple. Those with very little existing muscle strength can start slowly with dumbbells, before building up to more conventional weight lifts. If you have existing weaknesses or physical injuries that might impair your game, you can also use this type of training to compensate for any physical shortcomings.
Exercising at home is the foundation step to mastering golf practice at home. The good news is that it is incredibly accessible and need not cost you a penny. Even if you do not own any training equipment, you can undertake all manner of exercises and fitness-building activities. Turn to the internet for a near endless supply of exercise videos and training guides to help you fine-tune your physical health.
Study Your Grip
To make sure you are doing things correctly, you will need to take a long hard look at yourself. A mirror offers a handy way for you to get a clear oversight of your form and posture. Start with perfecting your grip. A poor grip causes all manner of issues and can significantly affect your swing. To overcome this hurdle, practice your grip alignments in front of a mirror so you have a clear perspective on what you are doing and what you might be doing wrong.
Provided you are practising in front of a large enough mirror, you will be able to ensure your hands are strategically placed in exactly the right location. This sort of practice is ideal for those looking to ensure consistent grip across all their games, without having to rely on raised rides usually reserved for more expensive golf grips. As with exercise resources, the internet offers a wide variety of videos and in-depth written guides to help you master a great grip. And whilst we’re talking about this, remember to check out our guide on the top rated golf grips on the market today.
Perfecting Your Posture
Poor posture is another factor that can have detrimental impact on your game. As with your grip, you should look to practice your posture in front of a mirror. By getting a full view of your profile in a mirror, you can make minor adjustments to your posture to ensure it is optimal. Bear in mind that correct posture is a delicate balance of properly angled spines and bent knees, which is difficult to experiment with when you can not see what you are doing. There are endless resources online for golfers looking to experiment with posture and various positions.
Practising Your Swing
If your swing needs some serious work, rest assured you can practice at home. Provided you have enough space inside, a dreary downpour need not stop you from practising a full swing indoors. To perfect your swing, you should once again utilise a mirror whenever possible. To begin with, take practice swings at a much slower pace than your usual speed. Remember, the aim here is to assess your positioning and path of the club. By doing this, you can make essential adjustments to your positions that can be put to good use when you swing at full speed.
A very useful training exercise you can turn to perfect your swing is to use two clubs at once. The clubs you use should be of similar length (consecutive irons are good for this). This exercise requires you to hold both clubs at the same time. When you come to take a swing and enter the backswing stage, you will quickly notice a pulling sensation courtesy of the extra weight of the additional club. This exercise should be repeated for around ten times and will help refine your control over a club when you swing. An exercise like this is also very handy for helping you adjust your swing speeds.
It is tempting to simply grab your clubs and a box of golf balls and head outside to take full shots. Save this kind of practice for the driving range, particularly if you are less experienced and have other areas to focus on. After all, swing at a ball at full speed will result in long flights that you probably will not be able to keep an oversight on. Full shot practice like this is also pointless if you still have posture issues to work on.
Swing Practice Equipment
If you have a big budget to play around with, you can consider investing in a launch monitor system / simulator (like the SKYTRAK) . These hi-tech systems utilise cutting-edge components to offer you a thorough assessment of your swings. However, such systems are often best reserved for the more experienced golfer who requires such feedback and can properly implement it.
That being said, there several pieces of equipment the more novice golfer can purchase to perfect swings at home. A basic practice net is a very useful option for those looking to enjoy full swing practice from the comfort of their own home. A decent sized hitting net will usually require you have some outdoor space to work with, although even a garage should be sufficiently large to accommodate one. If you are interested in purchasing a practice net, ensure the mesh material is strong enough to withstand particularly powerful drives.
A driving wall is another option to consider. Driving walls are very durable, with the mesh material designed to withstand the impact of powerful drives. They are usually larger than conventional swing nets, although they do not offer the same wraparound design for capturing wayward golf balls. If you are still unsure in your swing, you should ensure you have an outdoor area to erect your driving wall.
A more expensive option is a free-standing golf cage. These are similar to the kind of practice cages you will see at golf courses and driving ranges, but they are slightly smaller in stature, making them a suitable choice for those with a small garden or patio. These are particularly useful for the beginner who has yet to master control over their shots, especially when it comes to ensuring straighter trajectories.
Putting Practice
Practising your swings at home requires some compromise, but practising your putting is far easier. You have a wide range of options for practising your putts at home and many of these can be enjoyed free of charge.
Carpeted floors are particularly useful for playing around with your putts. You should bear in mind that carpet fibres offer more resistance, meaning golf balls will run more slowly across carpeted surfaces, but they are incredibly handy for refining control over your putter all the same. Just about any receptacle can be used in lieu of a target hole.
If you are a little heavy-handed when it comes to the green, you can also undertake a few practice drills to pare down the power of your putts. Practice putting a golf ball toward another, with the aim being to touch it as gently as possible. Golf balls with good acoustics are particularly useful for this exercise as the audible feedback will let you know how hard you are striking the second ball.
Looking for straighter lines on the green? Consider laying down some marking tape across hard flooring in a straight line. Then all you need to do is putt the ball along the line and aim to stay within the borders of the tape or marking material. Repeat this as often as you need to straighten your shots and improve your accuracy on the green.
Putting Green Equipment
Although it is easy to practice putting at home with minimal resources, you should also consider investing in some putting equipment to make your exercises as useful as possible. Putting mats are very affordable and offer you a convenient way to practice your putts just about anywhere. You will find all manner of putting mats available on the market, ranging from simple flat surfaces with artificial grass and simple markings to more advanced options with sloped terrain and multiple putting holes.
If you have the budget to play with, look for putting matts that provide multiple putting scenarios. Mats with multiple par holes with upslopes will allow you to practice a wider variety of shots. You will also find mats that include par holes with different diameters. The best putting mats will include gravity-assisted or battery-operated ball return mechanisms as standard, allowing you to enjoy continuous play without you having to constantly reach for a fresh ball.
If you are short on space, consider a compact ball return putting system. These automatic ball return systems include a slight upslope and can be placed down on any interior surface. You will need a decent surface to practice on, however. These compact putting systems tend to be very affordable so are a good choice for the budget-conscious buyer. They are also very portable, so can be tucked away in a backpack and taken out for practice just about anywhere.
Chip Shot Practice
Chipping practice is another key area you should be thinking about. A good chip shot will come in handy time and again when you find yourself near the green and can help you maintain a lower handicap. A chip shot practice net is a good investment for those looking to add more versatility to their chip shot repertoire. These nets can be used in the garden or indoors provided you have enough space to work with. Chipping nets provide you with a simple practice target, while also ensuring your balls are all collected and within easy reach when you need to replenish.
Mastering the Mindset
Fine-tuning your technique and improving your fitness levels is all well and good, but getting your head in the game is equally important. Mastering visualisation techniques will bolster your confidence on the golf course and significantly improve your prowess. Provided you have practised grip, posture and swing at home, you should be able to properly visualise a potential swing to ensure it pays off in practice on the course.
Do you know where you are going to play? Make sure you have built a detailed mental picture of the playing conditions you will experience. Familiarise yourself with the terrain in as much detail as possible. If you can, factor in weather conditions and how these might impact your game. Becoming accustomed with course management will allow you to make better informed decisions when it comes to teeing off.
Putting Everything into Practice
There is no excuse for letting your golf training fall by the wayside just because you can not make it to the range or course. Hopefully, there are at least a few essential tips outlined above that you can put into practice at home to improve your game. After all, practice makes perfect and what’s more, it need not cost you a penny.
