While golf is a remarkable game with a long history, the challenge to improve can feel daunting. With so many details to focus on, such as driving, iron choice, short game, and even dealing with psychological pressure, it’s certainly a never-ending journey.
Despite never being able to achieve perfection, the path to becoming a better player is rewarding and worthwhile. The satisfaction that comes from shooting quality scores and impressing your buddies is priceless. And even though many golfers want to put in the time to get better, it’s not always easy getting access to the course for practice.
Fortunately, even with limited space, there are ways to improve your golf game. One option is the backyard, another is the office. In this article, we’ve compiled some creative ways to practice golf anywhere so you can work on your game more often.
What Ways Can You Practice Off The Golf Course?
There are numerous drills and fundamentals you can practice just about anywhere to help you play better golf and improve your scores on the course. In this article, we’ll cover the following ways you can work on your game:
- Hitting into a net from close range
- Practice putting on an artificial green
- Competitive short game practice
- Low point control drills
- Speed training for your swing
- Control your tempo and rhythm
Hitting Into A Net From Close Range
In order to get really good at golf, it takes hitting thousands of shots. The goal of using a net is to get a high number of repetitions in. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you have a quality net. And to prevent damage to floors or grass in your backyard, you may want to utilize a hitting mat as well. Having a net makes it much easier to work on making solid contact, which is essential to improving at golf and reaching your full potential.
The key here is to pick a target on the net and try to hit that spot consistently. To do this, you’ll need to work on your pre-shot routine, your aim, and your overall ball contact.
If you want to take this practice up a notch, consider adding a launch monitor to your practice toolkit. The SkyTrak Launch Monitor is one popular option, as it provides excellent feedback on the direction, speed, spin, and launch angle for each shot. For the ultimate in realistic golf anywhere, add an enclosure with an impact screen, gaming computer, and a projector. With this setup, you’ll be able to play real courses through software.
The cost definitely starts to climb once you start adding more realistic practice systems like a launch monitor, but the return on investment can be huge for your game scores. There’s no substitute for repetition!
Practice Putting On An Artificial Green
Depending on your space, you can have synthetic greens installed, build an actual green with the right type of grass seed and mower, or simply buy a strip of synthetic turf that can be placed wherever you need it.
The goal here is to practice your 3-10 footers to find the stroke that works best for you. There are many tools to help you with this, and some may be costly, but finding a way to practice your putting at home or in the office can make all the difference for your scores.
Competitive Short Game Practice
Most people have enough space to be able to take some simple chip shots. Just grab a bucket or a chipping golf net, then hit shots from different distances. Try using many different clubs and lofts to find your weaknesses.
Having a quality short game takes some of the pressure off your drive. If you know that you can make up for missing the green, you actually have a far better chance at a clean drive because you’ll be more relaxed.
Low Point Control Drills
If you struggle with solid ball contact, the first step is to improve your low point control of the golf club, which is where your club strikes the ground. This drill will work in your backyard, and you’ll just need some foam golf balls and yard paint:
- Use yard paint to make a line about 1-2 yards long.
- Get some foam golf balls.
- Place a foam golf ball on the line.
- Hit the foam ball and check where your divot begins.
- The goal is to have your divot start on the target side of the line.
- Repeat this drill 20 times to assess your skill level.
- Continue this drill until you can do it 19 times out of 20.
Speed Training For Your Swing
The data is pretty clear on the importance of speed in the game of golf. Think about it this way—would you rather hit your approach shot from 130 yards or 160 yards? Speed is the key to having shorter approach shots, making it easier to get the ball closer to the hole to make more putts!
One tool for training your swing speed is the SuperSpeed Training System. This over-speed training system involves training every other day for about 10-15 minutes with different swing sticks. Some claim an increase in swing speed by 5-8%, which can mean an extra 20-30 yards on the course.
Control Your Tempo And Rhythm
When you want to develop a silky smooth swing, the Orange Whip might be exactly what you are looking for. The benefits of simply swinging each day to work on tempo and sequencing can mean huge strides in your game. This type of training is especially good if you only play once a week or less. If you often find yourself feeling rusty on the first tee, you can lose that feeling by taking only five minutes a day with a tempo training tool like the Orange Whip.
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