If you’re like me, golf is a passion. You love to play all the time. You’ll play 9 holes, 18 holes, even 36 holes, if you can find friends to play with. If you can’t, you’ll play with people you don’t know. It’s a good way to make new friends.
But the winter may end your passion soon. You can’t play out doors because it’s too cold. And you can’t play inside because there’s no indoor course near you. But this doesn’t mean you can’t improve your game. Practicing at home can help you master new skills and shrink your golf handicap.
A Time-Honored Tradition
Doing golf drills at home is a time-honored tradition. Putting on the carpet in your apartment or on a rug in your basement is a staple of this tradition. You can use an electric putting cup or just a glass on its side for this purpose. Just don’t put the target against the wall. You want to see how far your putt goes when you miss.
Reading is also a staple of home practice. Two books we recommend in our golf lessons are: The 3-Degree Putting Solution by Michael Breed and Fix Your Body, Fix Your Swing by Joe Diovisalvi and Steve Steinberg. Both are great to read by winter’s light. So are Dave Pelz’s books. He’s made a career of helping player master their short games and he offers good advice.
Below are six other proven ways to improve at home:
1. Get to know your wedges
Developing a good feel for your wedges is critical to reducing scores. Take your wedges into the house and hold one while watching television or reading. Keep it in your non-dominant hand. That’s your lead hand. Get used to how the club feels in your hand.
2. Chip into the drapes
For those of you a little more daring, hit short hips into the drapes. It’s what Lee Trevino reportedly did. Ideally, you want heavy drapes to hit into. You don’t need to bang the ball. You just need to develop muscle memory. You can also substitute plastic balls for this if you don’t want to putt into the drapes.
3. Visualize good shots
Research says your mind can’t tell the difference between an imagined shot and a real one. Take advantage of this research. Play shots on your favorite course and shoot the best score ever. Keep this exercise in mind on the course as well. Visualize your shot just before striking a ball.
4. Do strengthening exercises
You don’t have to bulk up like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Just strengthen your muscles. Work on your core, legs, arms, hands, and hips. Doing cardio exercises is great, too. Believe me. Being in shape makes a difference. It has for students in our golf instruction sessions.
5. Play other sports
Play other sports like volleyball or basketball. It improves hand-eye coordination. Also, walk as much as possible or learn to dance. Do anything that gets you off the couch and in motion. Granted. Some sports are more useful than others. But stay active. It will pay off next spring.
6. Review your scorecards
If you save scorecards, review them. Don’t just check your scores, though. Review specific shots you made that caused the scores. Ask yourself questions like how many putts you hit during the round, how many two-putt greens, and how many three-putt greens.
Also ask yourself how many short game shots you took and how many bunker shots you hit. Get in the habit of marking the number of putts you make and short game shots you take your scorecards. This gives you an idea of where your short game needs work.
Can’t play in the winter? No problem. You can still improve your game. Do the exercises we recommend in above to hone your skills. They’ll help you break 80 and whittle down your golf handicap.