Practicing golf drills at home is a great way to work on your game in an effective and time-efficient way when we don’t necessarily have the time or opportunity to go to the course or the practice range.
There are thousands of drills out there so how do you choose a set of drills which work for you at home?
In this article we present a selection of drills covering the following key areas of the game: short game and putting, full swing, exercise and physical conditioning, fundamentals and the mental game.
Putting and Short Game Golf Drills
- Battery/Two Ball – On a mat or carperted area practice hitting a battery or two balls towards the target. This will improve your ability to square the club face to impact. You can enhance this by using tour sticks or two clubs to indicate the path of the ball. You can also rest your head against the wall whilst putting.
Click here to find some more useful information about putting and how to improve.
- Metronome – use a metronome or a metronome app to tune your tempo and rhythm. Studies have shown that many great putters swing around the 72 to 80 beats per minute range. Listen to the metronome and perform your putter swing in time to it. Then make the actual stroke.
- Putter Aim – Use a couple of household items such as food cans to set up a aiming paratcise station. Start with two cans 3 feet away at roughly a golf hole distance apart. You then have to putt three balls between them without touching the objects. Once you have done this move the target another foot away and repeat. You can apply extra pressure by forcing yourself to return to the beginning of the exercise if you miss one.
- Chip Coins – with limited space inside this is a good drill to practice your chipping impact accuracy. Place a coin on the mat or carpet and practice clipping the coin precisely with your club.
- Rubber Band – wrap two rubber bands around your chipping club just over a ball width apart and pratice hitting chips to improve center impact hits.
Full Swing Practice
- Impact Position – Look online and find an impact position from a great player. Then with an impact bag or something similar practice getting into an impact position in slow motion and really try to let your body remember it.
- Helicopter – This is a great full swing drill. Get yourself in a good golf posture with your arms held out to the sides at shoulder height. Then while keeping your arms in that position turn away from the ball and then complete the swing. This starts with turning and pointing your left hand at the ball and then coming down and finishing by pointing your right hand at the ball at impact. This is a great full swing drill for improving impact and is also good for warming up.
- Soccer Ball between Knees – Put a soccer ball between your knees and complete the full swing. As you turn back it will encourage a good turn and help with flexibility and counteract any sway in the swing. You can let the ball drop as you come back down to the ball.
One of the best ways to practice golf at home is to get an at home golf simulator. It’s a great way to practice your full swing and hit balls while also practicing the drills above.
Practicing these golf drills at home can help you as you work on improving your full swing.
Exercise and Physical Conditioning
- Yoga – If you ever embark upon a golf specific exercise and stretching program you will see many yoga moves included such as cobra, downward dog, plank and so on. Take a collection of these moves and practice them at home. A yoga mat or soft surface is good to practice on.
- Torso Twist – Hold a club across the front of your shoulders with crossed arms. Make the turn and get the club pointing down to your right foot at the top of the backswing. Then the other end of the club should point to the impact position as you come through. This is great for upper body flexibility.
- Medicine Ball – If you have the space or somewhere safe to throw this is a great drill promoting a good turn,stability and power in the swing. Take a medicine ball, make the back swing and then release it towards the target.
Fundamentals Drills You Can Practice At Home
- Set Up – Use a mirror or window to check your setup on a regular basis. This is a drill that is very easy to incorporate into your daily routine. It is like giving you a third eye, making you an external observer of your set-up. We are always better at analyzing ourselves like this and you can detect too much knee bend, alignment issues and hand positioning issues quite easily with this drill. This can be done with or without holding any club including the putter.
Naturally, there is no better option than having your own coach check your swing and offer feedback. Skillest has a perfect coach for you. Please click here for details.
- Slow Motion – Many golfers use slow motion training to improve and a full swing drill in slow motion is a great way to develop a deep awareness of your swing. Stand in your usual posture and take the set up. Take the club back slowly, noticing that the club travels on the right path and also how your body feels as you do so. Then come down to impact and notice the impact position and then complete the swing, maintaining your balance as you do so.
Whether you have space at home to practice a full swing or not, you can always practice fundamentals like your grip, setup and takeaway. Practice these fundamental golf drills at home to stay sharp.
Mental Golf Drills You Can Do At Home
- Visualise a Course – There are some drills that can be literally done anywhere from the safety of your own mind. One drill is to go through a perfect round on a course you know well in your mind seeing yourself hit great shots and hole putts as you do so. Great players invariably see great shots in their minds before playing them.
- Pre-Shot Routine – You can cement your pre-shot routine in your own mind as well. Take time to close your eyes and remember all the things you do before a shot to hit the best possible shot you can. You will find it easier to carry this out on the course once you have done this.
- Watch Good Golfers – Maybe this is not a drill in the usual sense but it is incredibly valuable watching good golfers and noticing what they do. Choose a golfer you admire and then try to channel him or her on the course when you play.
- Golf History – You will notice that golfing greats have a wonderful grasp of golf history and the moments that have shaped the game. Take some time while at home to look up the great tournaments, players and venues that have made this game so special. It will increase your love and devotion to the sport and make you aware of what a wonderful club you are part of.
These drills can form a basis from which you develop a variety of drill options which tie directly to the challenges you experience in your game. Try the drills, modify and incorporate new ones and see a big impact on your scores and on-course play.