Practicing golf is, without a doubt, a way to help lower your scores.
The more time you can spend working on your game, the better the chance you have of lowering your golf scores.
However, if you forget your golf clubs, or you happen to be at the office and don’t have access, can you still practice your game?
The truth is you can still work on golf even when you are not near your clubs.
Although this practice could have different results than other types of golf practice, it is certainly a way to get better.
Here are ten of our favorite ways to get better at golf without using your golf clubs.
How To Practice Without Clubs (10 Drills To Try)
1. Swing A Book
If you have a book around your house or office, you can use this to help you get better at golf.
Simply take the book and hold it between the palms of your hands.
When the book is flat between the palms, you can then swing it back to the top of your swing and forward to the finish.
As you hold the book and turn, it will give you a very good representation of how the swing plane of your golf swing is.
If the swing plane is too flat or too upright, you are going to notice that the club will come in at different angles.
In fact, for those who are struggling with their golf game and swing plane, swinging a book can be a great drill.
The most important part of this concept is that it gives golfers an idea of what a swing plane is and how hand and arm positions are going to impact the swing plane.
You will likely find that by practicing this drill, you will have much better results the next time you put a club in your hand.
You should be able to feel the same transition of the club as it moves along the swing plane that you were able to feel when you used the book.
This is a simple and accessible way to deepen your understanding of the game of golf.
2. Use A Medicine Ball
A medicine ball is an excellent option for golfers to use when they don’t have a club nearby.
With a medicine ball, it is very much like swinging a weighted club.
The weight helps you to control your movements but also to gain some strength in your overall game.
The medicine ball is typically best if it is not extremely heavy.
You are going to want to be able to swing the ball almost the same way you would swing a club.
A medicine ball is not going to be as easy to manipulate, but it certainly builds up golf muscles.
In addition, because the medicine ball is heavy, you have to work your body a bit harder to get the turn and the acceleration through the shot that you need.
Having a medicine ball around the house also helps for many other exercise purposes, so this is a multifunctional way to work on your game.
Some golfers like to take the medicine ball, make a swinging motion with it, and then release it after impact.
This is an excellent option if you have a place where you can throw the medicine ball.
You will learn how to let the club release and get a shot to head straight down the fairway.
3. Play The Course Mentally As You Run Or Walk
The more time you spend on a golf course, the more you will realize that the game of golf is primarily played in your mind.
If you are not good at the mental side of golf, your scores are going to reflect it.
To get great at the mental side of the game, it is essential to practice it.
So many people forget that practicing how you think and how you prepare is just as important as the physical mechanics of golf.
One great way to start practicing the mental game is to work on visualization.
You can picture yourself standing on the first tee, then you think about that drive that you hit down the first fairway, from there, you move on to the approach, etc.
Follow this process as you take your walk or your run and picture each and every shot and how it will play out.
The power of visualization in golf is very often underestimated.
If you can start to see those ten-foot putts rolling into the hole, they are going to drop.
The process of learning what to think about and when to think about it can take some time.
However, once you get it figured out, the possibilities are endless.
There is no question that the players who know how to think on the course are the ones who also know how to score.
If you read golf books, practice your pre-shot routine, and learn how to think while on the golf course, the possibilities are endless.
4. Mop Or Broom Swings
If you can’t get your hands on a golf club, it doesn’t mean you have to pretend to have a club in your hand.
Many golfers will find a substitute for something that will work as a golf club.
A mop or a broomstick can be a good choice because it will have a similar length and help golfers feel like they are swinging something like a golf club.
One drill that golfers will try and do is to work on the feel and the rotation as they swing the mop or broom.
When they come through their shots, they will listen for a swooshing noise to ensure that they are getting the best possible speed and performance.
It’s a great idea to practice swings as often as you can, even if those swings are not the same as they are with the golf club.
In the end, swinging is swinging, and it will be good for your body to practice regardless of the item that you have in your hand at the time.
5. Stance Practice
You don’t need a golf club to work on your stance.
When your golf stance is perfect, you will have a much easier time getting the consistency that you need to succeed as a golfer.
Practicing your golf stance is easy when you don’t have any clubs.
You can set up lines on the floor with tape or simply use golf shaft alignment sticks.
Resourceful golfers will have lots of ways to work on stance practice.
In addition, it is essential to remember that your stance changes for many of the clubs in your bag.
Ensure that you are making the necessary adjustments as you go from a driver to iron to a wedge.
Work on these stances at home, and you will have a much easier time transferring them to the golf course.
The best way to practice the stance is to work on it over and over again.
Only once you feel confident that you can repeat it each and every time, you are ready to bring it to the course.
6. Use A Mirror
Using a mirror is a great way to practice your golf game, and you don’t need to have a club in your hands.
If you have a great practice facility to work on your game, you can use a mirror to help you ensure that you are staying stable and in a good position throughout the shot.
One of our favorite drills to practice in the mirror is using a dry erase marker.
Take the marker and put a small line on the mirror at the top of your head at setup.
Then take your backswing and see if your head has made a big movement.
If you watch the professional golfers on Tour, the movement they make with their heads is minimal, and it helps them to return the club to the same position every time.
Try to consider this when you are working on your swing and see if it can help you to get a bit better.
In addition, working in a mirror can also help with your putting stroke, chipping, and lots of other areas of your game.
If you have access to a mirror when you practice (with or without a club), take advantage of it and use it.
7. Grip Anything!
Most golfers do not practice their grip as often as they should.
Your golf grip is the only connection that you have with the club.
If your grip is not perfect, you will have a hard time making the contact that you need and getting the shots to repeat themselves.
If this is the case, you should consider practicing the golf grip more often.
One of the best ways to work on the grip is to just start gripping anything you can.
If you are in the middle of a meeting and waiting for some coworkers to arrive, start practicing your grip using a pencil.
Try and pay attention to the way the fingers and the hands fold together and join.
This is important to ensure that you feel comfortable the next time you head to the golf course.
Grip changes are some of the hardest swing changes to go through.
If you are not able to adapt to the new grip, your mind will be stuck on this aspect of your game, and you will likely lose both distance and power in your shots.
Start working on the grip more often, and you will see an immediate difference in your game.
8. Hands Across Shoulders For Better Turn
One of the most common drills in the game of golf is to place your hands on opposite shoulders and take a golf swing.
When you cross your arms across the chest and start swinging, it can really help you feel how important the connection is between the body turn and the arms and hands.
For those players who have a hard time controlling different parts of the body and getting them to work together, this is a great drill to consider.
When your hands are on your shoulders, they are very connected to your body and can make you understand the movement you do as you get through the golf ball.
This movement also allows you to see how your hips are moving and how the weight is transferring.
Many golfers like to do this drill up against a wall to make sure that they are not sliding as they practice.
When you slide, you will lose some of the power in your swing.
9. Go Play Tennis
Although tennis and golf are very different, playing tennis can actually help you get better at golf.
Not only are some of the movements in tennis the same as they are in golf, but you will also be getting exercise that will help you learn how to stay strong during your entire round of 18 holes.
When you hit a proper forehand shot in tennis, it is very similar to hitting a golf shot that requires a release of the wrists and a complete finish.
If you are able to work on tennis a few days a week and then head to the golf course, chances are you are going to see some improvement in your golf game.
This type of activity or exercise is called cross-training.
Golfers are not the only ones to participate in something like this.
In fact, many professional athletes will play other sports for fun as a way to work on their main sport.
If you like to play golf, chances are you will enjoy a round of tennis with friends as well.
The next time you hit a forehand shot in tennis, try to think about how similar it is to when you hit a golf shot.
You will notice many of the similarities have to do with release and weight transfer.
Trying to repeat these things the next time you head out to the course can only help your game improve.
Although playing tennis is not exactly a drill, it is absolutely a way to help you cross-train and become a better golfer.
10. Chair Drill
Last but not least is a well-known drill for golfers called the chair drill.
Outside in your yard, you will grab a patio chair and place it on your right side.
Then you will take a pretend swing back and ensure that your right hip does not hit the patio chair.
If the hip bumps into the patio chair, you will see it move, and the chair will be your reminder that you are sliding a bit too much in your swing.
The turnback is a great thing, but that turn needs to be efficient and productive.
When the turn starts to become a slide, you will notice that your golf swing loses both power and accuracy.
You can do the chair drill with a club or without a club, but if you are using a club, make sure that you position the chairs in such a way that they won’t get damaged from your swinging.
Overall, you will find this drill to be a really great option for your game whether you do it inside, outside, or both!
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now understand some of the ways you can work on your golf game without having to keep a golf club in your hand.
Luckily, this is a game that is rather flexible when it comes to practice.
You can do it on the course, in your yard, at home, or in a grassy field somewhere.
In addition, you won’t always need to have a club in your hand to work on specific drills or concepts.
Some players feel as though meditation and reading about the sport can be just as effective as spending an hour on the driving range.
Over time, you will learn the types of practice that will work best for your game.
Sometimes this is going to be a certain routine or a certain location.
For other people, the length of the practice and the time between sessions will do the trick.
The one thing that all golfers will agree on is that the more time you spend working on your game, the better your results will be.
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