With the winter season approaching, many golfers are already starting to get nervous about the time and availability they will have to work on their game.
When the ground is frozen and you have that golf itch, it can be frustrating.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to practice golf at home; you just have to know what they are and figure out what works with your space.
15 Winter Golf Drills to Practice at Home
1. Ball on the Wall
The first drill is a bit unique, but it makes for a fun way to practice golf in your home.
For this drill, you will need a sizeable inflatable exercise ball.
You will stand parallel to a wall in your home and put the workout ball on your left hip.
The ball will be pressed between your hip and the wall.
It is okay to feel a good amount of pressure on the ball.
As you swing back, the pressure will release slightly, but the ball should not drop.
When you swing through the ball, you should feel that ball pushing back on you.
This is an impact drill to get you to feel that resistance at impact you need to build up power.
One of the keys to this drill is to make sure you are starting with enough pressure on the ball.
If it drops as you turn back, you probably need to move closer to the wall and increase pressure.
2. Chipping Coins
Most golfers know that, when it comes to chipping, you must make sure your shots are clean and precise.
If you don’t pick the ball cleanly and take a perfect divot, then you won’t get the spin you want on these shots.
One of the best ways to practice that perfect impact position is by chipping coins.
Take a few coins and place them on a carpet or a golf mat.
Use your club to take small swings and see if you can make contact with the coin and get it up in the air.
The only thing you have to watch out for with this drill is that you don’t have a clubface that will get damaged by chipping coins.
Some have special finishes, and you don’t want to ruin that part of the club.
3. Chipping Net
A chipping net is an excellent investment if you are planning on working on your golf game this winter.
Chipping nets will allow you to practice a multitude of drills, but most importantly, with a chipping net, you should work on trajectory.
To hit a golf ball into a chipping net, you have to have the right trajectory.
The trajectory of the shot will make or break whether it gets into the net.
If you hit the ball too high or don’t hit it with enough of an angle, then you are going to have a hard time getting it to land in the net.
A chipping net can be used indoors with foam golf balls if that is easier for you to accommodate in your home.
Chipping nets come with one hole to chip the ball in, and others have three holes for you to be able to aim for.
4. Chipping to a Towel
When golfers chip, many of them don’t choose a specific enough target.
Golfers will hit their shot and be happy that it got on the green.
This is not good enough if you want to start scoring lower.
When it comes to chipping, the idea is to get the ball close enough to the hole to one-putt.
One chip onto the green and one putt into the hole is called an up-and-down.
Up-and-downs are essential if you want to start getting your scores below ninety, and eighty as well.
Most lower handicap golfers say their chipping is a big reason they can score lower.
When low handicap players chip, they choose a particular location where they want the ball to land.
They are then able to picture the ball rolling from this point.
If you practice chipping to a towel, you can get much more accurate results on the course.
You should use a hand towel for this exercise as a larger full towel will probably not give you very accurate results.
5. Driving Net
In addition to a chipping net, it can also be helpful to have a driving net.
A driving net is not going to let you see what your ball flight is like, but you can get an idea of how the shot feels when you hit it.
You will also be able to practice swing mechanics and experiment with different grip and setup positions.
Some driving nets will come with a target in the center so you can have something to aim at.
One of the most important things to do while hitting into a net is to vary the club you hit with.
This will create a more realistic approach to how the golf course is.
6. Impact Bag
You can use or make an impact bag to help you work on your impact position during the winter months.
Impact bags will essentially help you pause your swing at impact to check on the position.
At impact, your weight should have transferred forward, and your hands should be ahead of the golf ball.
You will want to make sure your clubface is also square at impact.
Practicing with an impact bag will also help you gain strength when you get to the golf ball.
You want to make sure this is the point in your golf swing that has the greatest amount of ball speed.
People can make their impact bag using materials in their home, or they can purchase one specifically made for golf.
Just make sure that whatever you use for an impact bag will not damage your golf club.
7. Medicine Ball or Weighted Club Swings
The winter is a great time to work on gaining more strength.
In years past, it was not known how important it is to be strong when playing golf.
Recently, studies have been conducted to see that strength significantly impacts the ball speed you can get.
There are two great drills you can work on to gain more swing speed.
One way to help gain strength is to take swings with a medicine ball in your hand.
Hold the weighted medicine ball and take golf swings as if the ball is your golf club.
Your muscles will gain a tremendous amount of strength.
When you put a golf club back in your hand again, you will have much more speed.
It’s good to make sure your timing and tempo stay the same when you go back to swinging your regular golf club.
Sometimes, weighted clubs will make your regular clubs feel too light.
8. Mental Game Practice
Just because it is cold outside, you don’t have to give up working on your mental game.
The mental game skill is such an essential part of the game of golf.
If you believe you can be a great golfer, you will have a much easier road to becoming a low handicap golfer.
Some great ways to work on the mental game include reading golf books and practicing pre-shot routines.
If you have a home golf course, you can play the course mentally while taking swings in your home.
Think about standing on the first tee, where you want the ball to land, and visualize each shot of your round.
This will make things easier the next time you have a chance to play golf on the course.
You will have more confidence in your swing and the ability you have to conquer the golf course.
9. Putting Green Ladder Drill
Putting is very easy to way to work on your golf game in the winter.
You can use a true putting green mat that they sell for use in a home, or you can use a carpet.
Some carpets will roll faster than others, so you will have to find a speed that works well for your game.
One of the best drills to practice on an indoor putting green is the ladder drill.
The ladder drill is when you place a golf ball one foot, two feet, three feet, etc. from the hole.
Then a golfer will have to putt each of these golf balls in.
The putting green ladder drill allows players to work on distance control.
You can do this drill in several different ways, including having to make the putt before moving to the next one.
This makes it a perfect drill for putting pressure on yourself to sink putts when you return to the golf course.
10. Putting to a Playing Card
Another great drill to work on your putting is to putt to a playing card.
If you are putting on a carpet, you can put a playing card down in the center of the carpet and putt to try and get the ball to stay on the card.
If the ball stays on the card, you can assume you have made that putt.
A playing card has a very slick surface, and unless a ball has a perfect speed, it will not stop on the playing card itself.
You can use other objects instead of a playing card.
The point is that you don’t need a cup to putt to.
There are lots of objects that will help your putting game improve considerably.
11. Rubber Bands on Wedges
The next indoor golf drill that can be perfect for winter golf practice is the rubber band drill.
With the rubber band drill, you will need two rubber bands and your golf wedge.
The rubber bands are placed on either side of the sweet spot of the wedge.
When you hit your shot, you will have to hit between the rubber bands or you will get terrible results.
This drill works best with a real golf ball and not a foam golf ball.
One of the best ways to practice this is just to hit a few short chips across your carpet.
You don’t need a big swing to practice this drill, as a larger swing may make it harder to work on this particular drill.
You may not see or feel the impact of the rubber bands quite as strongly if you take a larger golf swing.
12. Soccer Ball Between the Knees
To do this next drill, you will need to have a soccer ball.
You can do this drill with your club in your hand or just taking a practice swing with no club.
Get into your regular stance and place a soccer ball between your knees.
The idea is that, if you make an efficient golf turn, the soccer ball is not going to fall out.
If you happen to slide on your backswing, the ball will immediately fall to the ground.
This is not a drill you need to do every day, but it helps golfers feel what it is like to have a more connected and more compact golf swing.
This can be a great feeling to have fresh in your mind before you start the spring season.
13. Swinging with a Mirror
One of the benefits of having to practice from your home is that you probably have a mirror somewhere.
The mirror is a great teaching tool and learning aid.
When you swing using a mirror, make sure you practice both the head-on view and the down-the-line view as well.
The best drill to use when practicing in the mirror is to stop at different locations in your swing and check your position.
If you are unsure of where your club should be at that point, you should consult a picture or a video of a professional golfer.
You should be able to see where their club is located and how they have their hands, feet, arms, etc.
It’s a good idea to study these positions and get your body to learn the right spots throughout the entire swing.
If you don’t have a full-length mirror, you don’t need one as the top half of the mirror will do just fine.
This will allow you to check the angle of the club at the top of your swing, and you can focus on your head movement in your golf swing as well.
14. Use the Wall for a Better Turn
A wall in your house can be an excellent tool for working on your backswing.
You can stand with your back to the wall and work on taking your full backswing without the club hitting the wall.
You will want to practice this drill very slowly.
If you are indeed a person who takes the club too far inside, you will put a hole in your wall rather quickly.
Instead, move slowly to the top of your swing and then turn around and see that it is in a good position.
This drill is excellent for those who tend to take the club too far inside, but it is not such a good drill for those who take the club on an upright path.
The drill won’t do much for you if you are a golfer who has the club too upright to begin with.
15. Weight Transfer—Two Strips of Wood
This is a unique, newer drill that we came across.
For this, you will need to get two pieces of wood.
One piece is going to be narrow, and you will put it between your feet, parallel to each foot.
The next piece will go across the middle piece, and you will put your feet on that piece of wood.
The wood has to balance on the center of the piece of wood, and that will only happen if your feet and your weight are balanced.
As you swing back, you will probably feel the board tip to the right, and as you finish, it should tip to the left.
This is the weight transfer that should occur during your golf swing.
The weight transfer is an essential swing concept which players often struggle with.
This is a drill you can practice while hitting golf balls, or you can do it just to get the feeling.
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