Supercharge Your Golf Skills: The Benefits of Home Practice
The Complete Guide To Practicing Golf At Home Practicing golf at home is on the rise. The Covid pandemic took a lot of activities indoors. And golf was certainly one of them. In 2020, we saw an influx of customers searching for indoor practice equipment, drills to practice at home, and more. Luckily, there is plenty you can do to practice your golf game from home! Which is why we've dedicated this article to the topic. In this article, we'll cover the top things you can do to perfect your golf game at home. From the best drills to the must-have equipment.
1. The Ball Return Method:
The most popular way to practice golf at home is with a mat and net. But the biggest downfall to this is that you can't see where your ball is going. Many people don't know that how your ball returns off the net can give you a good clue to the direction you hit the ball. If the ball is spinning left (draw) then it will roll away from your feet and right of where it struck the net. And vice versa! If it comes straight back to you, then that's a good indication you hit it straight. You can read our best golf nets or best golf mats guide to find a quality mat or net for your setup! There are many options depending on your budget and quality demands.
2. Use A Launch Monitor
A launch monitor is hands down the best way to practice at home. It will give you important insights that will tell you exactly how you're hitting the ball. No need to guess or rely on feel. A launch monitor will tell you exactly what's up. These devices vary quite a bit in price. On the low-end, you can expect to pay about $500. These units will limit the amount of data captured to distance, club speed, spin, and sometimes launch angle. The best unit in this price range is the Rapsodo MLM or FlightScope Mevo. You can read our in-depth reviews of these two launch monitors here: For $2,000 you can get quite a bit more. Units in this price range will offer more data such as shot shape, side spin, and sometimes club path metrics. They'll also give you access to golf simulation so that you can play real courses right from home. The best launch monitors in this price range are< SkyTrak and FlightScope Mevo+. You can read our in-depth reviews of these two launch monitors here:
3. Practice Solid Impact with Impact Stickers
One of the best things you can do for your game at home is practice solid impact. Most amateurs hit it in the middle of the clubface far less than they think! Getting some impact stickers to place on your club will help you see exactly where the ball struck the face. Simply place them on your club and hit balls into your net as usual. Focus on limiting the number of shots outside of the sweet spot.
4. Practice Tempo with a Metronome
One of the best practice drills you can do at home is the metronome drill. This is a very simple technique that will groove a consistent tempo for your swing. Get out a metronome, or download one of the many free metronome apps that are available on your phone. Find a rate that you can comfortably start your swing on one beat and hit the ball on the next beat. This typically falls somewhere between 40-70 bpm depending on your swing speed and tempo. Practice hitting balls with the metronome and groove that Ernie Els big easy swing!
Golf Swing Drills That Don't Require a Mat or Net
Sometimes you may be limited on space or simply don't have a practice setup at home. Here are a few drills you can practice even if you don't have a full setup:
1. The Wall Drill
The wall drill is a simple drill that develops the proper feel for how far back you need to be turning in your swing. The best part is that you don't need any clubs, just a wall! Check out the video to the right (or below on mobile) to see how it's done!
2. Fix Your Hook or Slice
Let's take it back to childhood and do something your mom would have loved...using the furniture to practice golf! An ottoman, bench, or some type of low-height piece of furniture can help you rehearse the proper swing path. For example, if you tend to hit a slice, then your club path will be coming outside to in on the downswing. So to fix this, place the ottoman so that any outside to in swing path would hit the piece of furniture. Rehearse your swing at 25%-50% speed to develop the proper feeling of an inside-to-out swing path. Check out the video to see it in action!
3. Rehearse Your Takeaway
Oftentimes you don't have the space to practice your full swing at home. So if this is the case, one of the best drills you can do is the takeaway drill. Getting yourself in the proper position on the takeaway is the best way to set your swing up for success. All you need is an alignment stick and enough space for a quarter backswing. Check out the video to see the drill displayed!
How To Practice Your Putting At Home
1. The Book Drill
The book drill is a simple drill you can use at home to groove a consistent stroke. All you'll need is two books. You don't even need a ball really. But if you have an indoor putting mat then this can be done on that very easily. The putting mat in this video is the Perfect Practice Putting Mat. Simply place a book on each side of your putter (leaving about an eighth to a quarter of an inch of space parallel to your aim point. Make strokes with books in place ensuring your putter never hits the books. This will groove a putting stroke that achieves consistent solid contact and a stroke that isn't too curved through the first 3-4" of the stroke.
2. Practice a Smooth Stroke with The Quarter Drill
In this drill, all you'll do is place a coin somewhere on your putter. Then simply make you stroke trying to keep the quarter on the putter. A jerky, inconsistent putting stroke will cause the coin to fall. But a smooth stroke will keep the quarter on!
3. The Yardstick Drill
In this drill, you'll need a yardstick. Place the ball at the end of the yardstick and make your stroke. If the ball rolls off the end, you know you started it on line. If it rolls off the left or right of the stick before reaching the end, you know that you push or pulled the putt. This drill promotes a good starting line and solid contact. As well as provides a great visual to where your miss is with the putter.
4. Practice Perfect Speed with PuttOut
The PuttOut Putting Trainer is a simple putting aid that, among other things, helps you practice perfect distance control. Behind the target cup is a small golf ball size indent. A putt on the perfect line with perfect speed will fall into this indent and remain there. If your putt is on line but too fast or slow, it will not drop into the indent. This is a great tool for practicing your putting at home!
Top Indoor Golf Practice Resources
Here at Rain or Shine Golf, we specialize in indoor golf! Looking for the ultimate at-home practice setup? We're here to help! Check out all resources related to helping you build a dream home setup: