Even though we live in an area where the weather can sometimes make it impossible to go to the range or play golf over the winter, we can still satisfy our itch to work on our golf games during the off-season. If you are a die-hard golfer who is unable to get away to a warmer climate this winter, you will need to find other ways to work on your game! Believe it or not, the winter season is the perfect time to improve a few neglected areas of your golf game including: putting, chipping, pitching, full swing, distance, and golf specific fitness from the comfort of your home.
Putting - All it takes is a smooth indoor carpet or a putting mat made of artificial turf with a hole. I highly recommend the EyeLine Golf Special Edition Putting Green Mat 2' X 10' by Big Moss pictured in this article. If you do not have a nice mat like this one, you can always putt into a glass at the end of hallway, or you can purchase a metal putting cup. A great drill while putting indoors is to try to make three putts in a row from three, four, and five, all the way up to ten feet. The goal is to make three in a row before you can move to the next distance. Another drill is to put a quarter on top of your ball and keep your eyes on the quarter as it drops to the ground after you’ve hit the putt and completed your stroke. A training aide to help your putting path, such as alignment sticks for a putting track, is also very helpful. Do you have a pre-putt routine? If not, now is the time to make develop one. I use a black sharpie line to help square up my putter head, this makes putting alignment just about automatic.
This awesome putting green from EyeLine Golf has one of the best rolling surfaces out there. It is the perfect size for your home or office. It is 2 feet wide and 10 feet long with one cup. Measuring 9 to 11 on the Stimp, it is a tour quality putting surface!
Chipping and Pitching - As a junior golfer I would try to chip into a small net off of a mat in our finished basement. This was great practice because it forced me to have a good setup, become more accurate, and use proper technique because if I missed the net I ran the risk of breaking something! We also had a ping pong set in the basement and I soon discovered that a safer way to work on my chipping was to use ping pong balls. The damage you can do is little to none and you can get a great feel for creating backspin. Focus on a good setup with a narrow stance and weight forward, slight hinge during backswing to get the club up, strike down on the ball to pinch it off of the carpet, and maintain a firm left wrist position through impact. For pitching, give yourself a small obstacle to go over in order to force you to hit the ball higher with more hinge during the backswing. I recommend the GoSports Golf- Chipster Range Chipping Practice System for use both inside as well as in the backyard. Full Swing – If you have the space, set up a net and hitting mat in your basement or garage. Swinging in front of a mirror is one of my favorites; you get instant visual feedback on how you are doing. You should have an idea of what positions to look for during your backswing and downswing. Mirror work is also good for developing better posture at address. Work on a contrast drill in order to help your posture. First, setup with too much knee flex and a rounded back on purpose. Next, setup with no knee flex and standing very tall with your upper body. Now setup in between those two extremes and have a slight knee flex, bend over from the hip flexors while keeping your back flat and relaxing your head so your eyes are able to comfortably look down where the ball will be located. Our brains need contrast in order to develop these skills and the mirror will give you visual confirmation of what an athletic setup should look like and what the wrong way looks like as well. This type of training can sometimes be more valuable than hitting a large bucket of balls on the range.
Distance – I highly recommend overspeed training with a product that I believe can actually help you increase club head speed, improve your swing, and serve as a cardio workout! It’s called SuperSpeed Golf, and their overspeed training system is currently being used by over 600 top touring professionals including Bryson DeChambeau, Billy Horschel, Jon Rahm, and Phil Mickelson just to name a few! I swing them in my garage 3 – 4 times per week and you can certainly take them to the range as well. Learn more about Overspeed Training with SuperSpeed Golf Products.
Fitness – I recommend having a structured golf specific training program that you can do at home or in the gym. My personal favorite in home program with very little equipment required is called Golf Body Blueprint at 18Strong.com. Personal Trainer, Jeff Pelizzaro, created an awesome app with an annual membership fee that includes a variety of other golf specific training programs and benefits. I encourage you to learn more and Sign Up for a Free Trial. If you prefer working out in person with a personal trainer, I would highly recommend finding someone who is TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) Certified because they have golf specific knowledge. I recommend Dr. Chris Leib located in Ardmore, PA. Fitness is important to prevent injuries and to add more distance to your shots. I also recommend Nicholas Leister, PT with Main Line Health. If you currently suffer from lower back issues or golfer's/tennis elbow, Nick's program can help you out.
You should also be setting your golf related goals for the 2021 season. Schedule a Complimentary Discover Coaching Call to discuss where you are currently, learn about your golfing goals, and how I can help you achieve them. I am excited to help you achieve your goals and become my next success story!
Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Mike