How to Improve Your Golf Game From Home

Unfortunately, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented many from working on their golf games in public as much as they’d like. Individuals who may have begun to pick up momentum with their golf game will now have to find ways to maintain that momentum in our “new normal” lives. 

It would be easy for an individual to let the progress that he or she has gained slip away due to these incredibly unfortunate circumstances. Nevertheless, we at Eagle Harbor Golf Club are dedicated to providing resources to our patrons to help them through these difficult times. While our course remains open and golfers can still book their tee times, many now have more time than ever at home with little or nothing to do. That extra time downtime doesn’t have to go to waste! There are many ways that you can improve your golf game from the confines of your home. We will go over a few of these below in this article.

1. Practicing Your Swing

The swing is one of the hardest skills to continually master and train while you're at home. Nevertheless, individuals can take aggressive steps to ensure that their golf swing continues to improve. 

First of all, one can improve their swing with the use of a basketball. No, your eyes were not playing tricks on you. A basketball exercise can help you with your golf swing. By placing a basketball between the upper section of your legs, you will be in place to have the correct leg posture for your golf swing. This stance is critical for an individual to have the proper pelvic rotation necessary for a good golf swing. Your hips and your legs will benefit from this stance.

Another in-home drill to improve your swing involves a hanger. This drill will help you develop wrist strength with your swing. Grab a hanger and hold it in the manner that you would hold a golf club. Next, you want to rest the hanger in your left forearm and ensure that it remains in contact during the duration of the swing. This movement is designed to improve grip strength for your swing. It is also designed to prevent individuals from performing the fatal flaw of rotating their wrists too much while swinging. 

 Pro Tip: Use a mirror while you’re practicing your swing. This will allow you to properly judge if you are correctly executing the drill.

2. Practicing Your Putting

There are many ways that one can continue to master the art of putting. You can simulate a putting hole by duct-taping a plastic cup to the floor in your house. You can also use an artificial grass matt to simulate the putting surface of the green.

Believe it or not, books are another great resource to use to practice putting techniques. While reading is fundamental, we are not talking about reading up on putting techniques in this instance. You can use books as a visual aide in the following exercise.

When you line up to putt, place one book at the “south” of your golf ball near your feet and another to the “north” of your golf ball. Place it in a manner that your putter could barely squeeze between both books. After that, you can commence your putting stroke. This technique will significantly improve your putting alignment. 

Finally, invest in a new indoor golf toy such as a putting mat or simulator. A putting mat is a great way to work on your putting indoors and they can be purchased at very low costs. While more expensive, a golf simulator is an incredibly fun and effective way of practicing from home. This product is a great investment and is available at various prices.

3. Increase Strength & Flexibility

You may not be able to go outside and experience the game of golf as much as you’d like right now. However, you are fully able to engage in physical exercises that could help you to elevate your golf game. One exercise that you should strongly consider is yoga. It is no secret that flexibility is essential to the budding golfer and can help reduce injuries. Yoga will help lengthen your muscles so that you can have more power, control, and precision in your golf swing. It is also great for your core. To get started, you just need to grab a yoga mat and look up the numerous instructional videos on Youtube.

Another great option for core strengthening is the plank exercise. In order to do a plank, get in a push-up position, holding it as long as possible, while simultaneously contracting your core. A plank can also be done in a push-up position with your elbows pressed against the ground.

Planks are great for aiding a golfer to achieve increased stability in the shoulder area. If you are a beginner, a 20-second plank is a great place to start. If you're more advanced, shoot for a range of 60 seconds or more.