“There are no shortcuts on the quest for perfection.”
– Ben Hogan
When quarantine began, we were all faced with the challenge of improving our game – or at least maintaining it – from home. While we are fortunate that golf naturally embodies social distancing and that most courses were able to remain open, driving ranges and practice facilities were forced to temporarily shut their doors. This meant we were going to be hard pressed in finding opportunities to work on specific areas of our game that needed improvement.
Because of this, just like everyone else, we were forced to find creative ways to practice at home. From tee to green, we wanted ways to practice all areas of our game. Through research and experience, we found a few ways that can make practicing at home easy and fun. Check out a few simple ways to practice at home below and let us know what other ways you have found to keep your game sharp from the ease and comfort of your home.
1. Woods & Irons
The first thing we did when quarantine started was purchase a hitting mat. One with different turf lengths and a tee insert allows you to work on several different shots, all at home. From woods to irons to wedges (see chipping below), the right hitting mat can do wonders for improving your game. Although it has potential to be dangerous (disclaimer: we take no responsibility for injuries or damages!), with a hitting mat and foam or wiffle golf balls, you can create your own indoor driving range. Just be sure your ceilings are high enough to swing, your furniture is out of the way, and you are hitting into a safe area (like the corner of a garage or a net to hit into). Once you have your safe area ready to go, tee it up with your woods or hit your long irons off the fairway or rough length turf.
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2. Chipping
You can easily practice chipping at home with the use of a hitting mat, and you can take it to the next level by using a chipping net to act as target and catch your shots. Wiffle or foam golf balls are necessary for any indoor chipping as well. Depending on how much space you have, you may need to get creative with where you set up your chipping station. If you’re living the Charlotte apartment lifestyle like we are, this may involve rearranging some furniture to give yourself a decent area to work with. But once your area is set up, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner. Our game around the green has never been better since we decided to flip a couch up on its end and replace it with an indoor chipping area.
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3. Putting
Putting may be the easiest area of the game to practice at home because it requires the least amount of space, but it will always be the most difficult to master. A rollout putting mat is a necessity for any golfer, and if you don’t own one yet we recommend making this your first purchase. There are several different putting mats available, so you can go as big or as little as your space and budget allows for you to do so.
For those who are truly dedicated to improving their game and have the space to do so, the ultimate backyard for any golfer includes their very own putting green. If you live in the greater Charlotte area and are curious about installing a custom backyard or indoor putting green, we have partnered with Carolina Synthetic Turf to offer 15% off any custom-built putting green. Learn more here, and reach out today for a free quote.
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When it comes down to it, you can never practice enough. As Tiger put it himself, “No matter how good you get, you can always get better — and that’s the exciting part.” The easier and more accessible you can make practicing, the lower your handicap will trend. Good luck out there!
