Contrary to popular belief, golf is not exclusively an outdoor sport. It can be played on a traditional course, with an indoor virtual golf game, or even a mixture of both at places like Top Golf. But if you can only golf for a few months throughout the year or don't have the financial means to join a local country club, indoor golf drills are the perfect alternative.
Many golfers spend too much time trying to emulate top-ranked PGA Tour players, but that isn't the best way to shoot lower scores. Tailoring your practice sessions to your own game is imperative to becoming a better golfer. As much as we all want to be the next Tiger Woods or Justin Thomas, the only way to get there is by practicing.
You can get better practicing indoors, and to prove it, we're here to provide you with the five best indoor practice golf tips and go-to indoor training aids, notably the PrimePutt Indoor Putting Mat. Whether you’re starting to swing your clubs for the first time or want new ideas to incorporate into your existing routine, we’ll show you our favorites based on years of experience and practice.
Can Indoor Practice Help You Get Better?
Regularly scheduled practice, regardless of the location, is your best possible chance at shaving off those last few unwanted strokes from your handicap. But, if you don't have access to a driving range, outdoor practice facility, or golf simulators, you can undoubtedly become a better golfer by practicing indoors.
Playing indoors gives you the unique ability to become less results-oriented in your practice sessions and more process-oriented. Whether you want to hit for more distance or are on a quest to construct the perfect golf swing with a balanced finish, being able to focus on each individual step is going to help you play better golf.
Sometimes, not being able to see the actual flight of your golf balls can allow your brain to let go of trying to force a specific result. Instead, it'll allow you to focus on the process that has to happen to achieve those results.
Watch the Golf Channel or surf the web, and you'll find swing tips around every corner. But the best golf tips aren't gimmicks—they focus on the process. So, what is the process? Everything you do to prepare to hit a golf shot. Collecting all the necessary information that can affect the execution of a shot, such as what club to use, the wind direction, any elevation changes, the temperature outside, etc., are all part of the process.
Drilling down on your process, however it might look, can be done while practicing indoors. In fact, your home and office are actually some of the best places to spend time on it, aside from playing a competitive round of golf.
Top 5 Indoor Golf Tips When Practicing Indoors
You don't need to invest thousands in a high-speed camera, virtual golf trees, or a home golf simulator to improve your game. Instead, try out these helpful indoor golf tips to streamline your practice time.
1. Develop a Solid Practice Plan
The best golf tip anyone could give you when it comes to practicing indoors is to develop a bulletproof practice plan. Most beginners don't know how to effectively practice or choose indoor putting drills. They are taught on a driving range how to swing the club, but now how to practice in a way that will teach them to play the game of golf rather than swing a club.
Find ways to add variety to your practice. You don't have to work on all aspects of your game every single time. Try to put together a target practice plan before you start. Write down the things you want to work on and what exactly you are going to do to accomplish each thing.
For example, if you want to work on distance control with your wedges, select a wedge combination on a simulator and learn how to hit your pitching wedge from a multitude of distances. This will teach you to use the club in many different instances from various distances, offering you better options for course management.
2. Work on Stroke and Swing Maintenance
Whether it's your full swing or short shots, we all have tendencies with both. As a right-handed golfer, you might have an issue with an open clubface when presented with left to right breaking putts. Using a putting mirror on your indoor putting mat is a great way to work on your stroke maintenance while indoors because it provides accurate feedback.
Most of us miss a few (or more, let's be honest) fairways per round. A great tip to work on your consistency off the tee when practicing indoors is to use your phone or a mirror on the wall to rehearse and review your golf swing. What you feel and what is actually happening while you are swinging the club rarely matches. It's important to be able to see your swing and compare it to what you are feeling.
3. Become Infatuated With Your Pre-Shot Routine
Turn on any professional golf tournament, and you'll see LPGA and PGA Tour Pros alike going through their pre-shot routine before hitting a shot. Take Tiger Woods or Justin Thomas, for example. Watch either of them and pay attention to what they do when preparing to hit a shot. You'll notice that whether it is on the first tee, the putting green, or in the trees, their pre-shot routine doesn't waver. It is a part of their process and something they can count on regularly because they practice it regularly. It's innate.
When you are putting or working on your full swing during your next indoor practice session, pay attention to how you prepare to hit your shot. Does your routine differ each time, or is it consistent and something you can count on? Many golfers don't know the importance of the pre-shot routine. But the more parts of your game that offer consistency and dependability, the better golf you are going to play.
4. Competition Is Necessary
Find ways to create competition in your practice. Have your favorite playing partners over for an indoor putting competition. Bring up the range option on the simulator and have a straight or long drive competition.
When you play in a tournament, nerves inevitably creep in. Being able to mimic those nerves during practice is your best possible chance to become more comfortable with them. After all, confidence comes from preparation and repetition, so start playing competitive games with yourself when you are practicing indoors.
5. Reflect After You Finish
After you've gone through your planned practice, reflect on it. Whether it's in a notebook you keep in your golf bag or the notes section on your phone, keep track of what worked and what didn't. If you had a hard time getting your body weight through impact and finishing on your front foot, write it down.
You never know when you might experience the same issue later on; being able to sort back through prior practice sessions to see how you tackled it is way more enjoyable than suffering through frustration. Too many players think when they fix something, it's permanently fixed. We call them bad habits for a reason because they happen repeatedly. Do yourself a favor and reflect on your practice sessions.
Best Indoor Training Aids
Playing golf indoors requires some creativity. Working on putting is easy with indoor putting mats or indoor putting greens. Playing a virtual game of golf, working on distance control by completing a wedge combine, or even a virtual range session can be accomplished indoors on a simulator. However, there are some great training aids to incorporate into your indoor training sessions.
1. PrimePutt Indoor Putting Mat
Every indoor practice putting session should be done on tour-grade turf made of high-quality materials. This indoor putting mat is one of the only indoor putting mat products on the market that offers the "real feel" of a putting green. It's made of durable materials that hold up to years of practice, allowing you to squeeze in extra shots whenever you have some downtime.
Whether you want to practice at the office or in the comfort of your home, the PrimePutt Indoor Putting Green is easy to set up and disassemble. It's the perfect companion to refine your short game and play golf wherever you are, making it our top training device for all golfers.
2. Impact Bag
The impact bag is a great tool for beginners and scratch golfers alike. Without the need to hit a ball, using this training aid is the perfect pairing for indoor practice. Making practice swings into it will help you fortify a more solid impact position, as well as teach you how to transition your body weight through impact.
3. IZZO Balance Disc
Want to increase your swing speed? Learn how to control your balance throughout your golf swing. There really isn't a better place to work on that than indoors. You can focus solely on what it takes to have good balance, the right footwork, and control of your weight transfer through impact. The IZZO Balance Discs are a great training aid to help you do just that.
One of the best golf tips out there is to use the ground underneath your feet to create more power. The only way you can achieve this is if you've got great balance. After a few training sessions with these balance discs, you are going to feel like your feet are cemented in the ground and be able to create more power as a result.
4. Putting Alignment Mirror
The average golfer doesn't spend nearly enough time working on their putting stroke. A Putting Alignment Mirror is a great tool to use indoors, especially when working on stroke technique. With the ability to see where your eyes are over the ball, you can ensure your setup is consistent. The lines on the mirror running down your target line will help ensure you are hitting the center of your putter head.
5. Wall Mirror
Having a mirror to rehearse your swing in is one of the most underrated training aids on the market. That's because it isn't necessarily advertised or marketed as a training aid. What we feel is happening in our swing versus what is actually happening are often vastly different things.
You might feel like your golf club is parallel at the top of your swing upon review in the mirror and realize it is actually quite "John Daly-esque." Having not seen your swing in the mirror, you might never have realized it.
Final Thoughts
Playing better golf doesn't have to be as far off as you might think. Not having access to an outdoor practice facility or driving range doesn't mean you still have to get better. There are plenty of things you can work on and training aids to use while practicing indoors that can help you shave those last few strokes off of your handicap. Hopefully, a few of our golf tips will have you getting to the next level of your game sooner rather than later.
At the very least if you don't have access to an indoor golf simulator, purchasing an indoor putting mat is a great way to still have access to practice indoors. PrimePutt putting mats offer tour-grade turf with customization that will have you feel like you are putting on a real green.
FAQs
Want to learn more? Here are some common questions below.
Can I get better practice indoors?
Yes! Regular, consistent practice is what you need in order to play better golf. That can be done indoors with the PrimePutt Putting Mat, a training tool with tour-grade turf, high-quality materials, and varying sizes depending on your needs.
Are all golf tips worth listening to?
Not necessarily. Do your best to stay away from advice that is gimmicky in nature or states that it's the only way to get better. There are plenty of golf tips out there that may work for you but won't necessarily work for others.
Is it worth it to have an indoor putting mat?
Yes! Having access to work on your putting that isn't restricted by weather or accessibility will do wonders for your short game. You can easily set up, roll away, or use on-the-go. The best indoor putting mats feel true to a real green and can instill good habits that translate to results on the course.
