With each year, golf becomes more popular and present within the groups of people that enjoy a good activity. The main reason for this is that, although it was once exclusive for those with a higher budget, golf equipment is much more affordable today. It is indeed a great sport that doesn’t involve only physical engagement but mental engagement as well.
While watching TV, the golf swing motion may look smooth and simple when performed by a professional golfer. However, it is nowhere close to being simple. There is a myriad of elements that make up an excellent swing.
You have to choose the right club depending on the target and the shot you are going to take. Plus, you should also consider body alignment, as well as make sure that you don’t rush through the movements.
Considering the rising popularity of golf, there are a number of articles that discuss the proper ways to swing. Still, many are focused on practicing the technique at the golf course. While this is effective if you have more experience, it might not be the ideal solution for someone who is just starting out.
In our opinion, it is vital that you become familiar with the basics and proper body positioning before you even invest in a golf club. That is why we have prepared an array of tips on how to improve your golf swing indoors. What are you waiting for? Let’s get right to it!
The Basics of a Golf Swing
Before we get into some drills and techniques for practicing your golf swing indoors, we want to discuss the basics. In this article, we will not discuss the different types of clubs in-depth.
For now, it is only important that you know about the iron, wood, and putter. These are the most commonly used golf clubs. Which one you will use depends on what kind of terrain you are playing on, as well as the type of shot you are willing to take.
In order to get optimal results on the golf course, you will want to master proper body positioning. As we have mentioned above, it is nowhere near as simple as you might think.
Address
First and foremost is the address. If you are a right-handed player, then your position should be to the left of the ball. Be sure to maintain a hip-width stance and make sure that your feet are pushing through the ground. The idea is that your body and shoulders are properly aligned with your feet. Possibly the most important part is how you grip the club.
Keep in mind that there are a couple of different ways to hold the club. Our personal favorite is the interlocking method, especially if you are a beginner. The idea is that you interlock the pinky finger of your right hand with the index finger of your left hand.
This will allow you to gain adequate control of the club and be able to go through the movement without the club slipping through your fingers. Focus on maintaining a flat back, as well as a long headline.
Takeaway and backswing
During the first part of the golf swing, known as the backswing, you should be distributing most of your weight to the rear leg. If you are a right-handed player, then this will be your right leg. The left knee should be pointing towards the center of the golf ball. Make sure to maintain slightly flexed knees while keeping both of your arms straight.
Downswing
As you swing towards the ball, you should be opening your stance, with the weight being distributed to the front leg. Your torso and hips should be rotating and pointing toward the target.
Opening your torso is extremely important to ensure that impact with the ball has been made with maximum speed and power. It is also vitally important that you follow through with your swing.
Following through
One of the biggest mistakes that beginners make is that they cut their swing short. What this means is that, as soon as the golf ball is in the air, they stop the movement. This is wrong. You should be continuing after the clubhead has made an impact with the ball. The golf club should be just behind the middle of your head at the end of the swing.
Indoor Practicing Strategies
First and foremost, we want to discuss the strategies that you may want to apply during your indoor golf swing practice session. These are fundamentals to ensure steady progress and to help make sure that you do not waste your time.
You may want to practice indoors because of the fact that it is winter or because you are not ready for a golf course just yet. Either way, you are sure to find these strategies quite valuable.
Setting up an area
The first essential that you will need to invest in is the net. Its main purpose is to replicate what would usually be a target on a regular golf course. You shouldn’t have a problem finding an adequate golf net, especially if you decide to search online.
Keep in mind that it should be properly attached to the ground. This way, you will ensure that it doesn’t get messed up or move every time you hit a ball into it. Another important item is the mat. Without a mat, you will be practicing on an unrealistic surface.
Remember that it should be an adequate size because going too small will not ensure a surface that is level with the ball. Additionally, a putting surface of 3 x 12 inches can be of great use.
As a beginner, you will want to get familiar with different putter techniques. Last but not least is setting up a large mirror. For some people, this might be a costly investment, but it doesn’t have to be.
If you feel like it, you can even make a customized mirror using PVC material. The idea is that you can look and analyze your swing technique while you are practicing. Just make sure that the golf ball doesn’t end up in the mirror instead of the net.
Be patient
Once you have got the basics and the practice area settled, you should move on to mastering a proper technique. Before we get into the fundamentals of the indoor session, we want to remind you that this all takes time and effort.
You shouldn’t expect miracles overnight. Also, if you feel like it, there is nothing wrong with taking a couple of days every week to rest from indoor golf practice. Believe it or not, this will actually contribute to your steady progress.
Fundamentals of practice
Setting up a proper practice area is very important. This is because it allows you to waste less time on customizing your equipment and more time practicing. The main purpose of the mirror that you have set up is to always be aware of your posture and ball positioning.
Additionally, you will want to practice the takeaway by constantly looking at the mirror. This is the only way that you can notice the beginner mistakes that you might be making. We also suggest training aids, as well as certain visual cues that might help you be more effective with your golf swing technique. This is something we will discuss below.
Golf books
Last but not least, it is crucial that you don’t run away from written, educational material. Thus, instead of just watching professional golfers and their game, we suggest you read some theory and improve your golf swing technique.
Believe it or not, there are a lot of complex mechanics and physics behind the golf swing movement. This is why a couple of golf books will go a long way to ensure optimal results. Reading the advice from professional golfers and coaches that have years of experience will help you fast track your golf swing.
Effective Indoor Golf Swing Drills
There are a couple of different home exercises that will allow you to perfect your golf swing. Here are some of the most effective golf drills that you can practice both indoors and outdoors.
Mastering posture/positioning
First and foremost, you will want to practice proper body alignment. For this, the aforementioned mirror is of utmost importance. Stand in front and slowly move into a regular golf stance. Make sure that your movement is in slow motion.
Once you find yourself at the address, move on to practicing the takeaway. Many beginners have issues with their golf swing tempo. They either rush through the backswing and then hit the downswing with slow speed, or they do the opposite and cut the swing short. In order to prevent this, you will want to practice a 3:1 tempo.
A great start for practicing at home is performing the backswing/downswing as slow as you can. This is to help you gain complete control over the club and over the set of motions that are required in a proper golf swing. Once you have mastered this, we suggest that you move on to practicing your golf swing at 50-75% of your normal speed.
Taking your time and making sure to stay aware of your position by looking at the mirror is one of the most effective ways of mastering your golf swing.
Mastering the impact
Putting out maximum power and speed at the moment of impact depends on more than just hitting the ball hard. One of the best drills is to drape a towel against a wall that is behind you.
You should push the club into the towel until you encounter a slight flex. This will ensure proper clubhead positioning that you should maintain as you move towards the downswing.
Putting drill
Along with proper body alignment and mastering a good grip, you may want to practice the control of your golf shots. Proper putting depends on a lot of exercise and repetition. Our personal favorite activity is to put a coin six feet away from your position. Maintain a proper golf form and hit the golf ball over the coin as many times as you can.
The idea is that it not only passes over and stops, but that it actually moves a few feet away from it. Still, if you are missing the coin, you may want to improve your aim by evaluating your stance and making sure that the club head is square with the ball. It is for this type of drill that you need a mat and a 3 x 12-inch putter surface.
The basket check
The main problem that beginners have is visualizing where the ball will land after each shot. To improve your visualization and efficiency, you will want to reap all the benefits of the popular basket drill. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, as a regular bin will also work.
Put the basket 10-15 feet away from your main position and start hitting the balls at different launch angles while using the same shot technique. This will not only help you understand the flight of the ball at a certain launch angle but also help you improve your targeting.
As you progress, you will be able to increase your progress by increasing the number of balls that you hit during each practice session.
Final Thoughts
We have done our best to provide a simple yet efficient guide to how to improve your golf swing indoors. Now, there is nothing as good as going out to the golf course. However, there might be a couple of reasons why you want to start with the aforementioned home drills.
Maybe it is bad weather, or maybe you are simply not confident enough to get at it on the golf course. Keep in mind that, in the end, it all comes down to putting forth enough effort and working diligently to improve. Also, don’t be skimpy when it comes to indoor golf equipment, as it greatly affects the potential of any home drill. Good luck!
