Winter Practice

[zenchili]

What do you guys do to make the most of winter practice?

I think it can be an awesome time to improve your game and make some serious swing changes.

[Addicted2Golf]

I have a 10x10 net attached to the ceiling of my garage. A few times per week I'll lower it down and work on my swing. It's been a great way to help me develop a feel for good impact with my irons. When I'm at the range I focus too much on where the ball is going, but with a net 8 feet in front of me, I have to focus on the feel of good impact. When I'm done, I raise it back up to the ceiling and I have my garage back.

[bigchris]

hi mate i just hammer it with lessons and range sessons
and make all the necessary swing changes

[thrasher]

I have a membership to an outdoor/heated driving range, so I hit about 150-200 balls per day throughout the winter. And trust me, Minnesota is cold. Was hitting balls @ 0 degrees today, -15 wind chill with a long sleeve shirt and vest on

[ks8829]

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we are fortunate to still be able to play golf in December, so I play as much as I can while continuing to work on putting and the short game within 50 yards.

[zenchili]

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we are fortunate to still be able to play golf in December, so I play as much as I can while continuing to work on putting and the short game within 50 yards.

So lucky. I'm very jealous.

I wrote an article on my blog about winter practice. Basically I think with the right equipment (a good golf mat, net, video camera, a home putting green) you can really improve your swing and putting. Because you don't have the pressure of scoring, you can work on the technical aspects of the swing in a much more methodical way. Every once in a while go to the driving range to check ball flight. But having the setup at home can actually be more productive because of the video analysis you can do, if you're into video analysis.

[Elvisliveson]

I practice putting on the office carpet every day.

I swing a club in my living room almost every night, paying attention to my fundamentals.

I revist old instruction books.

[DaSportsGuy]

I usually practice my putting and ocassionally get out to the range(weather permitting).

[DavidFehertysBike]

There isnt much you can do. Another factor is that it gets dark about 5pm during winter in the northeast. So even when we catch some good weather the practice time is limited because most of us work while there is enough light. But when i do get the chance to practice i do mostly fundemental things like set up and alignment.

[zenchili]

There isnt much you can do. Another factor is that it gets dark about 5pm during winter in the northeast. So even when we catch some good weather the practice time is limited because most of us work while there is enough light. But when i do get the chance to practice i do mostly fundemental things like set up and alignment.

There used to be an awesome place to practice near me but they closed down. They had video bays, launch monitor bays, a really nice indoor putting green, a really nice bunker, and a pretty good chipping/pitching area. I used to spend hours there in the evening after work. It would shut down around 9 pm.

Once it closed I knew I needed to be able to practice at home. So over time I got the things I knew I would need to practice at home. The only thing I can't practice really well is putting. I can putt on carpet but that is not realistic enough for me. The speed doesn't match the greens and I play on. It helps for getting your basic stroke down, but other than that I don't find it that useful.

[mtsalmela80]

It was warm in NY yesterday so I got out on the hole behind my house for a bit for some chipping practice...indoor carpet chipping definitely made a difference!

[brodkorbtd]

There's a local heated range that has a golf simulator. The combination of the two help to keep my swing in shape year round.

[MrKadash]

I have a heavy 12x10 carpet I hang from the basement ceiling. I pummel balls into it whenever I feel the need.

[zenchili]

I have a heavy 12x10 carpet I hang from the basement ceiling. I pummel balls into it whenever I feel the need.

That's pretty cool. So that functions as your net. I'm still trying to find the right net for me.

[GaijinGolfer]

I practice chipping and putting on my living room floor and I go to a heated driving range.

[zenchili]

I practice chipping and putting on my living room floor and I go to a heated driving range.

I go to a heated driving range but the problem is its still cold and it's like hitting ice cubes. Much prefer to practice inside where it's warm.

[jaragon126]

We have a heated driving range here in town, although it's not really close to where I live. If the weather is decent, I'll try to go hit balls at the courses closer to me (although I have to hit off mats) :(

We live in an apartment, so having a net to hit into in the garage isn't in the cards for me ... I wonder if they make nets that fit in apartments some how.

I have been hitting some putts on the carpet once a week or so, but it's not much fun either.

I usually don't touch my clubs at all in the winter months, but it sucks "starting over" each spring.

[zenchili]

We have a heated driving range here in town, although it's not really close to where I live. If the weather is decent, I'll try to go hit balls at the courses closer to me (although I have to hit off mats) :(

I got a new PC recently (actually home built), and it runs the simulator really, really well. That is going to be my home practice. The nice thing is with the simulator I can hit a real ball, a foam ball or no ball, and it adjusts the calculations accordingly. Most of the time I either go with no ball or foam ball.