Indoor Practice

[murphmjm]

For the winter I've decided to actually practice my game. I don't have much space so i set up a little area with an ottoman backstop, a putter about a foot in front and a old cell phone box in the middle. i try to chip the ball into the box rougly 8' away with a 60-56-42-pw-9-8, always attempting to land the ball within the putter and the ottoman, preferably in the box (1'x6" most likely). Is this going to help my game. I try to put in at least 30-45 mins when i get home from work then when i wake up ill hit a few balls to see if i can do it cold to track my progress/feel.

Is this going to help my short game or will it only end up hurting? I cant see the roll i'm getting with the backstop but the grounds frozen, its 11 degrees outside, what else can i do. I really want to work my short game so i can score better next year. Is there anything i can add in such a limited space or do differently to help me game? Will consistently landing the ball 8' ish with different clubs help me once i can get to the course and figure out how each shot rolls on any given day/conditions.


Thanks for your help/input!

[Leftygolfer]

I think that will help. Being able to land the ball exactly where you want is a big part of getting and down. Once the snow leaves you can go try to hit the exact same shots and see how they react on the green. For me that is the key, landing it in the exact spot and predicting the reaction on the green (this is the key for everyone).

The thing I do is use the Pelz putting tutor on 6 to 10 foot carpet putts in the winter. I don't care about how the carpet breaks. I just focus on starting it on line through the balls in the device and rolling it the right speed. Look it up if you are interested. Great feedback and that is the key to quality practice.

Hope this helps.

[live4u120]

Personally, I like to use practice balls indoors. It's a help for my pitching to use foam balls to pitch and work on impact. I have a problem sometimes of hitting the ball fat on pitching and chipping, so I practice impact. It doesn't harm my wall, and makes my short game better.

Other than that, I putt inside. I putt about 30% inside and the other 70% at the local country club.

Foam balls:
http://www.amazon.com/Intech-Range-B...2197135&sr;=8-8
^Those are actually smaller than regulation, so when it comes to hitting real balls, it's a sinche.^

[murphmjm]

My only question with the foam balls is this, do they provide any sort of feel for distance or are they mainly for focusing on ball striking?

The putting tutor looks good, how does that compare to the rail? I was looking to get something of that sort for my putting but the tutor seems like it would achieve the same goal with some good feedback(the more annoying when i do something wrong the better!).

[Leftygolfer]

I have never used the rails. There is alot of talk about how to swing the putter (arc vs straight back) and I really don't care about that so much. I try to stay square and that is the feeling I have but in reality is that what I am doing?? Probably not. The thing about the tutor it teaches you the most important thing in putting. Starting the ball on the line you intend to. It really helps you learn what a square face looks like to your target (I put a coin on the floor to aim at) and try to focus on rolling it the speed I want. I use the pro setting and I would say I hit the marbles every 3-5 putts, depending on the day. I just use 3 balls at a time and watch tv and hit a putt here and there.