As winter sets in and the temperatures drop, many golfers find themselves reluctantly putting their clubs away. However, the off-season is the perfect time to focus on areas of your game that often get overlooked during the busy golf season. The key to maintaining and even improving your golf game through the winter months lies in staying consistent with your practice—even if you can't make it out to the course.
Fortunately, you don't need perfect weather to work on your skills. Many effective golf drills can be done indoors or in cold conditions, helping you stay sharp and ready for the next season. In this post, we'll cover several winter golf drills for all skill levels that focus on putting, short game, and even strength exercises. Plus, we'll show you how the right golf accessories and gear can make your drills more effective and comfortable.
1. Putting Drills for the Winter Off-Season
Putting is a part of your game that doesn’t require a sunny day or perfect course conditions. In fact, putting is one of the best areas to work on during the winter, especially indoors. Here are a few simple drills that will help you improve your putting stroke even when the weather outside is frightful:
Drill 1: The “Gate Drill”
This drill helps improve your putting alignment and consistency by ensuring the putter head travels straight back and through.
How to do it:
- Set up two tees just wider than the width of your putter head, about 6-8 inches in front of your ball.
- Practice rolling putts through the "gate" without hitting the tees. Focus on keeping your putter head square to the target line and following a smooth, straight stroke.
- Try to sink 10 putts in a row through the gate before moving on to a longer putt.
Gear Tip: A putting gate is an ideal indoor accessory that will allow you to practice these drills at home.
Drill 2: The “Clock Drill”
This drill is great for improving your distance control and feel for breaking putts.
How to do it:
- Place 6-8 balls around the hole, forming a clock face (12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, etc.), with the hole in the center.
- Start by putting from the 3 o'clock position, and work your way around the hole. Try to sink each putt with the same stroke length, paying attention to both speed and line.
- If you miss, repeat the drill until you make every putt from each position.
Gear Tip: Investing in a putting mirror will help to improve your putting alignment, stroke consistency and distance control.
2. Short Game Drills: Chipping and Pitching Indoors
The short game is often the difference between a great round and a mediocre one. While you can’t practice full swings indoors, you can certainly work on your chipping and pitching technique with a few simple drills.
Drill 1: The “Towel Drill”
This drill helps improve your chipping technique, ensuring you strike the ball cleanly and consistently.
How to do it:
- Lay a small towel or cloth on the floor, about 2 feet in front of you.
- Practice chipping a ball just over the towel, aiming to land it softly within a small target area.
- Focus on keeping your hands ahead of the ball at impact and maintaining a controlled, smooth motion.
Gear Tip: A chipping net can make this drill even more engaging. A chipping net provides instant feedback on your accuracy and trajectory, making it a great addition to your indoor training setup.
Drill 2: The “One-Handed Chip”
This drill helps with body rotation and balance during the chip shot.
How to do it:
- Take your normal chipping stance, but lift one hand off the club (start with your non-dominant hand).
- Focus on making clean contact with the ball using just one hand. Repeat the drill with the other hand.
- This drill will improve your body rotation and help develop the proper technique for more accurate chips.
Gear Tip: Using a swing training aid like a chipping trainer or a weighted club can enhance your chipping drills by promoting the correct wrist action and follow-through.
3. Winter Golf Strength and Flexibility Drills
Golf requires flexibility, strength, and endurance, which is why the winter months are a great time to work on your fitness. You don’t need a gym to build golf-specific strength, and you can improve your flexibility with a few simple exercises that can be done indoors.
Drill 1: The “Rotational Stretch”
This exercise will help maintain the flexibility in your shoulders and torso, which is crucial for a full, fluid swing.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms extended straight out in front of you, parallel to the floor.
- Slowly rotate your torso to the left, keeping your arms extended, and hold for a few seconds.
- Return to center and rotate to the right.
- Repeat 10-12 times on each side.
Gear Tip: A resistance band is a great tool to incorporate into rotational stretches. Resistance bands are lightweight and portable, so you can use them at home to build strength and flexibility in your core, shoulders, and hips—key areas for a powerful swing.
Drill 2: The “Squat to Press”
Strengthening your lower body and core helps with stability and balance in your swing.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a weight (a kettlebell or dumbbells work well) at chest height.
- Lower yourself into a squat, then press the weights overhead as you stand back up.
- Repeat for 12-15 repetitions.
Gear Tip: Using dumbbells or a kettlebell can increase the effectiveness of this drill, helping to strengthen the muscles used for a strong and stable golf swing.
4. Winter Golf Gear That Enhances Your Drills
Even though you're practicing indoors, the right accessories can help you make the most of your drills. Here are a few gear recommendations to enhance your training:
- Putting Mirrors: Indoor putting mirrors are a must for practicing alignment, stroke consistency, and distance control.
- Chipping Nets: These small, portable nets help you work on your short game inside, offering a target to focus on during chipping and pitching drills.
- Resistance Bands: Great for building strength and improving flexibility, resistance bands are compact and easy to use anywhere.
- Golf Swing Trainers: Devices like weighted clubs or swing aids can improve your muscle memory and reinforce proper technique.
Conclusion
Winter doesn’t have to mean putting your golf game on hold. With the right drills and equipment, you can stay sharp and even improve your skills during the colder months. Whether you're working on your putting stroke, fine-tuning your short game, or improving your strength and flexibility, indoor drills and golf-specific accessories can make a big difference in how you play when the season reopens.
So don’t let the winter blues freeze your game—grab the right gear, stay active with these drills, and get ready to hit the ground running when the first warm day rolls around! Visit golfthing.co.uk now. for golf accessories, training aids and golf clothing