How To Practice Golf At Home (And Actually Improve Your Game)

Looking to sharpen up your golf game from the comfort of your own home?

We’ve got your back.

In this guide we’re going to cover everything you need to know about practicing golf at home. From drills and routines (that actually work), to the best home training aids and equipment that are worth investing in to help your game.

And talking of investment, let’s get a big one (but perhaps not as big as you think) out of the way first.

Should you buy a golf simulator/launch monitor for your home golf practice?

I spend a ton of time on drills, checking my swing on video or in the mirror, watching YouTube tutorials, reading every golf book under the sun.

And since you’re here searching for ways to practice golf at home, you probably do the same.

But ultimately, the way to get better at golf is well… to play golf. Lots of it.

Drills are great. But there’s a time when we have to incorporate those drills (or the changes they make in our swing) into our actual game.

10 years ago I used to be able to see the first tee of my home course (which was always quiet during the day) from my bedroom window. I worked from home, didn’t have kids living with me (I did/do have an older daughter from a previous relationship), and I could nip over at any time to smash some balls round a few holes.

These days? My home course is a 30 minute drive (through traffic) away, and while I still work from home, 2 young kids and family commitments make it tough to get out on the course as much.

And I’m sure I’m not alone in the above. Don’t get me wrong, I ain’t complaining. But there’s no doubt that life gets in the way of our golf game, or at least limits our opportunities to play the game out in the wild.

Which is why a home golf simulator, which you can play any time, day or night, whenever you have a spare 5 minutes really is a worthwhile investment.

In terms of practicing golf at home (and playing it) there really is no better option.

But there’s no doubt about it. A golf simulator is going to be a reasonably big investment. Depending on your circumstances, seeing a price tag in the multiple thousands might make you think it’s a luxury you can’t afford, particularly in the current economic climate.

But here’s the thing:

While you can spend upwards of $50K on a golf simulator, you can also spend under $4,000 and get an accurate launch monitor from SkyTrak or FlightScope, with a hitting net and mat, which is basically all you need.

And better than that?

On finance, a golf simulator setup could cost you under $100 per month over 2 years.

For example, at the time of writing this SkyTrak Practice Package from The Indoor Golf Shop comes in at $4,249 with finance from $196.10 per month.

Or this Mevo+ package from Rain or Shine Golf is just $93.21 per month over 3 years.

And if you already have a hitting mat and net, then you can get a FlightScope Mevo+ launch monitor with simulator software included for under $2,000 ($165 p/m on finance).

Not nothing. But also, not money that’s going to break the bank. Particularly on finance.

So while you might not have considered a home golf simulator before, I’d definitely recommend thinking about it to take your home golf practice to the next level.

We’ve got a full guide to the best golf simulators in 2023 here and a home golf simulator costs guide here. But here’s a quick summary table of the best golf simulator deals right now.

Top 3 recommended training aids for practicing golf at home

We test a ton of golf training aids every year. And we’re fortunate that in many cases we’re now sent them to test by the manufacturers (we reject the ones that we don’t think actually work). But I’ve also spent a small fortune over the years on buying training aids for my home golf practice.

I’d recommend checking out our full guide to the best golf training aids in 2023, but here are my top 3 picks right now:

1. The Lagshot

I know it’s been blasted all over Facebook, and you’re probably sick of the sight of Adam Bazalgette demonstrating it to you.

But despite the marketing hype, The Lagshot does actually work.

I used The Orange Whip for years for tempo training (and warming up before rounds), but I’ve now switched to The Lagshot since it does the same job for rhythm and tempo, and you can also hit balls with it.

I have the driver, 7-iron, and wedge combo (transparency: Lagshot sent me them for free), but you can grab a 7-iron only (which is really all you need) with 20% off using our code golferlogic here.

2. The GEM

This one isn’t so well known.

But it’s one of my favorite training aids right now. Basically, it’s a metal rod attached to a metal ball, which clips onto your club and believe it or not, will correct all sorts of swing faults – particularly slices.

You don’t need to hit balls with it (in fact you can’t) which makes it ideal for home practice.

Find out more about The GEM here and save 10% with our code golferlogic at checkout.

3. SuperSpeed

We all want more swing speed and distance.

And SuperSpeed will help you achieve both goals through progressive overspeed training (something the pros do a lot of).

There are 3 sticks/clubs in the system, and you’ll start with the lightest and work your way up to the heaviest, which will improve your strength, speed, and distance over time.

Check out SuperSpeed here.

Recommended online golf coaches for home training

You don’t need a specific online golf coach for practicing golf at home. After all, there are plenty of free YouTube tutorials out there.

But the problem is that all coaches have different thoughts on the swing. So it can get a little confusing if you’re jumping between coaches and searching random YouTube videos.

So we’d definitely recommend checking out a few online golf coaches, choosing one that seems a good fit for your personal goals, then committing to their method.

You’ll get the most out of your home golf practice that way.

For speed and strength, we’re big fans of Jaacob Bowden’s SwingMan program. And for general golf drills and coaching, it’s hard to beat Me and Me Golf (they have videos for literally everything).

But you can check out our full guide to the best online golf coaches right now here.

The best putting drills for home practice

First up, here are two nice drills from YouTube Channel GolfersRX, which are designed to promote:

1. better angle of attack/contact + precision with your putter
2. a square strike

In the first drill you don’t even need a ball. Simply balance 3 coins on top of each other and try to knock off just the top coin. If you can nail this drill, you’ll find your precision is much improved when it comes time to hit balls.

The second drill is for working on a square putter face at impact. Line up two balls side-by-side and hit them both. If the ball on the right comes out hotter than the left, your putter face is closed at impact, while if the ball on the left comes out hotter, your putter face is open.

If you tend to push, or pull your putts this is a great drill to work on.

Putting tempo drill from Dan Whittaker

Next up, here’s a great drill from Dan Whittaker which will help you work on your putting tempo.

According to Dan, poor tempo will lead to problems with face control. Which makes sense.

So to counter that, work on your putting stroke in time to a metronome (you should have one on your phone).

This will help you develop more of a ‘tick-tock’ tempo in your putting stroke.

Centre contact drill from Peter Finch

Here’s a useful routing from Peter Finch that’s designed to help you hit the ball on the centre of the putter face. Hitting the ball in the centre is key for properly rolling your putts.

Basically, you tape a coin to the centre of your putter, then create a gate with two tee pegs. But indoors you could just use a couple of lego blocks or similar to create your gate.

If you don’t hit the ball bang on centre, the coin will cause the ball to shoot offline. Which gives you instant feedback.

Home putting game from Rick Shiels

Here’s a fun (and helpful) practice game from Rick Shiels.

All you need is your putter, 3 balls, and 3 tins of soup!

Your aim is to get 3 balls in a row through the gate created by two of the tins. When you do, you can move the gate further away.

The best full golf swing drills to practice at home

Next up, let’s look at some drills you can do at home to work on your full swing.

Anti casting / fat shot drill from Smash Factor Golf Coaching

If you struggle with releasing the club early and struggle to hit down on your irons, this is a helpful drill from Smash Factor Golf Coaching.

Put a towel in line with your trail foot, and a tee peg (or lego brick etc) in line with your front foot. Your tee peg is the target.

If you cast (and would have hit the ball fat) you’ll hit the towel on the way down.

Release and connection drill from Art of Simple Golf

This is a great drill to help you turn fully through the shot, generating more speed and power.

If you struggle with a flip release, or turn the club over too soon (hooks would tend to be the result), this will be a great one to work on.

By shortening the club, you’re forced to keep turning through the shot or the butt end of the club will hit your body and you won’t be able to go any further.

Practice this and you’ll have a much more consistent release.

Right elbow drill from Smash Factor Golf Coaching

Another excellent drill here from Smash Factor Golf Coaching. This one focuses on correct movement of the right elbow in the golf swing.

If you suffer from a flying right elbow at the top, or have difficulty getting your right elbow back out in front (i.e. stuck) on the downswing, this is the perfect drill for you.

Danny Maude’s helicopter drill

This is a fantastic drill for those who struggle with generating power. And if you find it difficult to properly clear your hips in the downswing, then this will work well for you.

It’s also a great drill for sequencing.

You don’t even need a club for this one.

Mirror work

This isn’t a specific drill, but just a general recommendation.

If you can’t hit balls, then working on positions in front of a mirror is very useful. I spent a fair bit of time recently working on my top of backswing position (I suffer from a flat backswing, and a flying right elbow).

But when I say working on positions, I wasn’t thinking of “every” part of the backswing. I figured out where I wanted to be at the top, then I let my body work out how to get there.

After putting in plenty of reps, it started to feel natural. And while not 100%, there was a definite improvement in the position of my right elbow at the top.

Ready to practice golf at home?

That wraps it up for our home golf practice guide.

Good luck with your practice. And if you have any questions, drop a comment below.