Not many of us have the luxury to go to the golf club every day and practice this game we all love. In this article How to practice golf in the backyard, we will give you some great drills and also show you some of the best golf practice equipment and gadgets that can help you.
Not many of us have a backyard this good to practice golf in but any size yard or garden can be used to practice your golf game.
Everything from putting to driver swing can be practiced in a small space. I have spent hours in my backyard practicing my chipping and I practice my Putting in the living room.
READ OUR ARTICLE: Best Indoor Putting Mats
How To Improve At Golf
The good news is, everyone can get better at golf, no matter what age you are or fitness level there’s always a part of your golf game that you can improve on. I have played golf against some very low handicap players that drive the ball 300 yards and I thought OMG how can I beat these guys. But when It came to putting and short game I suddenly got an advantage and when you consider on a typical 18 hole course you may only use driver 10-11 time. However, you use putting and short game on all 18.
That’s why PGA Pros always say ‘ if you want to play better golf, focus and short game ‘ However if you can drive the ball far and have a good short game then you’ll be a scratch player in no time.
Here are some quick tips to improve your golf game
- Course management: Plan your way around each hole, don’t just hit and hope
- Improve your short game and putting: Practice every opportunity you can at home & at the range
- Never practice on the course: Practice at home and at the range but when on the course enjoy the game
- Buy the correct clubs: It’s so important to get the correct equipment that suits your game
- Set realistic goals: Make sure you have a sensible target to achieve each month-Year.
- Get lessons: Stop watching youtube and go get help from a PGA approved golf coach
- JUST DO IT: Stop wishing you were a better golfer and do it! practice, practice, and practice
What’s the Best Way To Lower My Golf Score?
One of the best tips someone ever gave me when I asked how to improve my golf was to play the shot you have, not you shot you want to have. This is a hard thing to do on the golf course, take a short par 4 hole. It may be 300 yards, so you’re thinking driver, chip and putt RIGHT? Well, how well are you swinging your driver? If you’re hitting your driver 250 yards straight or finding the middle of the fairway then GO FOR IT. However, if you often hit your driver to the right or out of bounds then why risk it? Wouldn’t you be better hitting an iron 150-180 yards, then pitch it up and have a putt for birdie or 2 for par? Far too often we go for the big glory shots and they’re the wrong shot choice. At the end of the day when you’re sitting in the clubhouse who will care what club you hit, all anyone will look at will be the scorecard.
Play the shot you can do confidently time and time again. For me, my driver shot has a big fade ( almost a slice ) so I aim more to the left and use the shot I know I can play to find the target. People say to me AIM MORE RIGHT! But I can’t draw the ball so what’s the point and plenty of players on tour hit fade.
The best way to improve golf is to play on course to your ability, don’t be pressured into taking that 250-yard driver over water when you can only hit 200 off the tee. What’s the point, you’ll only be feeding golf balls to the fish and balls can be expensive if you don’t buy from the best places.
Read our article called Best golf balls to cure a slice.
How To Beat 90
Here are 5 simple tips that will help you beat 90. Every golfer can use these tips no matter if your target is to break 100, 90 or even 80.
Following your heart versus following your head is one of the hardest things to do in golf. For example, you hit your tee shot in the ruff and near a tree. Your head is saying TAKE YOUR MEDICINE and chip it out then play a good iron short and get it on the green and your back in the game. Your heart is saying 3 wood it around the tree with a massive draw and get it on the green in one. 9 times out of ten you’ll go for the glory shot, right? Stop it you’ll end up with a triple boogie most of the time. I know it’s not fun playing safe all the time but if you want to lower your scores then this is what you need to do.
This is a great video from the guys at ME & MY GOLF go visit their website for more great golf tips. They cover lots of helpful tips like the ones below in this article – How to practice golf in the backyard
TIP 1 : Know your distances
Planning your shots in advance and having a good pre-shot routine is paramount. If you know your distances you can start to use the right club for the shot and also start to use half or three-quarter shots. These type of shots can really help, rather than give every shot 110% and messing it up it’s better to have a controlled half shot that’s accurate.
TIP 2 : Take your medicine
No matter how good you are you’ll always play a bad shot or even play a good shot but get unlucky with a bad roll or it bounces off the fairway after hitting a stone or something unlucky. It even happens to everyone even Tour players, so don’t get worked up about it. What matters is how you deal with the next shot. Ever heard the saying ” Take your medicine?”
What that means is, you’re already in a tricky position so don’t go for that glory almost impossible shot to try to make up for the last one. Just play a safety shot that will put you back in the game and give you the best chance of finding the green with the next shot. At most you’ll lose 1 stroke. However, if you go for that glory shot you could and usually do end up with a triple or worse on your scorecard. Ever been sat in the clubhouse and looking at your scorecard and thinking ‘ Where did that 10 come from?’
TIP 3: Consistent chipping shot
Practice your chipping with one club which you can then always rely on to get you close to the pin. Many players think they need 3 and even 4 wedges. You don’t! Some players only carry one wedge but I think the best option certainly for beginners or mid-handicappers is to carry a 60 Deg and a 52-54 deg.
These two clubs will give you all the chipping options you’ll ever need. Then you can practice with the 54 Deg and make this your go-to club, and you have the 60Deg for bunkers. If you can do a simple but accurate chip from 20-30 yards and put it within 3-4 feet of the hole your chances of 1 putting are dramatically higher. Any golfer who can chip it close and 1 putt will be a single handicap golfer in no time at all.
Chipping is something you can practice in your own garden and even indoors ( If you’re careful ) Practice chipping nets are perfect for this and we’ve provided a great list to make it easier to find the best golf practice nets and other great golf practice equipment. You can even get some balls made of foam that won’t damage anything in the house then your wife doesn’t kill when you break her best vase. Even though the balls are made of foam and lighter than normal golf balls you still use the same chipping technique and stroke so your game will improve.
TIP3: Know your carry distance
Knowing how far you carry the ball with each club will really help you. Especially over water and tricky par 3’s. Most golfers know how far they hit the ball overall because you play your shot and look at how far you have left to the pin and then you know how far you hit it off the tee. This, however, doesn’t help you if you’re hitting it over water.
You might need to play a shot over a hazard and it’s 180 yards to carry the hazard, so you’re thinking ‘ I hit my 6 Iron that far ‘ but what you don’t know is how much rollout you get with your 6 iron. If you get 20 yards of roll out if it then will your 6 iron carry the hazard? We’ve all done it hit what we thought was a good strike only to watch the ball drop in the water 2-3 foot away from the other side. Argggggh.
So know how far each club carries, not total distance. Carry is more important!
TIP4: Tackle your nemesis holes
Most of us play the same course over and over each week or each month and get into trouble on the same holes each game. How many times have you walked up to a hole and said to yourself or your playing partner ” I hate this hole, I always mess up on this one” We all do it but we need to be positive, a famous boxer once said ‘ A fight is already won or lost before you throw the first punch’ if you’re going into the fight thinking you’re going to lose you probably will.
You need to approach your nemesis golf hole and work out where you’re going wrong and how can you fix it. By doing this you could save a couple of shots just on that one hole per round. Most players take 6 months to lower their handicap by 2 shots. You could do it on one nemesis golf hole.
TIP 5 : Play the shot you can do, not the one you wish you could do.
Knowing your game and being honest with yourself about your ability will really help. How many times have you looked at a long par 4 and thought yes that’s the driver and a chip and putt. So you try boom your longest driver ever and it goes OUT OF BOUNDS or IN THE ROUGH. Then you’re making double or triple on what should have been a simple Par 4 or even a Birdie chance. You might be able to hit your hybrid 180-200 accurately every time.
So why not use that club? find the middle of the fairway and you’re in a great position. Rather than struggling to get out of the rough because you tried to push your game. I know we all want to try bomb that driver, but if that shot’s not in your locker then don’t attempt it. When you’re in the clubhouse looking at that triple on your scorecard you’ll have wished you’d gone 5 iron, short iron, and 1 putt for Birdie or at worst 2 Putts for par.
What Should I Practice In My Backyard?
The weakest part of your game, if you feel your swing isn’t consistent or where you want it to then practice your swing. You can use a training aid like world-famous ORANGE WHIP used by 1000s of people worldwide to improve their golf swing in the backyard. It can be used anywhere to practice your golf swing. It helps you with timing, swing speed and gaining a controlled relaxed stress-free swing. I have one and I even take it on camping trips with me so I can practice. It has sold 1000’s since its launch.
Maybe it’s your putting that needs practicing, again you use a training gadget like PUTTOUT. This golf putting training aid has taken the world by storm. What a fantastic piece of golf equipment this is, we love it.
Have a read of our product review on the PUTTOUT training aid? Click the highlighted link to read our in-depth review.
Whatever part of your golf game needs improving, they all can be practiced in your backyard. Even your driving can be practiced by using a golf practice cage. Click the highlighted link to read our full review of Golf practice cages-Perfect for the garden.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The best way to improve at golf is to practice, there’s no point watching endless Youtube videos or reading articles like this unless you put them into action. Go buy a putting training aid or a golf swing product and just practice. Put the kettle on, make a brew and go into the garden and practice. 10 minutes a day will make a world of difference to your golf game.
And you’re in the home or in the garden so the Mrs won’t moan at you for always being at the golf club. Ha Ha
Good luck and we hope you found this blog on how to practice golf in the backyard helpful.
Play well. Shoot low
