Shooting balls into darkness all winter makes no sense. Fabian Bünker shares five exciting alternatives to advance your game.
Knowing that not all golfers can invest much time in training, here are five tips to improve your long game, even with limited time on any driving range.
1. Assess the Quality of Your Shots
Take 30 balls and hit each with a different club towards a different target. Perform a pre-shot routine like on the course or during a tournament. Afterwards, grade the shot quality on a scale from 1 (excellent) to 6 (poor). This will increase your focus, as nobody wants to give themselves bad grades.
2. The Tai Chi Swing
This practice requires high concentration and a quiet environment. Execute your golf swing—and especially elements you want to change—in slow motion to feel every part of the movement clearly. Closing your eyes can help strengthen the internal image of your movement. Experts can time their Tai Chi golf swings to the second and set specific durations like 30 seconds or one minute.
Practice this without a ball at home, or on the range with practice swings, gradually increasing speed following the 30-60-90 principle. Start at 30% speed, progress to 60%, and finally reach 90%. Avoid full-speed swings on the course initially to maintain control.
Focus on these during Tai Chi tempo swings:
• Give yourself clear movement instructions
• Concentrate on one aspect of the swing
• Find a quiet place (switch off phone)
• Seek external feedback (coach)
• Start with swings without a ball
3. Practice the Draw
A draw is a shot curve from right to left. The ball starts slightly right of the target line and curves back to the left. Swing the club from inside to outside (it may feel like swinging far right of the target), with the clubface slightly closed to the swing path. If you usually slice, this drill helps counter that tendency.
4. Practice the Fade
Occasionally, practice hitting a fade—a ball flight moving from left to right—by performing the opposite motion to the draw: swing from outside to inside with the clubface slightly open to the path.
Individual swing adjustments vary, so no universal tips are given here. If you struggle to execute these shot shapes purposefully, consider lessons with a pro for tailored advice.
5. Focus on Specific Body Parts
Winter is a great time to stabilize your swing technique. Instead of relying solely on video analysis, which can be tricky for amateurs due to angles, concentrate on a single body part during swings, such as the left wrist. Think only about that part’s movement and feel how it moves during your swing. This focused practice helps develop a better sense of your technique between lessons.
Whether refining technique or simply hitting balls on the range, these tips add valuable variety to your winter golf training.