Shooting balls into the dark all winter is pointless. Fabian Bünker shows five exciting alternatives to move your game forward.As I know not all readers can invest a lot of time in their golf training, here are five training tips for your long game that you can apply on any driving range even with limited time.
1. Assess the Quality of Your Shots
Take 30 balls and hit each one with a different club toward a different target. Perform a routine before each shot as you would on the course or even better in a tournament. After each shot, grade the shot quality from 1 (very good) to 6 (poor). You’ll notice your concentration improving, as no one wants to give themselves bad grades.
2. Tai Qi Swing Practice
This exercise requires high concentration and a quiet environment. Perform your golf swing, especially the elements you want to change, in absolute slow motion. This helps you feel every movement and control it consciously. Many find closing their eyes helpful to strengthen the inner image of the motion. Experts can time their Tai Qi golf swing to the second and set durations like 30 seconds or one minute.
Practice this at home without a ball unless you have enough space to use practice balls. It’s also great for the driving range, where you can gradually increase tempo using the 30-60-90 rule: start at 30% speed, then 60%, and finally 90%. Avoid 100% speed swings on the course to prevent loss of control.
Focus on these aspects during Tai Qi tempo swings:
• Give clear and distinct movement instructions to yourself
• Concentrate on one movement aspect only (e.g., first part of backswing)
• Find a quiet environment (turn off your phone)
• Get external feedback (coach)
• Start with swings without a ball
3. Practice the Draw
The draw is a ball flight curve from right to left. The ball starts slightly right of the target line and curves back left towards the target. To hit a draw, swing the club from inside to outside (feeling like swinging far to the right of the target). The clubface should be slightly closed relative to the swing path. If you tend to slice the ball, this exercise helps counteract that.
4. Practice the Fade
You should also try hitting a fade—a ball flight from left to right. This is simply the opposite of the draw: swing the club from outside to inside with a slightly open clubface relative to the swing path. I purposely offer no technical tips here, as everyone needs to adjust their swing individually. If you have trouble shaping these shots, consider a lesson with a pro who can tailor instructions to your swing.
5. Focus on Specific Body Parts
While you may take lessons to stabilize your swing over winter, practicing alone on technique can be challenging since you can’t observe yourself properly. Although smartphones allow recording swings, angle and analysis can be difficult for amateurs.
Alternatively, focus on one body part—like your left wrist—while hitting balls, concentrating exclusively on how it moves through the swing. If you are working on a