Shooting balls into darkness all winter is pointless. Fabian Bünker shows five exciting alternatives that will improve your game.Knowing that not all golfers have a lot of time to invest in their golf training, here are five training tips for your long game that you can practice efficiently on any driving range.
1. Assess the Quality of Your Shots
Take 30 balls and hit each one with a different club towards a different target. Perform a routine before each shot as you would on the course or, better yet, in a tournament. After each shot, rate its quality on a scale from 1 (excellent) to 6 (poor). You’ll notice your concentration increasing since no one wants to give themselves poor marks.
2. The Tai Chi Swing
This practice requires high concentration and a quiet environment. Perform your golf swing, especially the parts you want to improve, in slow motion. This allows you to feel every segment of the swing and consciously control it. Closing your eyes can help strengthen the mental image of the movement. Experts can time their Tai Chi swing to seconds, even setting goals like 30 seconds or 1 minute per swing.
You should do this exercise without a ball at home unless you have enough space to practice with air swings. It also works well on the driving range, where you can gradually increase your tempo following a 30-60-90 rule: start at 30%, then 60%, finally reaching 90% tempo, but avoid 100% to prevent loss of control.
Focus points for Tai Chi tempo swings:
• Give clear, distinct movement instructions to yourself
• Concentrate on one movement aspect at a time (e.g., start of backswing)
• Find a quiet environment (turn off phone)
• Get external feedback (coach)
• Initially practice without a ball
3. Practice the Draw
The draw curves from right to left, with the ball starting slightly right of the target line and curving back left. Hit a draw by swinging the club from inside to outside (feeling like the club swings far right of the target) with a slightly closed clubface relative to the swing path. This drill is especially good if you usually slice the ball since it helps correct that tendency.
4. Practice the Fade
The fade curves from left to right. To hit a fade, reverse the draw motion: swing from outside to inside with a slightly open clubface relative to the swing path. These drills require individual swing adjustments; if you struggle to produce a draw or fade, consider lessons with a pro for tailored advice.
5. Focus on Specific Body Parts
If you’re taking lessons and want to stabilize your swing over winter, focusing on one body part during practice can help. For example, concentrate solely on your left wrist while hitting balls and feel its movement. Avoid thinking about other swing aspects. This method improves awareness of targeted corrections made with your instructor and enhances confidence in your technique.
Whether working on technique or just hitting a few balls, add variety to your training with these tips!