How To Practice Golf at Home

Date Published: 30/10/2025

Bad weather, busy schedules, or limited daylight don’t have to hold your game back. With a little creativity, you can keep your swing sharp and confidence high from the comfort of home.

Whether you’re working on your putting stroke, building a consistent swing, or improving your short game touch, these tips will help you make the most of at-home golf practice, and see your hard work pay off when you’re back on the course.

1. The Benefits of Practising Golf at Home

Regular home practice is one of the easiest ways to stay connected to golf all year round. It allows you to:

• Maintain swing rhythm between rounds
• Build strength and flexibility
• Improve putting accuracy and feel
• Experiment with drills in a relaxed environment

Even short, focused sessions at home can help lower your scores once you’re playing again.

2. Setting Up a Home Golf Practice Space

You don’t need a huge garden or garage to create an effective home practice area,  just a few essentials can make a big difference.

For Indoor Practice:

• Putting Mat:  quality mat helps simulate green conditions and build stroke consistency. Choose one with alignment guides for added precision.
• Golf Net:  Great for garages or conservatories, allowing safe full swings. Pair it with a launch monitor or smartphone app to track your data.
• Swing Trainer: Weighted clubs or plane trainers can help refine technique and improve strength over time.

For Outdoor Practice:

• Chipping Net: Perfect for small gardens to sharpen your pitching accuracy.
• Artificial Turf or Mat:  Protects your lawn while simulating fairway lies.
• Weatherproof Setup: A gazebo or sheltered area helps you stay committed, even when the weather turns.

3. Practising Your Putting Indoors

Putting accounts for nearly half of all strokes in a typical round, so perfecting your technique at home can significantly improve your scores.

Try these drills:

• The Gate Drill: Place two tees (or coins) slightly wider than your putter head and practise swinging through cleanly without touching them.
• Distance Control Drill: Putt towards targets (coasters, cups, or markers) at different distances to develop feel for pace.
• Straight Line Drill: Use an alignment stick or string to ensure your putts start on the intended line.

Regular putting practice indoors helps you develop muscle memory, keeping your stroke consistent even when you’re away from the greens.

Indoor Putting Drill to Improve Your Putting at Home! (Add video here)

4. Working on Your Swing Mechanics

Even without a driving range, you can make meaningful progress with your swing at home.

• Mirror Practice: Use a full-length mirror or record yourself to check your posture, grip, and alignment.
• Slow-Motion Swings: Move deliberately through each position to reinforce good technique and sequencing.

• Impact Drills: Use foam or practice balls indoors to work on strike and tempo.

If you want expert advice on technique, take a look at our blog on How To Swing a Golf Club: Step-By-Step Guide.

5. Chipping and Pitching in the Garden

If you have outdoor space, short game practice is one of the most valuable uses of your time. Accuracy and touch around the greens are where many golfers save strokes.

• Use a Chipping Net: Aim for specific targets at varying distances.
• Vary Your Clubs: Practise with wedges, short irons, and even hybrids to learn how each club reacts.
• Focus on Landing Spots: Rather than aiming for the hole, focus on where the ball should land and how it rolls

Always use foam or limited-flight balls if space is tight (and to keep your neighbours happy).

6. Building Strength and Flexibility

You don’t need a gym to get golf fit. Focus on exercises that improve rotation, balance, and stability.

Try simple exercises such as:

• Rotational stretches to increase mobility
• Planks and squats to strengthen your core and legs
• Resistance bands to build shoulder control and flexibility

Many golfers also follow golf-specific fitness routines available online, focusing on balance and rotational movement rather than heavy weights.

7. Tracking Your Progress Digitally

Practising at home is only half the journey –  tracking your improvement completes the picture.

With iGolf, independent golfers can monitor their development through the MyStats feature and maintain an Handicap Index under the WHS.

By combining home practice with on-course performance tracking, you can see how your work translates into real improvement. 

For just £46 per year, iGolf members gain access to digital scoring, performance data, and goal tracking,  helping you measure success and define your game.