Best Winter Golf Drills

9 Winter Golf Drills For Offseason Practice

It's that time of the year again for golfers. Fall is coming to a close, cold weather is settling in, and local golf courses are shutting down one by one for the winter. But here's the thing - just because winter has arrived doesn't mean you have to stop golfing. In fact, winter golf drills could be just the thing to elevate your game for next season.

Winter golf drills are a great way improve your game and stay in shape during the offseason. Targeted drills enable you to focus on specific areas of your game, maintain the progress you made during the season prior, and keep your swing fluid.

To get you started on a winter practice schedule, we've outlined the 9 best winter golf drills for home, the driving rage (assuming you have a heated one nearby), or indoor golf simulator.

Golf Drills for Home

• Impact bag golf swing practice.
• Impact bags can help you build and retain muscle memory. Whether you're in your back yard or living room, swinging into an impact bag will help you stay in a groove and maintain your swing when you're away from the course.
• Orange Whip golf swing training
• The Orange Whip enables you to refine your swing tempo and balance to achieve a more consistent swing on the golf course. It's a popular tool that is used by golfers of all skill levels.
• The Wall Drill
• The Wall Drill is a great way to practice your swing balance from the comfort of your own home. The drill doesn't require much, and the benefits can make a real difference in your game.
• Putting mat indoor putting practice.
• Putting is arguably the most important phase of the game and, fortunately, it's also the easiest to practice indoors during the winter. Grab a putting mat to practice smooth strokes, balls speed and control.
• Practice chipping into a net.
• Chipping nets are great for winter because they allow you to practice an important part of your game, and require very little space. Bundle up, grab a few balls, and set aside 15 feet of backyard space for a great practice session.

Golf Simulator and Driving Range Practice Drills

• Hit balls with impact tape.
• Impact tape will highlight where you are striking the golf ball and enable you to focus on improving where you making contact.
• Half speed swings to fix a hook.
• To fix hook shots, Butch Harmon recommends spending time on the range hitting drives at half speed.  He argues that by slowing down arm speed and accentuating a balanced body turn, you should stop the face from snapping closed the ball.
• The Headcover Drill to fix a slice.
• The headcover drill is a popular swing path drill that can help a golfer correct their slice. To perform the drill, place a ball on a tee and select a target on the range. Next, take your headcover and place it on the ground just outside of the target line. If positioned right, and you have an inside-out swing path, you should avoid contact with the headcover as the club makes its way along the swing path. If you are swinging outside-in (the motion that produces a slice), you will strike the headcover.
• Make it a point to hit half wedges.
• For most golfers, a trip to the range rarely includes practicing those in-between wedge shots that happen all the time on the course. For this drill, find the 100 yard target on the range and practice hitting your wedge 75, 50, 30, and even 15 yards. You will find that practicing these in-between distances will sharpen your wedge skills and prepare you for the weird distances you will inevitably face on the course.

What's Your Golf Practice Plan This Winter?

Whether you have an existing winter golf practice plan, or intend to focus on some of the drills above for the first time, we'd love to hear your feedback in the comment section. Tell us what you like and don't like, or what works and doesn't work.