How best to improve your golf game while off the course? Unless you are lucky enough to live in a climate that is beautiful all year round, sometimes the weather just doesn't allow for a day on the golf course. Particularly in Britain, the prospect of playing in some of our famous wet and windy winters can feel like more of a punishment than an enjoyable day. There are, however, plenty of ways that you can ensure your golf game doesn’t have to suffer from being away from the course for long periods of time. Whereas your ETIQUS timepiece will help distinguish your style off the course (as well as on it), some of these methods will drastically help improve your game away from the green.
VISUALISE YOUR PLAY
It may sound odd, but the way you think about your game can be one of the keys to unlocking any problems you have on the course. The best golfers have it on the brain 24/7, and even when they can’t get out and play, they are thinking about every aspect of their game. Away from the pressure of a real game, you are free to think about your stance, your timing and any mistakes you have previously made. Try focusing on spreading your feet at shoulders-width, whilst bending your knees and relaxing into your ‘ready to hit’ posture. By staying relaxed in a comfortable environment this will help you find your perfect stance more naturally, which will help eliminate needless errors from your game.
IMPROVE YOUR PUTTING GAME
No matter how good your approach play is, it’s all for nothing if you can’t putt. It’s easy to overlook putting as simplistic, but great finishers become so by constant practice. There are wide ranges of different putting greens you can buy for your own home, from smaller strips that fit in your living room or office, to larger synthetic putting greens for your back garden. These are created to match the roll and ball speed of real courses, so your practice can be instantly applied to a real-life game situation. Such putting greens are quickly becoming the best way to improve your short game, and can drastically help shave points of your scorecard.
TAKING GOLFING AT HOME TO THE NEXT LEVEL
If you have the means, I can highly recommend taking your off-course golfing to the very highest level with the latest in golf simulators. They are expensive, but can completely revolutionise the way you play. Some allow you to play on re-creations of the world’s most famous courses, such as The Old Course at St. Andrews or the Augusta National, without having to leave your home. Realistic 3D graphics on over-sized screens help analyse every aspect of your game, with options to re-do shot after shot until your swing, stance and timing are all perfect. Nothing else comes close in instantly helping your self-analysis. It might not have the authenticity of the real thing, but it’s as close as you can get without risking the bad weather.