5 Golf Drills You Can Do at Home (No Simulator Required)

While I would love to have a simulator at home, that’s not the case and I know I’m not the only one. When I want to practice golf indoors on a cold or rainy day, I keep things simple. Here are five drills that don’t require anything fancy like a simulator or a launch monitor.

The pause chipping drill

Chipping at home is one of my favorite ways to practice. Purchase golf balls like the Almost Golf Balls that won’t damage anything inside your home. Even if you have a small space to work with, a little half swing is a great way to work on your consistency and strike. This drill works well to help that transition from backswing to downswing.

How to Do It:

Set up an alignment stick along your target line. Swing so the club is at first parallel, about waist high, and pause for three seconds before starting the downswing. Focus on feeling the arms and body working together without one rushing the other. It’s more of a tempo drill than anything else and it’s a great way to gain some confidence around the green.

The chair drill: Stop swaying in your backswing

I use this drill on the driving range with an alignment stick. It helps you become more aware of your turn and reduce your backswing sway.

When indoors, you can do it with a chair in place. You don’t even have to use a club for this drill but if you have the room to swing with a club, go for it.

How to Do It:

Place a chair next to your trail leg. Make your normal backswing and stop at the top to check: Did your hip move into the chair? (Too much sway) Did your hip stay inside while rotating? (Correct motion)

The towel putting drill

Putting is the easiest thing to practice at home. One of the complaints I hear from amateur players is that the carpet speed or putting mat speeds never feel the same as the course.

While I can understand speed matters, you can also work on putting technique and consistency. This drill helps you reduce excess lower body movement and train a more repeatable stroke. It’s simple and you can’t complain about the speed. It’s all about the consistency.

How to Do It:

Roll up a towel and place it under the inside of both feet. Stand with your toes and heels evenly pressed into the ground. Make smooth, stable strokes, ensuring your weight stays balanced. After five putts, add a head movement check—only follow the ball with your eyes, not your head.

The alignment stick swing plane drill

If you like checkpoints, this alignment stick drill is for you. The good news is that even if you don’t have ceiling clearance, you can grip halfway down the club and still benefit from what this drill offers. The alignment stick is a visual reference. If you don’t have one, a yardstick or any straight line works just fine.

I like this drill for working on your takeaway and making sure your swing starts out properly.

How to Do It:

Lay an alignment stick on the ground along your target line. Grip a club halfway down the shaft for a better feel and/or if you don’t have enough room to swing. Swing back until the club shaft is parallel to the alignment stick. Check that the butt end of the club points down at the stick in your downswing.

The tape strike drill

I saved my favorite drill for last. The tape strike drill from Bryson DeChambeau helps train the consistency of your ball striking. It’s so simple but so effective.

All you need is some masking tape. I use painter’s tape and you’ll get instant feedback on your ball striking. You can use this for half or full swings and you’ll see that DeChambeau does both. The drill forces ball-first contact and it’s great for any player who struggles with hitting fat shots. You can do this with foam balls if you don’t have a net.

How to Do It:

Place a strip of masking tape (or use a chalk line) on your hitting surface. Set a golf ball just in front of the tape. Make short iron swings, checking where your divot starts: In front of the tape? Good strike. Behind the tape? You hit it fat (fix by shifting weight forward). Try to hit five clean strikes in a row before moving on.

Final thoughts

You can practice golf at home without spending much, if any, money or overcomplicating your setup. For those who have simulators, the possibilities for at-home practice are endless. However, don’t use the lack of a simulator, launch monitor or net as your excuse for not being able to work on your game at home.

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