Whether you practice your golf game in your backyard or the neighbourhood playground, your going to need some "hard" practice tools. Unlike my previous post on "soft" tools, "hard" tools are actual items you can physically use to practice within a small area. Let's get right into it.
1. A Golf Net
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| Golf Net |
One of the first hard tools I got was a golf net. I found my Callaway Golf Net in a local surplus outlet store. These things are great for setting up in the yard. What's nice about a golf net is you can use real golf balls and take full swings at it without worrying about breaking a window or hitting a car - most of the time. Word of warning though, if you are an absolute beginner and have zero control of the ball, be very careful. I broke a window (or two) after some really bad shots while practicing with a driver. I mean these are shots where I am aiming straight at the net. I must have somehow managed to hit the ball with the shaft of the club because the ball would go almost 90 degrees to the left or right of my aim. Those were sad and embarrassing days. I would much rather not recount or figure out how or why. It happened. Hopefully those days are now behind me.
The golf net is a great tool. The best thing about a golf net is really getting that ball contact feel. This allows for you to get the confidence of hitting a ball. And while it is hard to tell at first, there is a very distinct and real difference between the feel of simply hitting a golf ball and hitting it flush. A golf net allows for you to be able to identify that feeling without having to see the flight of the ball.
This brings me to the downside of a golf net - you don't see the flight of the ball. And if you don't see the flight of the ball, you don't know whether it was a slice or a hook or if it would have been straight-as-an-arrow. Yes, you might think each time you hit it flush that the ball would've likely flown straight but you never really know. As a beginner, you more often doubt yourself than give yourself the benefit of the doubt.
This brings me to the downside of a golf net - you don't see the flight of the ball. And if you don't see the flight of the ball, you don't know whether it was a slice or a hook or if it would have been straight-as-an-arrow. Yes, you might think each time you hit it flush that the ball would've likely flown straight but you never really know. As a beginner, you more often doubt yourself than give yourself the benefit of the doubt.
2. Old Driving Range Balls
At about the same time I got the driving net, I also went to a driving range and bought three large sacks of old golf balls (it must have been 5,000 - 6,000 golf balls). For about 6 months there was an empty lot right behind my house that extended about 100 yards out and 60 yards wide. I took these old golf balls and would hit an 8 iron (and later a 9, and even later - as I got better, a pitching wedge) into that empty lot.
It was great fun while it lasted.
Unfortunately, that lot was later bought and construction had started to develop the land. That was the end of my personal 100 yard driving range.
I still have a few hundred balls left and for the ones that are not cracked or too badly scuffed up, I still use them to practice chipping and pitching. Also, I keep about 50 of these old driving range balls in a small bag in my car along with my clubs wherever I go. You never know when you'll be in a place where you can hit a few into the distance with no risk of breaking anything.
At about the same time I got the driving net, I also went to a driving range and bought three large sacks of old golf balls (it must have been 5,000 - 6,000 golf balls). For about 6 months there was an empty lot right behind my house that extended about 100 yards out and 60 yards wide. I took these old golf balls and would hit an 8 iron (and later a 9, and even later - as I got better, a pitching wedge) into that empty lot.
It was great fun while it lasted.
Unfortunately, that lot was later bought and construction had started to develop the land. That was the end of my personal 100 yard driving range.
I still have a few hundred balls left and for the ones that are not cracked or too badly scuffed up, I still use them to practice chipping and pitching. Also, I keep about 50 of these old driving range balls in a small bag in my car along with my clubs wherever I go. You never know when you'll be in a place where you can hit a few into the distance with no risk of breaking anything.
3. Holed Balls
After my personal driving range had "closed" I started looking for alternatives to practice. I immediately turned to those soft, plastic, hollow practice golf balls. They come in a variety of colors but the ones that were most commonly available in my neck of the woods were the orange ones.
While I had bought quite a number of these practice golf balls, my experience with them was short. First, I almost immediately lost my first pack of 4. The reason is while these balls tend not to fly too far away on most hits, every once in awhile you'll either hit an exceptionally good one or the wind will blow pretty strong and the ball flies to the neighbors' or over to that empty lot. Second, the whole experience of using the balls left plenty to be desired. The balls tended to be soft - so soft that you could not tee up with a holed ball in your hand and use it to push the tee into the ground. Second, as soon as you tried to hit it with a driver, the ball would dent and collapse into itself on impact. The lifespan of these thing were very, very short and eventually I gave up on these.
4. Kid's old toys
Not to be deterred with the unhappy experience with the holed, hollow, plastic golf balls, I continued to experiment. I have 2 boys (a 4-year old and a 1.5 year old) who always have toy balls lying around. I would steal their old ones from them when they were not looking and have at it (not my proudest "daddy" moment but, hey, that's why I hide behind the alias). This would work most of the time and satisfy the nagging itch to hit something with a golf club. However, the guilt and the fights with the wife and kids every time I had to own up and admit I took the toy ball again proved too much. I quickly let go of this option and stopped kidnapping unknowing toys in the house.
5. Foam Balls with a hard center
They're basically really soft foam balls with a hard center. These are really great for that "impact" feel. And because of the wind drag/resistance of the foam, they only go about 20-25 yards on a full swing. I love these things and still use them from time to time. They're great for indoor use as well for anyone with enough room to swing a golf club without hitting a vase or flower pot (or person).
The only downside of these practice balls is that they're a bit pricey and NOT very durable. I mean I've seen these things priced up to $7 a set (4 pieces). When you think about it, they're just foam balls with the core cut out, a wooden marble placed in it, and then the cut out glued back in. $7 is a lot of money for that, in my opinion. Also if you use your driver with it or hit a hard surface enough times, the foam will start to break and give.
My sense is that these practice balls are best for short iron and wedge use for easy swing shots. You probably won't need any more than 4 balls for that so don't make the same mistake I did and buy a bunch of them. Keep a few in your office, car, or bag and that is all you'll probably ever need.
6. Fake grass
I actually designed, built, and installed a putting green with artificial grass in my backyard. It's only 35 square meters but it's a lot of fun for practice. I am already working on a draft for a separate post on building/installing your own putting green in the backyard. I'll share some pictures of the prep work, progress, and finished putting green on this blog another time.
Anyway, I use the extra fringe grass that was left over from my home made putting green project to practice chipping and pitching on the driveway. I used to practice off of the lawn until my wife started giving me the stink eye over the divots. Fake grass is great because it turns any hard surface like a driveway (or rooftop) into a nice fluffy grass surface! You can even lay two layers of the grass over itself for a softer surface.
If you do decide to buy fake grass, don't get the cheap stuff. The strands on the cheap ones tend to come off of the rubber backing. Remember, you are going to be pulling those strands with the head of your golf club at high speeds. You want something that can take the punishment. So when you go to your local hardware, take a good look at the bottom of the sheet of fake grass and make sure that those strands are firmly adhered to the base. Don't be afraid to shell out a few extra bucks for the better ones, it'll be worth it.
7. The birdie ball
This is my newest discovery and toy. I actually just saw it on YouTube and thought it was great. Anything that will show me if I'm slicing while practicing at home is almost an insta-buy for me. I can honestly say it is as good as publicised. They look like mini plastic paper toilet rolls and It only flies about 25-45 yards out depending how flush you hit it. The best part about them is how apparent the slice or hook shows. It's really obvious! But because it only flies about 45 yards out max, you are really in no danger of hitting anybody's window as long as you have a decent amount of space (like a small soccer field or large playground). I take these bad boys onto a local soccer field and swing at a dozen birdie balls at a time with a driver. I then take a 6 or 7 iron and walk to the birdie balls and try to hit them back to the original spot. It's a lot of fun especially once you start hitting them consistently. It really builds confidence. I imagine this would even be fun with a friend. You can hit birdie balls towards each other - sort of like playing catch with golf clubs. I think this is an amazing tool and recommend it to anybody suffering from a slice or hook.
So there you have it, those are some of the hard tools I've used to try to learn how to play golf better. If you have other tools that you feel have helped your game, please feel free to share them. I still could use all the help I can get.
While I had bought quite a number of these practice golf balls, my experience with them was short. First, I almost immediately lost my first pack of 4. The reason is while these balls tend not to fly too far away on most hits, every once in awhile you'll either hit an exceptionally good one or the wind will blow pretty strong and the ball flies to the neighbors' or over to that empty lot. Second, the whole experience of using the balls left plenty to be desired. The balls tended to be soft - so soft that you could not tee up with a holed ball in your hand and use it to push the tee into the ground. Second, as soon as you tried to hit it with a driver, the ball would dent and collapse into itself on impact. The lifespan of these thing were very, very short and eventually I gave up on these.
4. Kid's old toys
5. Foam Balls with a hard center
The only downside of these practice balls is that they're a bit pricey and NOT very durable. I mean I've seen these things priced up to $7 a set (4 pieces). When you think about it, they're just foam balls with the core cut out, a wooden marble placed in it, and then the cut out glued back in. $7 is a lot of money for that, in my opinion. Also if you use your driver with it or hit a hard surface enough times, the foam will start to break and give.
My sense is that these practice balls are best for short iron and wedge use for easy swing shots. You probably won't need any more than 4 balls for that so don't make the same mistake I did and buy a bunch of them. Keep a few in your office, car, or bag and that is all you'll probably ever need.
6. Fake grass
Anyway, I use the extra fringe grass that was left over from my home made putting green project to practice chipping and pitching on the driveway. I used to practice off of the lawn until my wife started giving me the stink eye over the divots. Fake grass is great because it turns any hard surface like a driveway (or rooftop) into a nice fluffy grass surface! You can even lay two layers of the grass over itself for a softer surface.
If you do decide to buy fake grass, don't get the cheap stuff. The strands on the cheap ones tend to come off of the rubber backing. Remember, you are going to be pulling those strands with the head of your golf club at high speeds. You want something that can take the punishment. So when you go to your local hardware, take a good look at the bottom of the sheet of fake grass and make sure that those strands are firmly adhered to the base. Don't be afraid to shell out a few extra bucks for the better ones, it'll be worth it.
7. The birdie ball
So there you have it, those are some of the hard tools I've used to try to learn how to play golf better. If you have other tools that you feel have helped your game, please feel free to share them. I still could use all the help I can get.
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