Good golf practice aids

There are a number of different golf aids that you can pick up quite cheaply that will help you to improve your game.

Best of all they don't take up much space at home or in the office and you don't need to take much time out of your day to use them.

Putting aids

Putting is about feel and technique. A putting cup or even a glass is perfect to practice your putting on carpet. If you have a wooden floor a putting mat is a good solution. Some mats have slight uphill lies so that you strike the ball more firmly and confidently so that you don't leave your putts short on the course.

It only takes 10 minutes a day to practice your putting. I try not to hit the same distance putt twice, as you don't get two or three go's on the course to hit the same distance putt. Try one from six feet then switch to two feet, back out to ten feet etc.

Chipping aids

A chipping net is the perfect accessory to practice your chipping. Using airflow balls also allows you to practice your chipping technique indoors. The key with chipping is consistently. Hit ten chips from the same distance to gauge how many go into the net. Again vary your chipping distances, try bump and runs if you have enough space in your garden.

If you have a front wall in your garden can you chip from the grass fringe over your front wall and on to your garden lawn? Perfect for judging swing tempo as your height control should be just enough to clear the wall with the right amount of power to run the ball on the lawn towards your target.

A good short game will definitely shave strokes of your score and improve your handicap.

Grip and swing trainers

A grip and swing trainer is a good tool to use if you don't have a big garden but want to practice your swing. The grip trainer guides your hands into the correct position.

Eventually your grip will become second nature to you and you will automatically grip the club correctly.

The weight in the swing trainer and the shaft shape help you to swing the club correctly.

This aid also works well as a warm up aid to get you warmed up before playing.

The more consistently you can repeat your swing the better you will become on the course. For more info visit
www.ColeGolf.ie