The Golfers Report

If COVID-19 has closed your golf course, or you have decided it is safer to stay home than to play golf, then what’s a golfer to do? Well you could buy a golf simulator, but the ones you probably like cost thousands of dollars. But if you have a garage, you can do as I do and turn your garage into your in home golf learning center. If you have a three car garage you’re in luck, the third bay is a great practice area, or just take the cars out of the garage while you practice.

The first thing you need is a golf mat, and if you don’t have one Amazon has lots to choose from. But buy a good one, otherwise you will have plastic grass all over the garage floor. Now for the clubs. I recommend that you practice with just your wedges; this way you can take full swings and even practice the short game.

That leaves the most limiting item – the ball. Since you obviously can’t hit golf balls we have to think of alternatives. In my experience most artificial golf balls, like wiffle balls, won’t work inside the garage; they make a racket and will leave dents on the garage door – trust me I’ve tried this.

So after lots of trial and error, I came up with an easy, and cheap, way to make the perfect garage practice ball. You can hit these balls as hard as you want, they fly directionally correct, and hit softly without leaving a scar – and they are ideal for working on that pull or push – if it goes straight in the garage, your chances of going straight on the course are much improved.

Here’s how to make a garage friendly golf ball.

1. Start withe a single sheet of everyday paper towel
2. Roll the sheet into a ball, and compress it with your hands as best you can
3. Now, using regular masking tape, completely tape your creation, while shaping it into a ball
4. You only need enough masking tape to completely cover the exposed paper towel
5. Take a look at the photo at the top of the page, and if yours looks like mine you are good to go

That’s it!

Please note that after repeated hits, it will lose its shape, but you can re-wrap it with a little more masking tape, and you can actually keep playing with it even if the white of the paper towel is showing.

Just to be clear, this is not some random idea that came to me from spending too much time at home, I have been making balls this way, and enjoying my garage golf learning center for years.