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August 28, 2024, Atlanta, Georgia, USA: Paige Spiranac tees off the 10th hole during the inaugural 2024 Creator Classic Tour Championship presented by Blackstone at East Lake Golf Club. Atlanta USA – ZUMAw109 20240828_fap_w109_025 Copyright: xDebbyxWongx
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August 28, 2024, Atlanta, Georgia, USA: Paige Spiranac tees off the 10th hole during the inaugural 2024 Creator Classic Tour Championship presented by Blackstone at East Lake Golf Club. Atlanta USA – ZUMAw109 20240828_fap_w109_025 Copyright: xDebbyxWongx
While most golfers store their clubs until spring, Paige Spiranac is urging beginners to pick them up—inside their living rooms. Three days into 2026, with New Year’s resolutions still fresh, the former professional golfer unveiled a blueprint that challenges conventional wisdom. In an interview with SI Lifestyle published January 3, Spiranac argues that winter isn’t a barrier to learning golf. It’s an advantage.
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“The winter is the perfect time to pick up the game if you’re just starting,” Spiranac told SI Lifestyle. Here’s her three-step winter blueprint.
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Paige Spiranac says indoor simulators remove the fear of judgment
For beginners, the golf course can feel like a courtroom. Eyes everywhere. Pace-of-play pressure is mounting. The fear of holding up the group behind you. Spiranac’s first tip sidesteps all of it.
“There are a lot of great options for indoor simulators that are great for you to get into a space and learn the game in a place where you don’t feel like you’re being judged,” she explained.
As brand ambassador for X-Golf, an indoor simulator network with more than 140 locations across the United States, Spiranac positions the off-season as a psychological reset. There are no crowds, no tee times, just repetition without witnesses.
“You can start by taking lessons,” she continued. “You can start by going into the simulator with your friends or family. It’s a really easy way to introduce yourself to golf.”
The economics tilt in favor of the beginner, too. Private lessons at X-Golf facilities range from $50 to $150 per hour, depending on location, with package deals driving that cost lower. Compare that to green fees, cart rentals, and the time investment of a full round—and the simulator emerges as a focused, budget-conscious entry point.
Paige Spiranac calls putting the great equalizer for beginners
Spiranac’s second tip strips golf down to its most democratic skill.
“Getting a putting mat and just putting at home is also just a really easy way to get into the game and also work on your putting, which is the most important part of the game,” she noted.
That final phrase carries weight. Putting doesn’t reward athleticism the way a 300-yard drive does. It rewards feel, tempo, and repetition—all of which can be trained on a mat in your living room.
Spiranac has previously emphasized that poor speed control—not stroke mechanics—is the root cause of most putting struggles, a claim she made on her “Playing a Round with Paige” podcast. Most amateurs, she argued, believe they’re bad putters because they miss short putts. The real culprit? They leave themselves with five-footers all day because their lag putting has no touch. Even Tour pros, she noted, don’t convert those consistently.
Paige Spiranac’s two drills to master speed control at home
The solution lives in two drills Spiranac teaches on her YouTube channel, and both require nothing more than a putter, a few balls, and floor space.
The “One Potato, Two Potato” Tempo Drill: Speed control begins with tempo. Stand behind the ball. On your practice stroke, say “one potato” on the backswing, pause, then “two potato” through the stroke. If you rush it, you can’t complete the phrase.
“This has been a game-changer for me,” Spiranac said. “And this has helped so many people that I’ve given this tip to.”
The cadence forces a smooth, unhurried motion. Rushed strokes, the kind that leave five-footers for par, become mechanically impossible.
The Goldilocks Speed Control Drill: This one trains your hands to feel extremes before finding the middle. Setup: three golf balls, a target six feet away. Hit the first ball too hard. Hit the second too soft. Hit the third just right.
“This helps your speed control because you’re forced to hit it a little too hard, a little too soft, and just right,” Spiranac explained.
By the time courses thaw in March, the golfer who spent January and February grinding tempo drills on a putting mat won’t be starting from zero. They’ll arrive with a short game most weekend players neglect until their handicap forces the issue.
“I really want to get back into finding the joy of creating,” Spiranac told SI Lifestyle about her 2026 goals. “Trying new things, saying ‘yes’ to new opportunities, just kind of pushing myself outside my comfort zone.”
The Colorado native commands 4.1 million Instagram followers and another 1.7 million on TikTok, has built golf’s largest digital audience not by telling people to wait for sunshine, but by meeting them where they are. The 32-year-old turned professional in 2015, but walked away from competitive golf in December 2016. Her YouTube channel hosts a complete putting guide. Her Passes platform offers tiered subscriptions for deeper instruction. The message throughout: you don’t need a country club membership to learn this game. You need passion.
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