Paige Spiranac’s Tips for Novice Golfers Looking to Pick Up the Hobby in the New Year

Use the winter months to hone your game before getting out on the green this spring.

Paige Spiranac / Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

As we embrace 2026, many of us continue to take stock of our goals and resolutions for the year ahead. We’re merely three days into January, so there’s still plenty of time to get your intentions for the next 12 months in order.

Perhaps you’d like to focus on your finances and streamline your fitness routine, or maybe you’d like to pick up a new hobby in the months to come. If the latter is on your to-do list for 2026, content creator Paige Spiranac says the winter season is actually the perfect time of year to pick up golf. The Colorado native, who used to play the sport professionally, shared some insights with SI Lifestyle for getting started with ease.

Tip No. 1: Head to an indoor simulator for lessons

Spiranac regularly shares instructional golf content on her social channels, where she has 4.1 million followers on Instagram and another 1.7 million on TikTok, from how to nail a bunker shot to the very essentials of how to swing a club. She also provides exclusive golf-related content on her Passes platform, so when it comes to her tips for excelling at golf, we’re all ears.

“The winter is the perfect time to pick up the game if you’re just starting,” Spiranac says. “A lot of people live in cold, snowy areas, and so you think that you can’t get out on the golf course, but there’s a lot of great options of 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.”

Paige Spiranac / Mike Mulholland/Getty Images

Spiranac, who is a brand ambassador for X-Golf, an indoor golf simulator facility with more than 140 locations across the U.S., notes that the laid-back environment of a simulator is great for beginners who are looking to learn the basics from a professional.

“You can start by taking lessons,” she continues of picking up the game in 2026. “You can start by going into the simulator with your friends or family. [It’s] a really easy way to kind of introduce yourself into golf.”

Tip No. 2: Invest in a putting mat

While novice golfers can take advantage of indoor simulators to learn the game of golf during the winter months, Spiranac notes that those who are experienced with the game can use this off-season time to sharpen their skills ahead of the summertime, too.

Her second tip for beginners involves honing your new expertise from the comfort of your own home with the help of one tool in particular. “Getting a putting mat and just putting at home is also just a really easy way to kind of get into the game and also work on your putting, which is the most important part of the game,” Spiranac notes.`

For step-by-step putting tips, check out Spiranac’s YouTube guide on how to putt here. In less than 20 minutes, she instructs viewers on everything from grip and stance to stroke and alignment.

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