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Best Golf Training Aids?

Jimgolfer

Active Member
Apr 14, 2010
1
0
Hello everyone,
My name is Jim and I am from Atlanta. I am about a 20 handicap and have a goal to be a 15 handicap by the end of the summer.

I am looking for training aid recommendations. I have three problems that are holding me back - 1.) knowing how to set up properly for shots 2.) "chicken wing" and 3.) weight transfer.

I think I have "1" covered. My wife got me this cool guide called Golf Genie pocket guide which has great visual tips for all the key shots...I have used it about a week and it has been great for me on the course and range...it will help.

But, "2" is a major problem for me. Despite everything I try, the chicken wing is causing me to pull left and/or hit fat. Is there a training aid that helps with this?

"3" - weight transfer is also a problem. I feel like I am transferring my weight properly, but I keep hitting the ball fat...could be related to chicken wing.

Anyway, any advice you can provide on top training aids for these problems is great!

Thanks,
Jim
 

ualtim

Carrollton, TX
Supporting Member
Aug 20, 2005
7,779
2,331
Country
United States United States
Momentus or another "heavy" club. Spend some time with the heavy club and you will be amazed as some of those swing faults disappear. If your off balance swinging a heavy club, you will know right away as you stumble to recover. The weight of the club will also assist you in keeping your arms in place through out the swing the plane. Best of all, you will be developing your golf muscles as you practice which will pay off on the course.

More importantly, develop those 5 inches between your ears and get yourself the Harvey Penick series of books.
 

mddubya

Hybrid convert
Nov 6, 2007
6,029
2
Get Hogans 5 easy lessons also.

Concentrate on keeping your right elbow tucked in as close to your body as you can. That is assuming you are right handed.

As far as the weight transfer problem, try this drill. Take practice swings, as You swing the club back and forth, lift the opposite foot completely off the ground. As you take the club back, lift your left foot off the ground, as you swing forward, lift the right foot off the ground. It will help ingrain transfering your weight.
 

BrandonM7

Well-Known Member
Nov 23, 2007
1,156
2
If you don't know what a good swing feels like, a training aid will have a hard time showing you. If you're willing to take a lesson and a little bit of a drive (Macon,) I can point you toward a FANTASTIC instructor. One lesson with him will do you more good than any training aid you could buy.
 

mddubya

Hybrid convert
Nov 6, 2007
6,029
2
If you don't know what a good swing feels like, a training aid will have a hard time showing you. If you're willing to take a lesson and a little bit of a drive (Macon,) I can point you toward a FANTASTIC instructor. One lesson with him will do you more good than any training aid you could buy.

I have to agree with this one, take at least one lesson to learn the proper basics.
 

BrandonM7

Well-Known Member
Nov 23, 2007
1,156
2
I have to agree with this one, take at least one lesson to learn the proper basics.

The good instructor part is important, too - I pissed money away on 8 lessons from 2 instructors to learn basically nothing. I learned so much in one afternoon with this new guy it was unreal. I had no idea how much I didn't know. Honestly, at least for me, it's about feel - once you FEEL that good swing, you understand so many of these tips and aids and all this shit that just wasn't getting the point across originally. Once you know what a good one feels like, just about everything else is a tweak. This dude knows how to convince you to move the way you need to so that you can find that feel, and it's a real lightbulb moment. Pure awesomeness. I'm going to spend another half day with him next Saturday.
 

wirehair

Life's too short to drink cheap wine.
Apr 29, 2005
2,489
3
The best training aid is a knowledgeable pro, a bucket of balls and a range.
 

Wi-Golfer

Golfer on hiatus.
Supporting Member
Jul 25, 2007
8,147
1,474
Madison, Wi
Country
United States United States
I'll give you the best training aid for free, don't listen to any of us because we all suck at this game:D
 

fisher

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2008
1,263
0
The best training aid you can buy is a $5 carpenter's chalk line. Great for marking a line on a putting green and great for marking lines on a range mat. Get blue chalk or the greenskeeper might murder you.
 

Bignose

Well-Known Member
Oct 23, 2006
426
2
There is a training club called the Tour Striker Pro that has a very significant flange on the bottom of the club face. In short, in order to hit anything but a low line driver or worm burner or shank, you have to get your hands ahead of the clubhead at impact, as every single swing method strongly encourages. I think that the great thing about this club is 1) it doesn't matter what swing type you prefer, you have to get into proper impact position and 2) you get the immediate feedback when you don't achieve that correct impact position.
 

N.V.M.

now...a cartoon
Sep 27, 2008
1,972
2
There is a training club called the Tour Striker Pro that has a very significant flange on the bottom of the club face. In short, in order to hit anything but a low line driver or worm burner or shank, you have to get your hands ahead of the clubhead at impact, as every single swing method strongly encourages. I think that the great thing about this club is 1) it doesn't matter what swing type you prefer, you have to get into proper impact position and 2) you get the immediate feedback when you don't achieve that correct impact position.

just saw this on Twitter. it says it can only be used when you practice off a tight lie, which would mean a driving range mat would be perfect. we've all seen the slo-mo videos of a pro striking the ball, where the divot is created after the ball is struck, which this training club helps you perfect.

awww.zenchili.com_wp_content_uploads_2010_01_tourstrikeriron.jpg
 

Bignose

Well-Known Member
Oct 23, 2006
426
2
just saw this on Twitter. it says it can only be used when you practice off a tight lie, which would mean a driving range mat would be perfect. we've all seen the slo-mo videos of a pro striking the ball, where the divot is created after the ball is struck, which this training club helps you perfect.

awww.zenchili.com_wp_content_uploads_2010_01_tourstrikeriron.jpg

I've bought one (TS Pro) earlier this year, and it is not easy, especially as someone who has been fighting the instinct to flip off an on for quite some time now. That said, I can already see and feel the improvement in my ball striking. While this thing isn't going to help you build a perfect swing, it is going to refine what you got and patch a correct impact position onto it. And, if it isn't onbious, the reason you need tight lies is because if the lie is fluffly, you can artifically cheat the aid and still hit on the face without getting the hands forward impact position. I have never tried it on mats, but have hit practice balls off of a bare patch or two in the yard.
 

BrandonM7

Well-Known Member
Nov 23, 2007
1,156
2
just saw this on Twitter. it says it can only be used when you practice off a tight lie, which would mean a driving range mat would be perfect. we've all seen the slo-mo videos of a pro striking the ball, where the divot is created after the ball is struck, which this training club helps you perfect.

awww.zenchili.com_wp_content_uploads_2010_01_tourstrikeriron.jpg


You can kind of cheat it on mats - just like how mats can mask fat shots, you can mash the striker down into the mat a bit and make the ball fly. So you think you hit it correctly, but really all you did was teach yourself to hit it fat. As bare of a grass lie as you can find would be best, especially if it's on some hard ground instead of lush and fancy golf course turf. The inventor guy is pretty cool, too - he fairly regularly does youtube videos answering questions people have about his product. Here's his channel -- YouTube - cmartingolf's Channel
 

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