Golf Club Training Aids

Can golf club training aids help your game? Read on to find out.

Golfers are a curious bunch. We'll do almost anything to help ourselves swing better, putt better, and lower our overall scores - all without cheating, of course!

And, no matter how good we get, we're never satisfied. We're always looking for ways to get more distance and accuracy. The compulsion to improve that many of us feel doesn't stop at just buying new clubs or some new "miracle ball." Nope, for many of us, those steps aren't enough. So, a lot of golfers invest in training gear in addition to their regular golf equipment.

There are probably a few dozen different golf club training aids on the market, and they all claim to be able to improve any golfer's game. Fortunately, most of them aren't terribly expensive. Many cost less than $100, although some are more expensive. That's enough money that you don't want to buy the wrong one, but if you make a mistake, it probably won't break your bank account. Still, though, if you're looking at golf club training aids, you'll want to buy the right one the first time around if that's at all possible.

Some golf club training aids, in my opinion, are a waste of time and money. But others actually do work. That's why you sometimes see pros warming up with them when you're watching a tournament on TV. The pros wouldn't bother if they didn't help. Remember, though, that it's "illegal" to carry one in your bag while you're actually playing a round. That's why Julie Inkster was disqualified from an LPGA tournament in 2010 - she used one of the weighted training aids while waiting for her turn on the tee.

There are so many golf club training aids that it would be difficult to discuss all of them. So let's take a look at just a few examples, keeping in mind that there are many, many more.

A device called the Momentus Speed Whoosh is one of the golf club training aids that only vaguely resemble golf clubs. Designed to boost your club head speed and improve the timing of your swing, this device looks like a ball attached to a golf club shaft. You're able to swing this training aid significantly faster than you could hit a driver. Momentus claims this effect "activates" the fast-twitch muscle fibers you use to swing a golf club, promoting greater length off the tee when you use your regular driver because you'll be able to swing it faster. The way the ball slides down the shaft of the Momentus Speed Whoosh as you swing it will also help improve the timing of your release. You'll be able to tell whether you need to release the club sooner or hold onto your release longer in your downswing. Many PGA Tour players use this particular training aid.

If you're struggling with your irons, you might consider trying the Tour Striker 8 Iron. It's designed to keep the shaft of your club leaning forward at impact while helping you hit down on the ball. Practicing with the Tour Striker 8 Iron can teach you how to impact the ball with the descending motion that's proper for iron shots. It can help you increase your "lag," get the club's sweet spot below the ball's center of gravity, hit the ball longer, and strike it more solidly. The Tour Striker 8 Iron closely resembles a regular iron, but does have a significantly shorter shaft.

The "Medicus DA Hinged Driver" is possibly the best known (or at least most widely advertised) of all golf club training aids. This particular device looks a lot like a regular driver, but the shaft has a special hinging system. Lines on the club head can teach you to align the club face properly and help you learn the proper angle of approach to impact, but the hinge system is what makes this training aid special, because you'll know right away if you're swinging it incorrectly. The device is designed to "break down" by hinging at the point where your swing has a fault. If you swing correctly, however, the hinged area stays straight and you can hit the ball properly. Mark O'Meara is one of the professionals who endorse this particular swing aid.

If golf club training aids sound interesting, you can find them at a number of online sites, or you can buy them in person at many golf equipment shops.

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