Here’s the best 8 golf swing training aids that I’ve used and would recommend to any golfer to help them improve distance and fix those slices.
1. Explanar
The Explanar Golf Training System is designed to help you learn how to swing a golf club correctly.
It does this by teaching your body, arms and hands to move in the correct manner.
By using the system, you will be able to develop muscle memory that will allow you to consistently swing a golf club without thinking about it.
You will be able to feel the correct movements and sensations that occur during a proper swing.
• Adjustable Hoop for any height of left and right hand golfers
• Power Roller
• Adjustable Sensor
• Works with Every Golf Club in Your Bag
• Grooves the Sensation of the Perfect Swing Plane
Who is Explanar for ?
Golfers of all standards.
I’ve personally worked with golfers of all abilities on Explanar; kids, beginners, left handers, high handicappers and professionals.
Pros
- You improve by feeling the swing movements
- Trains or retrains your muscle to build consistency
- Great at straightening out hooks or slices
Cons
- You need a lot of garden or garden space
- Time consuming to build and set up
- Expensive
- Your family won’t be too happy you’re on the Explanar everyday.
Conclusion about product
I’m biased because I worked for Explanar in a marketing consultancy capacity over 10 years ago so if you’ve got the space at home, buy it.
2. David Leadbetter Swing Setter
The SwingSetter is a device that helps develop your grip, swing plane, release and tempo. These four keys are the four keys to a good golf swing.
You will have the same feel of hitting golf shots from your living room or office as you would on the golf range or course.
The molded grip on this SwingSetter guarantees a great grip every time.
The plane pointer and club face allow the golf to easily see proper face angle and maintain a consistent swing plane throughout the swing.
The adjustable magnetic balls promote a correct setting of wrists on the backswing, setting the stage for an acceleration release through impact.
You can achieve good tempo as rhythmically swing the Swing Setter – snapping the ball back and forth.
Then snap it again at impact.
The auditory feedback will give you perfect tempo every time when you swing your own club.
- Perfect grip every time with the moulded grip.
- Easy to use.
- Rhythmically snap the ball back and forth.
- Auditory feedback.
- Great for golfers of all skill levels.
- Develops power
- Use anywhere
Who is Swing Setter for ?
Good for golfers of all levels although I’ve seen mid to high handicappers just try and swing it really fast to improve swing speed.
Pros
- Great for warming up before a round
- Save you going to the range and hitting hundreds of balls
- Use anywhere, anytime
Cons
- Easy to fall into the trap of trying to swing it too fast
- I lost the club face part
- I could never figure out how the plane pointer works
- The snapping sound will drive other people in your house nuts !
Conclusion about product
You really feel like you are hitting real golf shots.
3. Sure Set Golf Training Aid
The Sure-Set Golf Training Aid is designed to help with the takeaway and backswing.
It teaches you how to set the club into the correct loading position with great swing width.
It allows you to learn how to set the club with ease and install a new improved simple swing feeling.
When you master this move, you will load and store power, on plane, with effortless, accurate golf strokes leading to more enjoyment and low scores.
How the Sure-Set works
1. Address the ball as you normally would with the Sure-Set.
2. Create a hammer hinge so that the ball end of the Sure-Set touches the crease formed between the upper left arm and chest.
3. Rehearse the rotation of the forearms.
4. Blend your forearm rotation and shoulder turn whilst looking down at an imaginary ball. This will ensure you hold the correct spine angle as you turn.
5. To start the down swing, uncoil from the ground (pelvis back to square, allowing the arms to fall softly with the grip pressure light).
6. Make sure both thumbs are still pointing behind your right shoulder as you move down to reach the halfway down position.
7. There’s no need to swing through to a full finish.
Who is Sure-Set for ?
This is not for beginners along the inventor may beg to differ.
I’m a category one golfer and it took me a while to figure out how to use it.
I would imagine teaching golf professionals use.
Personally I bought, tried it but it sits amongst a bunch of old clubs in the garage.
Pros
- Great for your grip
- The ball helps to signal you’re in the right position at the end of the backswing
- Use in the living room
Cons
- Difficulty to get the hang of
- Doesn’t resemble a golf club
- You can’t really follow through
Conclusion about product
A bit too complicated for me; but does give you a nice feeling of being in the correct position at the top.
4. SKLZ Tempo and Grip trainer
A great training aid for loosening up, warming up, just practicing at your home, the SKLZ Tempo & Grip trainer is a great tool for getting your hands connected, loosening up your body, and creating a feeling for the club coming down on plane, and then letting it drop through impact.
A moulded grip is a type of grip that is designed to be comfortable for the user. What we are looking for is a grip that points in the direction of the right collar bone.
Now your hands are in a good position to release the club.
A second part of the SKL Z Tempo and Grip Trainer, you have got a very heavy weight on it, getting you loosened up, getting your large muscles involved with swinging.
The third part of the SKL Z Tempo and Grip Trainer, there is a slight bend in the shaft of this golf club.
This causes the weight to be higher at the top of the shaft than at the bottom. This makes it easier to swing the club from the inside out. With the weight being higher at the top, the golfer can feel the club coming from a slightly more inside position.
If you want to practice with the driver, you unscrew this end. That lightens up the club and lightens up the trainer a little bit so it feels a little more like a real driver.
Who is SKLZ Tempo & Grip trainer for ?
This is probably not for beginners but the mid to lower handicap golfer who needs to improve or repeat the fundamentals of grip, posture and tempo.
Pros
- Provides the correct hand position for a proper golf grip.
- Great tool for indoor and outdoor training.
- Helps improves a golfer’s swing tempo and plane
- You can use it to practice indoors or outside.
Cons
- It’s not going to radically change your swing
- Only for right handed golfers
- Doesn’t have the audible snap of the Swing Setter
Conclusion about product
Never used it but seems similar in concept to the Swing Setter.
5. TruSwing Pro Wrist Hinge Trainer
TruSwing Pro Wrist Hinge Trainer is said to fix a slice or hook.
Hinging your wrists correctly and swinging in the correct plane will ensure you are on the right path to the perfect golf swing, which will lead to a better strike at the ball, greater distance and accuracy, and most importantly lower scores.
How the TruSwing Pro Wrist Hinge Trainer works
1. Attached to any golf club.
2. Unscrew the nut, slide over the shaft and bottom of the grip and tighten
3. Take a normal but slower swing and you want to feel the pad touch your wrist; that’s how you know you’ve hinged correctly
4. As you follow through the pad should touch your other wrist
Who is TruSwing Pro Wrist Hinge Trainer for ?
This is probably not for beginners but ideal for the mid to lower handicap golfer.
I’m a fader of the ball and I can’t say it did much for me; perhaps helped with shortening a long swing.
Pros
- I liked you can attached to a club and hit balls with it
- A cue to feel you are in the correct position at the top of the golf swing
- Could help with a hook, slice or over swing
Cons
- It’s ok, didn’t do much for my game
- With poor fundamentals you’ll never hinge correctly so this won’t help much
- Easy to put in the wrong grip position
Conclusion about product
Nice little training aid; won’t break the bank and a nice cue for wrist hinging.
The Golf Ball Impact training aid was invented to help golfers keep their hands, wrists and body aligned during the swing.
6. Golf Impact Ball
The device can be used at home and at the range as you practice your game.
I’ve used a similar ball and to be honest, I’ve felt like a right idiot trying to hold a ball with my forearms as I swing the club.
I kept dropping the ball and getting frustrated.
To be honest I much preferred the drill of placing a towel under each armpit for a better body and arm connection.
Who is Golf Ball Impact for ?
I’m sure this product could be useful for the beginner to get a good feeling of the arms and shoulder movement in the takeaway under some guidance.
Pros
- Cheap
- Easy to use
- Use with or without a club
- Indents help keep ball connected to forearms
Cons
- Save your money, use a towel
- Won’t help with grip or posture
- Needs a professional to help the beginner learn the fundamentals
Conclusion about product
I’d rather use a towel than this.
7. Orange Whip Training Aid
You can feel your swing with the Orange Whip Trainer.
Your golf muscles are strengthened by the Orange Whip Trainer.
It’s the ideal warm up tool because it stretches your golf muscles and perfects balance.
There are 3 parts to the Orange Whip
- Weighted orange ball
- Counterweight.
- Flexible shaft
The orange ball is used to replace the club head and allows you to focus on swinging while not thinking about the club face.
To promote a fluid swinging motion, it’s weighted.
The Orange Whip is then supported by the counterweight.
The shaft naturally promotes synchronisation between your arms, upper body, and lower body.
The result is a great tempo and balanced swing creating more consistent and powerful shot making on the course.
Who is Orange Whip Trainer for ?
I recall seeing this product about a decade ago at the PGA Trade Show in Orlando; it was all the rage in the early years.
I can see the company has developed a broader range of products.
I have no doubt this is great for strength, speed and consistency but don’t forget; the object of golf is to put the wee white ball in the hole
Pros
- Strengthens golf muscles
- Good for tempo
- Get your arms and body working together
- Available for different age and strength levels
Cons
- Yet another warm up tool
- Knacker yourself out before playing 18 holes
- You don’t hit golf shots with it
Conclusion about product
Great tool for all the macho men and those who wanna hit bombs like big Phil.
8. Best free training aid ever
All through my golf life, whether at the driving range or practice ground I used 2 irons in my bag for alignment.
The best free golf swing aid ever.
The most common bad habits amongst amateur golfers are grip and alignment; and I’m very guilty of these.
Here’s how it works.
- Pick a target your aiming for; say a flag or tree
- Put an iron on the ground pointing at that object
- Place the other iron parallel to the iron a couple of feet from it
- Put a ball down inside the first iron
- Go to your address position
- Now your club face and feet are aligned correctly
- Now you can check your shoulders and hips are aligned
But using this drill on a regular basis during practice it will translate out onto the course as you choose where to aim and then you can visualise where to aim and where to point your feet, shoulders and hips.
Who is this for ?
Anyone, everyone.
Pros
- Cheap and simple concept
- Used to hit with real golf balls
- Helps your club shaft and face points correctly to the target
- Take onto golf course
- Helps with first part of swing path
Cons
- Won’t fix your golf game or fundamentals
- Too simple for the over complicated golfer
- Grips get wet on moist ground
Conclusion about product
The old, free ones work well too you know !