Power Angle Pro

In a sport with a wealth of strange training contraptions, this is one of the strangest:

Tru Align

Grade: A

Observe a group of pros at a tournament driving range, and you’ll notice that they all seem to be working (at least in part) on alignment. Each and every one will have an alignment aid set up, whether it be a spare club, an old shaft, or some more high tech device. That the pros won’t practice without an alignment aid probably means you shouldn’t either.

You can put together your own collection of Rube Goldberg alignment tools, but I was lucky enough to recently acquire a product called The Tru Align Swing aid. I will admit to not not going to the range very often (when I have golf time, I prefer to play), but I made several special trips to try this device out and I like it very much.

The Tru Align consists of an orange plastic rod on a flat black base to which is connected a smaller white rod via a sliding, swivel joint. When using it, you slide the white rod down out of its housing and swivel it to a right angle. The orange rod sits on its base, pointing down the target line. The white rod points at your ball. That helps you set not only the alignment to the target line, but also the ball position. Then, as you hack away at the range balls, you can slide the ball indicator back and forth to fresh turf.

The Tru Align is very slim and very light, and actually should fit quite well into your bag for toting to the range. It’s also quite unobtrusive, unlike some of the medieval torture devices I’ve seen the more desperate golfers wielding. I’ve actually considered carrying the Tru Align on a future round and just setting it up in the fairway. I may try that this fall when the weather is cool and the local courses depopulated.

Recommended.

ProActive Sports Swing Sock Performance Weight 8oz. - Blue

I keep one of these in the bag for warm up swings before a round. They work pretty well.

Hank Haney Swing Band

The Hank Haney Swing Band is a color coded bracelet that’s designed to help you identify the position of your hands through the golf swing. You set up with it so that at address you see an equal amount of black and white. You should be able to see that same balance at impact. On the other hand, if you see red at any point during your practice swings, you know that you’re off plane.

The site suggests that you try it with a full speed swing, but I wonder if you wouldn’t get a crick in your neck trying to see the color while you’re swinging through.

a href=“http://www.jdoqocy.com/ho70uoxuowBDHGHCKEBDCGLGDCF?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.intheholegolf.com%2FMerchant2%2Fmerchant.mvc%3FScreen%3DPROD%26Product_Code%3DPSF&cjsku=PSF” target=“_blank” onmouseover=“window.status=‘http://www.intheholegolf.com’;return true;” onmouseout=“window.status=’ ‘;return true;”>Power Swing Fan

A recent golf lesson revealed that the thing I most need to work on is lag. The feeling of holding until the last minute, however, is for me elusive. The drill of tying a towel to the end of my driver to create drag offers some hope, but as a gadget guy, I’m looking for something else.

What I’m wondering is if anyone has had experience with one of these golf fan training tools. From the literature, it seems that the drag this fan creates should simulate very well the feeling of holding the shot.

The Golf Mojo

The Golf Mojo is a neat looking weight trainer that focus on the wrists, forearms and hands, teaching you to properly cock the wrists and snap through the zone. The best part is that it’s short and can be used in tight indoor spaces. Video below.

Callaway Golf Backyard Driving Range

Even with the included limited flight golf balls, I think you’d have to have a very big back yard.