Working on swing tempo seems to be the latest thing in golf instruction. First there was the Tour Tempo (see a review here) and several devices which are, essentially metronomes.

The latest in this idea is the SwingSong. The idea is that you watch the DVD until the image of the golfer swinging is ingrained, and listen to the CDs of original music to get the rhythm into your head.

In a way, it kind of reminds me of the old sybervision video training aid.

But I think there’s something to all of this. I often have a tune in my head when I’m playing my best. It’s usually a 3/4 beat and kind of humming the tune along as I play.

The Golfer’s Footprint is a training aid that falls squarely in the learning by seeing category.

The good folk at The Golfers Footprint sent me one over the winter to review, and the weather in Michigan is just now getting to the point where I can try it out.

The Golfers Footprint is a piece of hard plastic with swingpath and clubface information printed on the underside. There is a hole in the middle of it where you put your golf ball.

To use it, you put your ball in the hole, and set up using the guidelines on the board. It shows you how to place your feet and how to align the clubhead for the shot you want. Then, all you do is swing back along the blue arrow, and through using the wide red arrow. There also are swing paths for draw and fade shots.

I was really worried at first about the thing breaking, but being made of lexan, it should stand up to a lot of use.

So how does it work? Well, its early in the season, but I went out to practice with it after a horrible playing round, and soon found that I was getting back on track. It really helps to see the wide stripe where your clubhead should go.

I’ve also never been able to shape the shots as well as I’d like, and this makes the whole procedure a little more obvious.

I recommend this product.

I’ve always kind of enjoyed computer golf. I played my first game on an Apple II, with a green and black screen back in the 1980s. And even though the graphics have improved, the technique has always been the same: line up your little guy on the screen; tap the keyboard or mouse to start the swing, tap it again at the top of the swing and then tap it at the bottom. Tap too soon or too late at either the top or the bottom and you get a bad shot.

The Q Motions Indoor Golf Simulator takes you out of that paradigm. You just hook this thing up to your computer and use it, instead of the keyboard to control your swing. You can use actual clubs, and—according to the manufacturer—the game will react to your actual swing.

Here’s what they say:

QMotions-Golf™ Active Game Controller replaces the game-pad controller with a swing-arm assembly and electronics that translates your golf swing and ball impact into the ball’s flight, speed, and direction - directly into the golf game on screen so you see how you hit the ball - giving you the feeling of actual play.

I’m putting this on my father’s day list.

 
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One of the local driving ranges has the Super Swing Trainer parked next to their putting green. It seems like a good idea. While Ben Hogan urged people to think of swinging along a plane of glass, this device actually gives you something physical to work around. One of the girls on my high school golf team worked for a while with it, and it seemed to improve her game.

 
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Jim McLean apparently is endorsing this new golf training device, which uses audio feedback to let a golfer know when the swing is on plane. The Swing Flutter attaches to a attaches to your golf shaft and apparently makes distinctive sounds depending upon how it is swung. Interestingly, there’s not a picture of the thing on their whole website. Makes me wonder if its so simple to reproduce that you wouldn’t have to shell over the $29.95 to get one.

SwingFlutter.