GOLF AROUND THE WORLD T3 Putting Arc

The T3 Putting Arc is designed to teach an “inside to square” putting stroke. This natural stroke is based on the principle that a good putting stroke has the hands, arms and shoulders moving as a single unit. When done properly, the stroke will form an ellipse, and take unreliable wrist action out of the movement. 

That’s exactly how I putt, and why I think I’m so successful at it. Putting is by far the strongest part of my game. It could also be yours. If you think about it, putting is a lot easier than playing drivers or irons. 

Impact Ball

The Impact Ball is a training aid designed to solve a host of problems—but primarily to bring the player back to “the postition” at point of impact. With the ball between your arms you can take a full swing while maintaining that “triangle” throughout. That’ll help you on the backswing, the downswing and the follow through alike.

The Golf Mat by Vijay Singh

It’s about this time of year—after a couple of long months of weather enforced absence from the golf course that I begin thinking about setting up a driving range in my garage. There are a lot of plastic balls I could buy, but the issue of the mat always has been the problem. I absolutely can’t stand hitting off a traditional mat—it’s why I rarely go to a driving range. When I practice on those mats, two things happen: first, I get used to the idea of my club skipping off the surface of the mat. That really screws things up when I get to the course. And second, I get a bad case of “golf” elbow.

So I was intrigued when I saw this golfer’s mat. The surface is supposed to “give” like regular turf, simulating the taking of a divot. That makes it possible to take your regular shot—not having to alter it for the hard mat. And it should save the bones from the shock.

This is one I’d really like to give a try.

The “Duffix” Swing Trainer

Grade: B+
Teacher’s Comments: A nice one-trick pony. If you have a bad slice or hook, this might help.

In one sense, the basic premise of all swing trainers is the same: they seek, through mechanical means to impart to the player the shape and feeling of the proper golf swing. The hope is that the player will develop a muscle memory that they then can take to the course and repeat without aid.

The success of any training device, then, lies first in the degree to which it guides the player’s movements, and second in its lasting impact. The Duffix Swing Trainer passes the first test with flying colors. As for the second, only time can tell.

The Duffix Swing Trainer consists of a metal clamp and a weighted arm which extends from the clamp at an angle. You attach the clamp to a club, just below the grip,and rotate the arm to one of two positions. If you’re trying to fix a slice, place it at the ten o’clock position; to work on a hook, set it at the 2 o’clock position.

I’d caution that you should only use this device on a steel-shafted club. The pressure from the clamp just might damage a graphite shaft, which should never be subjected to any crushing forces.

I used the Duffix for an extended session at the local heated range the other day, and found that it works as advertised. When swinging with the Duffix set at 10 o’clock, the weight forces your hands over, closing the clubface. The reaction was quite noticeable when hitting live balls.

After some weeks of practice with this, I can clearly see how a player with a slice issue could train his hands to snap through. The same might be said of a hook.

If there’s a complaint, it’s that the weight is almost too much, forcing my hands into a quick snap. A future redesign might include some adjustable weights, so that a person could ratchet down the effect. That also would be useful for extended training use. Over a matter of weeks, a player could weaken the force needed until he weaned himself off the device.

Physically, the Duffix is incredibly well made. No plastic here. It’s all machined steel, brass and aluminum. It no doubt will last for many, many years. I hope the company resists going to plastic to get the price point down.

And that beings me to the last point. The Duffix is not cheap. It doesn’t run to the ridiculous price points of celebrity endorsed swing gadgets, but at $90 or so, it’s not a spur-of-the-moment purchase, either. But if you have a severe problem with the banana ball, this might do the trick.

Stan Utley Learning Curve

Stan Utley is the latest PGA Tour short game guru. He won just one game during his PGA Tour, but had established his reputation as one of the best putters and chippers in the game. He set the record for fewest putts in nine holes—six—at the 2002 Air Canada Championship.

For my money, putting is the area of the golf game that you should be most able to improve. It involves no high speed motions, and you can practice it practically anywhere, in any weather.

Utley makes $1,500 a session for private lessons, but you can get this training device and a dvd for $100.