Category: Training Aids
Golf is a difficult game to master. And to help you through it, inventive minds have come up with thousands of different training devices. From the Swing Jacket, to the Medicus, the SpeedStick, the Inside Approach, the Impact Bag and the Birdie Ball, there's something that will help everyone's game.
Powerball
The Powerball is a handheld gyroscope designed to build wrist, arm and shoulder strength in golfers. After you pull the cord to set it spinning, the manufacturer says that it generates 40lbs of pressure. Now, some people have begun powerball leagues where the object is to see how fast you get it spinning.
Birdie Ball
I bought a Birdie Ball the other day at a local golf shop for $1.95. It is a small plastic tube with beveled edges. You set it up with the open ends facing the ground and the sky. Then you hit it like a normal golf ball. The thing tumbles end over end with a reverse spin, just like a golf ball, has a nice arcing flight and lands a short distance away. I hit it with a sand wedge a few times and it flew the width of my back yard. The manufacturer claims that the maximum flight is about 40 yards.
Even better: you can fade and draw (or hook and slice) this thing just like a regular ball. My son says that it makes different sounds depending upon which way you hit it. (I'm quite deaf, so I'll have to take his word for it).
All in all, a first rate product. Much better than those plastic balls because it actually feels like you are hitting a real ball.
Impact Whiz Prevents Scooping
The Impact Whiz swing trainer has a bar across the back of the club that is said to stop the urge to scoop the golf ball by forcing you to swing the clubface down into the ball with a decending blow. Scooping is, of course, a no-no and is the cause of all sorts of bad results.
DivotMat
I tried the DivotMat at a local golf show a few weeks back. It's essentially a large sheet of paper with a bunch of balls printed on it. You swing the club at one of the balls, and your club makes a black mark on the paper, showing your swingpath. By comparing the marks to a guide, you can tell whether you're hitting fat or thin, slicing or hooking, a draw or fade, etc. I was tempted.
