Specialised Training AidsThere are literally dozens of specialised training aids on the market today to assist the amateur golfer when practising. Some are very sophisticated, others less so. Some recommended specialized training aids are described below. All good golfers are able to return the clubface back to square at impact. Photographs or slow motion cameras always show the better golfers driving into the ball with a good shaft angle, head down & behind the ball, and a flat left wrist and solid left side. Developing a strong left side while turning into the ball will help eliminate many of the inconsistencies brought on by left wrist collapse. The Impact Bag allows the golfer to make a full swing but gives positive feedback of where the various hand/arm /legs/feet elements are at the point of impact. Simply fill the bag with towels, shirts or other cloth and practice striking the bag as if making a full swing. The bag is durable enough to strike with full force, but it is recommended that 75% to 80% effort should be used as you would when swinging on the course. The Impact Bag will cushion the blow of your shot thus producing the correct feel of a square clubface position at impact. In a short period, you will develop a real feeling of where you should be at impact. A similar product is the Izzo Power Zone. Both products help develop a powerful swing for greater distance and eliminate unwanted wrist movement. Other less sophisticated feedback aids are the ones that show exactly where on the clubface you are striking the ball. In the past, teaching professionals have made use of impact tape on the clubface to show the point of contact. More modern alternatives are the range of available impact sprays such as On-Mark Impact Spray or
The DivotMat is a specialised training aid which produces an imprint of your swing path as you make contact with the printed target golf ball images on specially printed DivotSheets. Discovering whether you are cutting across the ball, behind the ball or ahead of the ball during your swing is 90% of the way towards correcting slices, thinned shots, or any other badly hit shot. The DivotMat golf mat will show you if your swing corrections are working or not, without having to hit a ball. More sophisticated specialised training aids have appeared in recent years which help the amateur golfer gain proficiency in multiple aspects of the golf swing.
One such specialised training aid is the David Leadbetter Swing Setter,
a golf swing training club, which helps develop the Grip, Swing Plane, Release and Tempo, all vital elements of a good golf swing. It is claimed that as little as six minutes twice a week will give you the feel for a great swing, solid ball striking and will improve your distance, accuracy and consistency.
The formed grip on the SwingSetter guarantees a perfect grip every time. The Plane Pointer and the EZSee Clubface allow the golfer to easily see proper face position and maintain a consistent swing plane throughout the swing and adjustable magnetic balls help achieve the correct setting of the wrists on the backswing, assisting the development of an accelerated release through impact. As discussed earlier, consistent tempo leads to consistent golf. You can achieve good tempo as you rhythmically swing the SwingSetter, snapping the ball going back, before snapping it again at impact. The audible feedback will give you perfect tempo every time when you swing your own club. Available in the United Kingdom and Europe from
Pargolferonline
This is where the Laser Trainer provides help, allowing the golfer to visualise and correct all swing errors, as well as showing how to hit draws, fades and other shots. The dual laser system and graphical mat make it possible to actually see the swing path and swing plane. Twin lasers can be attached to any golf club. Once attached, the lasers emit a finely focused beam of red light that will track across a graphic mat and provide visual data on the entire range of the swing, from takeaway to impact point. When you see the point at which your swing begins to differ from the perfect swing you are able to see the error and how to correct the error. Colour-coordinated arrows on the forward portion of the mat depict the nine distinct ball flights. The swing path and swing plane track over this portion of the mat, indicating the direction that the ball will travel. Through practice with this specialised training aid, you are able to observe the improvement in your swing by watching the laser light track across the target mat reference points.
|
