Golf Swing Training Aids | Practice Equipment

As you may remember, I'm a little skeptical when it comes to training systems. Golf is such a difficult sport to master that often any full-proof-guaranteed-to-lower-you-score gadget makes one very suspicious eyebrow go up.

As in the weight-loss industry, everyone is looking for the next great thing that will make them ...

This is a compact hitting mat that is great for just about anywhere. I like to throw it in my trunk and have it ready to go wherever I am. For example, take a 15-minute break from work and tee it up in the office parking lot. ...

I was just telling my dad we need to get a golf mat to hit golf balls off his balcony. He lives on the fifth floor of an ocean condo. He wasn't keen on the idea, mumbling something about condo associations and rules... Blah, blah, blah. He ...

Calling all lazy people! This gadget is for you. Practice your putting without ever having to bend over to pick up your golf ball out of the cup. This reminds me of that thing you put on your basketball hoop to practice your free throws. ...

Well looky here -- it's a punching bag for golfers. Mike Tyson, eat your heart out. (Or somebody's ear.)

This wasn't designed by some fly-by-night golf gadget medicine man either. Rick Smith has a good reputation. He's worked with Phil Mickelson, Lee Janzen, and even Jack ...

This swing trainer utilizes an actual real gyroscope, just like the Hubble Telescope. "What is a Gyroscope?" you ask. Don't ask me! It's not like this job requires a college degree. (I'm actually a 14-year-old living in China being forced to write reviews for rice.)

Seriously ...

This is a fun little toy that (if nothing else) will help breathe some enthusiasm back into your dull practice routine. The Sports Sensors Swing Speed Radar with Tempo Timer will give you your swing speed and also measures your tempo. The device will display one or ...

I picked this book up off of my friend Nick's bookshelf one day and started reading it. It's a very good, comprehensive look at Tiger's latest swing change. The author, John Andrisani, is a former golf instructor who has coauthored bestselling instructional books and is a ...

I've read this book at least a dozen times. It's by one of my favorite authors, Harvey Penick. Except Harvey really isn't an author at all, but rather a wonderful teacher and an incredible storyteller.

The book is an easy read that you won't be able to put ...

This is not your daddy's golf swing. The Stack and Tilt Swing is a controversial new swing that authors Michael Bennett and Andy Plummer spent a decade coming up with. It's a departure from many of the conventional teaching of the golf swing, the main difference ...

Before these were compiled and put into a book, these tips ran in Golf Digest Magazine. I remember looking forward to getting my Golf Digest in the mail and it was usually the 1st article that I turned too.

Simply put, the authors have created lessons for us ...

This thing looks like golf's version of a punching bag. You know those speed bags that hang in the gym that the boxers work out on to get their timing and rhythm?

This Swing Groove actually has nothing to do with timing and rhythm, but is supposed to help you ...

These Birdie Balls only go 40 yards max. Thus, you can practice in your backyard.

I grew up in Florida. I was lucky enough to live in a house with a canal in the backyard. My friends and I used to tee up golf balls on the lawn ...

This Jim McLean guys seems to know a little bit about the golf swing. This book, "The Eight Step Swing," is something he came up with and has been teaching for many years. Jim has golf schools all over the country and is one of the most ...

Banging away at golf balls on the driving range can get pretty boring. Plus, we all complain that we hit it great on the range, but when we get out on the golf course, it's a different story. Well, I hate to be cliché, but here goes: ...

I was really excited to write a glowing review for this amazing biography of Ben Hogan -- one of the most inspiring and interesting golfers that has ever lived. Only I realized anything I could write would pale in comparison to the review Steve Jones has already done.

"Who ...

If you take a swing with the Swing Extender and you hate it -- then it's doing its job! This is a nifty training aid that will cure you of that "armsy" swing.

The way it works: Attach The Swing Extender to your bicep, just above your ...

Let's go to the mail bag, shall we?

Dear ZipGolfer,
I heard that all the power from the golf swing comes from your wrists un-cocking. Is this true, and how do I learn the correct wrist cock?
- Limp Wristed in Omaha, NE

You are partially correct, Limp. A lot ...

Ben Hogan wrote the book "Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf" in 1957. These lessons are still held sacred today, and the book should be on the book shelves of all golfers.

David Leadbetter, one of the most important golf teachers of our time, went through ...

It's one of golf's sacred books. I get a kick out of the title, especially the word "modern." This book was written in 1957, but the lessons still hold true, and Ben would like you to know that the average golfer is capable of building a ...

One thing about golfers -- they are always looking for "the secret." It's only the grizzled veteran that will tell you golf is all luck, and follow that up by saying, "The more I practice, the luckier I get."

This book, "Tour Tempo: Golf's Last Secret Finally Revealed," ...

I really want this watch. I'm not a gadget guy, and I don't wear a watch, but I really want this watch.

Where do I start? This watch is the golf geek's ideal toy, especially if you're the kind of golf geek that analyzes the ba-jeepers out of ...

I have just a little bit of time to write this review as my car is waiting. After a hard day of watching the market and polishing the bronze statue of myself that sits in the foyer of my multimillion-dollar penthouse office, I do enjoy stroking a few putts.

At ...

I always keep some of these plastic wiffle golf balls in my bag. They can come in handy and make a great practice tool.

For one, if you are practicing your golf swing in the backyard and you don't have a net to hit into, these practice ...

This is really is a great training aid (Garbage). It's a CD with calming, relaxing sounds with subliminal golf improving messages (Gimmick). You will gain an advantage over your golf buddies (If you go to the driving range now), effortlessly improve your golf swing (Practice your short ...

Here's Callaway's answer to the Sky Caddie. It is a fancy golf GPS that gives you exact yardages to anything you desire while you play the course. It's pretty cool, too, especially the Pro Mode which provides you with an aerial flyover of the hole ...

A buddy of mine, Brian and I were at the range the other day. "I hate golf," he says. "I'm so frustrated with my swing."

"You should take a lesson from a pro, "I replied.

"No way -- they are going to change my whole swing! I'm not going there."

This ...

"I sincerely believe there are two types of people in the world: Those who believe there are two types of people in the world, and those who don't!" (Author unknown)

When it comes to golf, particularly your approach to improving your game, I for one know there ...

If you are built exactly like Tiger Woods, then you can skip this review. Otherwise, read on. This book talks about the rarely-mentioned topic that we should learn the golf swing based upon our body type.

Three top golf instructors, Mike Adams, T.J. Tomasi, and Jim ...

This is an interesting golf gadget. It's a putting trainer. The Greenberry uses physics and "advance computing technology" to measure your speed and putting distance.

The way it works is: you put this down on whatever you are putting on (your carpet, or outside on an actual green) and ...

I've been reading this magazine for the last twenty years. (I'm a slow reader.) Golf Digest is the quintessential golf magazine. There are others, but this is the best one.

One reason that makes them the best is they get all the top tour pros and teachers to ...

I've putted with something very similar to this for years. It was in one of my best friend's and coworker's office for at least 15 years. His name was Chris Brown. He kept two putters and three or four golf balls lying next to it. When any ...

Grab your shag bag and throw it in the back of your Jag! Every serious golfer has a shag bag in the trunk of their car. When you have a shagger full of balls, you don't need anything more than one golf club and an open field.

Some of the best ...

I've used this training aid, and I like it. It's a golf club with a fan on the end of it. The fan adds resistance when you swing the club to promote better form and strengthen golf muscles.

Probably the biggest swing flaw most of us amateurs struggle with is manipulating the ...

Here's a great gift idea for the golf addict in your life. The Medicus, for my money, is the best swing trainer on the market. This set comes with two clubs, the 5 Iron and the Driver. The 5 Iron is a little easier to swing than ...

Look at this crazy looking club with the hinge on the shaft. It's one of those Medicus swing trainers and yes, it works.

It takes a little patience because the first time you swing this thing you are going to look pretty foolish. The club shaft has a dual hinge ...

Here's the junior version of one of the best tools invented for improving your golf swing. I would recommend this Medicus Junior's Dual Hinged 5 Iron for your child if he already has achieved a certain amount of success with his golf swing. In other words, this club ...

This is a great tool to help improve your golf swing. The Medicus Junior's Dual Hinged Jumbo Driver has a dual hinge that will break unless you swing the club back smoothly and continue to have consistent tempo throughout your follow through.

Although this particular Medicus is designed for juniors, it ...

"Teed Up Teed me off!" was one of the quotes I've seen about this product.

Uh oh.

It looks like such a great idea, too. The Teed Up Portable Driving Range is a simple ball holder that can handle 45 golf balls, and a mechanism that automatically places the ball on the tee... ...

Here is another weighted golf club that is designed to help us with our swing plane. It also has one of those sculpted-out grips that will teach you the proper hand position. The concept of this club is the added weight; you are more prone to use ...

"Half of this game is 90% mental." I believe Yogi Berra said something similar to this. He was talking about baseball at the time, but it applies to golf just the same.

Bob Rotella, writer of "Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect," can help you build a ...

When I set up my golf net in the backyard last summer, I ran into a glitch. The grass in my yard wasn't what I would call "ideal" for hitting a golf ball. I quickly remedied this by grabbing the front door mat. This didn't quite work out either, ...

"Practice doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect." I'm not really sure who said this, but they were on to something. Take it from me. I'm the guy who rushes out to the driving range, loosens up a little bit, and then pulls out my driver and ...

I'm not big on many of these swing trainers. Most of them aren't worth the box they come in, but this one caught my eye. My buddy Nick and I have been working for some time on trying to correct "the flip." (No, I'm not talking about the high ...

...A hush falls over the crowd. Robert Ludwig has this putt to win the US Open. The young unknown phenom who was the 942nd alternate to get into this prestigious golf tournament only needs to make a three-foot putt to beat Tiger Woods….

This is the part where ...

Can someone tell me how this helps?

No, I'm serious. I actually can't figure out this training aid. It's an Izzo Swing Mirror, about 13" in size, and convex so that you can see yourself well in it. Ok, maybe you can check your grip and club face and even ...

The marketing for this Kallassy Swing Magic Driver starts by quoting "legendary" golf instructor Bob Toski who said, "With the golf swing, you have to learn to feel the force, not force the feel."

That reminds me of a quote by "legendary" golf writer Robert Ludwig who once said, "With stupid cliché ...

How about a little target practice in the back yard? No, put away your bow and arrow. Instead, grab your wedge and a few dozen range balls and let's go.

The SKLZ Fly Trap Chipping Net has five different targets for you to hone your accuracy and distance control. It ...

I usually don't really listen too much to guys with nicknames like "The Beast." Well, that is, unless I am alone in a dark alley with him. In that case, I'm all ears.

Here's another case where I might have to tune in. The "Beast" who I'm referring to here ...

If you drive for show and putt for dough, what do you chip for? Maybe we chip to go low. Certainly getting up and down is the key to keep the scorecard free from those ugly blemishes.

Here's a fun product brought to you from Callaway. It's a chipping net that ...