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Golf is always testing us.
Some days we can’t miss the sweet spot, other days we can’t find that spot if our lives depend on it. Practice can help groove a consistent swing, as long as you practice the right way.
The great instructor Harvey Penick once said, “Every day I see golfers out there banging away at bucket after bucket. If I ask them what they’re doing, they say, ‘What does it look like I’m doing, Harvey? I’m practicing!’ Well, they’re getting exercise all right. But few of them are really practicing.”
To help make each session more effective, you might need to recruit some help with golf training aids. We’ve done a ton of research to help you find ones to help with all parts of your game.
If you do a quick search for training aids in golf, you’ll find hundreds of items promising to make you a better player. Some are great, while others are total junk that you will use once and never think about again. But these training aids below are well worth the money and most of them are extremely affordable too.
Creating lag in your golf swing is a power move that separates great ball strikers from everyday golfers. But creating lag isn’t always easy to feel and or teach. Luckily, the lag shot 7-iron can teach you this power move in only 10 swings a day – they guarantee it!
The Lag Shot helps create better tempo, timing, and add more lag to your golf swing (which means more clubhead speed and distance). You can use this handy training aid on the golf course or at home plus it also comes with a video training and 30-day guarantee.
The Balight Golf swing Trainer is an easy-to-use swing tempo trainer. It’s great for feeling the right plane and a great tool to warm up before a round.
While the Orange Whip training aid might have more popularity, I would argue this is just as useful of a tool and half the price. It has different versions depending on height, and just as effective but saves you money for other golf gear.
You can use this before a round, at home when you want to stay loose, or at the driving range. Choose the 40-inch version if you are under 5’6” or an intermediate level player. If you’re taller than 5’6” and a more advanced golfer, opt for the 48-inch version.
If you like to work on your golf swing at home, you will love the SASRL mat and net. For an unbelievably low price, you can get a 7×10 foot net, driving mat, rubber tee holder, golf balls, and a carry bag with one purchase.
The net is huge and allows you to hit full drivers without a problem. Plus, it has three chipping target pockets to work on shorter shots and a main target to aim at. The enclosure guards against errant shots and it’s made of high-quality material that is tear resistant.
You can set this up in your backyard for outdoor use or indoors as well. It’s easy to assemble and has everything you need to start working on your swing from the comfort of your home.
If you want a mat that simulates rough too, check out this one as well. Practicing full swing shots from different lies will help your game much more than just hitting from the fairway.
Divots never lie in golf!
If you hit a pull or a push, the divot will be right or left of your target. If you hit it fat, your divot will be behind the golf ball and if you hit it thin, you will have almost no divot which is also a tell-tale sign of hitting up on the golf ball.
Needless to say, you can learn a lot from your divots. But if you practice from mats, you might not get the benefit of seeing your divots like you would on a grass driving range. Luckily, the Divot Board gives you feedback, even if you can’t hit from grass.
The Divot Board is a small training aid that lets you swing and get instant feedback without hitting a golf ball. After you take a swing, you can see the divot pattern and the low point of your shot. Plus, spot any trends in practice like coming over the top or hitting behind the golf ball.
After each shot, rub your hand the opposite way to convert the synthetic turf back to normal. This aid is portable, works for right or left-handers, and should last you a long time.
The Down Under Board 2.0 is the newest training aid to help you better understand multiple aspects of your game including weight transfer, stance, path, transition, and impact position. It specifically helps with weight transfer and great for golfers who sway on the backswing.
From wedges to driver, this device will help you stabilize the lower body and rotate the upper body perfectly. If you have “happy feet” and move too much during your swing, this board will fix it once and for all.
If you want help feeling the proper weight transfer in your backswing, the Callaway Golf Platform can help. It’s a fraction of the price of the Down Under board but still an effective tool and meant to help eliminate swaying in your backswing.
This tiny platform promotes hip rotation and will keep your weight centered. Plus, it’s so small you can easily carry in your bag without taking up too much space. Overall, one of the best training aids for about the price of a golf glove.
The BirdieBall is a great new product that lets you practice from anywhere! Whether it’s a park, open field, empty parking lot, or anywhere with 40 yards of space, you can learn a ton about your game.
You can hit full shots even with a driver and the max distance it will travel is about 40 yards. Thanks to the revolutionary technology, it spins just like a normal ball and you can see if you hit it straight, sliced it, or hit a draw.
As the company said on their website, “Like a golf ball, the BirdieBall flies with reverse spin around its horizontal axis. Allowing you to draw and fade, you’ll know you’ve made good contact by the gratifying sound and feel produced after a pure strike.”
Impact is where the magic happens in your golf swing. To feel a better impact position, a smash bag can help you tons.
While the SKLZ Smash Bag Golf Swing Trainer is a comparable product, it is not nearly as well reviewed. The TuhooMall is about the same price, available in three colors, and appears to be a much higher quality product. Just make sure to fill with soft things like old clothes, or cloth, not sand or dirt to avoid injuries.
While the training aids above will help you groove a more consistent golf swing, don’t forget about the short game either. Improving your chipping, pitching, and putting is one of the easiest ways to shave strokes off your scorecard and
Most golfers don’t have enough time to get to the course as we’d all like. Having a job, family, and other obligations can limit our practice time, but there is something you can buy to never miss a day of golf – an indoor putting green.
Since putting is such a crucial part of the game, having an indoor setup at your home or office is a great way to master your putting.
If you want to putt like the 2022 Players Champion Cameron Smith, this is the device for you.
The portable training aid will help you align your shoulders and set up to all putts with a square setup. Once you’re set up properly, it allows for a 15 degree natural arc that provides instant feedback on every putt.
Unlike a lot of devices, it’s also easy to use; just insert tees into the proper spots and you’re ready to go. It’s portable, works for right or left-hand players, and delivers instant feedback to help you drain more putts. It comes with the mirror, four putting gates, and sleek black carry bag to easily transport to the golf course.
If you already have a putting mirror, you can buy the gates separately. These are great training aids to help you master your short game and 10X your confidence on the greens.
These devices help you understand your start line and improve your alignment because if you have the right alignment, it makes it so much easier to drain more putts. Plus, they have four sizes so you can use these gates for different drills.
Start with the biggest gate and as you get familiar with it, work your way down. When you get to the “0” gate, you should be able to putt like a pro. The only downside is that they only work outdoors as you need to insert them into the putting green.
While an indoor putting green is a great idea, a pop-up chipping net will help improve your pitches so you have closer putts. This net is small, pops up instantly, and easy to store. Hit toward one of three different targets inside with the foam balls or outside with real golf balls.
If you’re like most golfers, you know that your sand game needs work. But finding time to get to the course and find a good practice bunker isn’t always easy, especially if you live in a remote location.
Luckily, there is now a solution.
The Pocket Bunker makes it easy to work on your bunker game, even if there is no sand nearby. You can use this at the driving range or at home. The ball is attached to the legs and accurately mimics a ball in a bunker. It makes it easy to feel like you are “sweeping the legs” out which will correlate to taking enough sand out of the bunker.
This should help you get out of the bunker every single time and save tons of shots around the green. It also works for flop shots and due to the design, should last you a long time.
These training aids can help your golf game but don’t forget, they only work if you use them! I know I’m guilty of this from time to time – buying a new gadget, only to use them a few times per year. Recently, I started carrying a golf backpack in my car that houses my training aids so I have no excuse to not work on them.
While these are all great products, don’t rely on training aids for every single practice session. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to play golf on the course with much consistency. Use these training aids but don’t let them become a crutch either.
What is your favorite golf training aid?
Let us know in the comments below!
