How to Improve Your Golf Game With Training Aids

MVP Sports MorodZ Alignment Rods, image: mvpgolfshop.com

MVP Sports MorodZ Alignment Rods, image: mvpgolfshop.com

 

Golf Training Aids

Unfortunately, the game of golf is hard, and there are very few people that naturally become good at golf. For most, it takes years of practice and hard work. Golf training aids are a great way to make a very complicated game just a little bit easier.

Sometimes practice and hard work and golf lessons are just not enough. There are times that a connection has to be made between the brain and the body. That is where golf training aids come in. To help a player understand what it feels like to swing a club correctly, invest in using golf aids for swing confidence. This is a feeling that is very difficult to describe and very hard to learn visually. Sometimes it just needs to be felt and golf swing tools provide that assistance.

There are many types of training aids available for golfers. Some are going to be for the beginner, and others will help the lower handicap player get the feel and finesse that they need to get to the next level. Regardless of where you stand with your golf game, there is very likely a training aid that could help you.

 

Types of Golf Swing Training Aids

Although you can find training aids for almost any part of your golf game, there are some key areas where golfers need additional help. These are the most common types of training aids available.

Grip

A grip training aid will teach a golfer how to place their hands on a golf club. Sometimes these are called training grips, and they can be installed on a golf club so that they can be practiced at all times. Training grips will work to get your hands in the right position, something that takes a great deal of time and discipline to do correctly.

Alignment Rods

Another area of the golf game that amateurs tend to struggle with is alignment. Alignment is complicated to figure out. Most people struggle because you stand parallel to your target. When you throw darts, you are looking at your target the entire time, and your body is facing the target.

Golf is a little different, and it takes time to align yourself when playing correctly. One way to help make this process a little easier is to use alignment rods. You can put these around your feet; you can hold them up to your hips and shoulders. They are a very versatile training aid for golfers.

Swing Plane

Your swing plane is the plane that your club is on while you are swinging. This is not something that you can see as you should be looking at the golf ball. It can be hard to feel whether or not your swing is on plane.

Several different types of swing plane training devices will help you get the feeling of being on the proper plane. One of the most common is a large circular device that you stand in and swing the club. The circle can be rotated so that your swing plane can get steeper or more shallow. You will often see these at extensive golf course practice facilities.

Lag/Impact Position

For a golfer who is new to golf, the impact is a challenging concept. A lot of things must happen in a person’s golf swing to properly feel the impact position. Impact training devices vary greatly. Most of them will try to get golfers to realize what it feels like to have the club lag behind and have your hands out in front of impact.

One of the most popular tools is something that looks a bit like a bean bag chair. This is called an impact bag, and when you swing and hit the bag, it puts you in an excellent impact position. Some players will get to this position naturally, and for others, it will take a great deal of time.

Swing Path

Swing path training aids will help you to take the club back on the right path. Most of the time, when you get yourself started on the right track, it is much easier to stay on the path the entire swing. Some of these training aids will look like jackets that you put on and help you get on the proper path. Others will be simple visual aids to help guide the club back correctly.

Early Extension

Some players tend to employ their wrists in their golf swing way before they need to. This leads to less extension and will eventually lead to less distance. To get your timing and tempo right in your swing and get the most out of every shot, you need to feel that early extension. This is typically one of the more natural things to feel in a golf swing, so you may not have to work with this type of training aid for very long.

 

Where to Use Golf Swing Training Aids

The use of golf swing training aids used to be restricted to the driving range. If you wanted to practice something, you would have to head to the range to use your new device. However, things have changed quite a bit. Golfers are getting more creative, and so are golf swing training aid manufacturers. There are now plenty of places where you can use a golf training aid that works.

Many people will use their training aids…

  • In their office
  • At the driving range
  • At home with a golf simulator
  • In the backyard

How can different parts of the swing be trained in different environments?

The type of swing training aid that you are attempting to use may determine which environment you can use it. For instance, if you are practicing your grip, you could do it at your dining room table. Your yard may be big enough to practice a little chipping. Training aids are not always designed to be used with a golf ball. This is part of what makes them so useful and functional. You can use them wherever you would like to make some progress in your game.

What training aids or parts of the swing can a golfer work on the inside?

When working on your golf game indoors, it is easiest to work on things like grip, setup, and path. As long as you have ample room to swing, you can see your golf club path and whether or not it is on the right track. It can be challenging to work on alignment and impact when inside because you really need to see the flight of the golf ball.

What training aids can help a golfer while on the range?

The driving range is a perfect place to work on any part of your golf game. However, while you are on the range, take advantage of your time there to work on things like alignment, impact, and swing plane. These are harder to work on indoors because it helps to see where the ball is headed as you are practicing and working. Make sure to use your time at the range wisely, so you get the most out of your practice session.

 

How to Ensure Golf Game Improvement

Continually working on your game is not going to be worth it if you are not improving. Using a training aid does not mean that it will directly translate into your success as a golfer. However, there are some things that you can do to make sure that this learning sinks in. The more your body and your brain understand, the better the chance they have of repeating it once you get to the golf course.

One way to make sure that your training aid work translates to on-course improvement is to pretend you are on the course. Standing in your backyard with a swing jacket on swinging 100 times a day will likely help you get better, but it won’t be enough. You will need to learn to visualize what you are doing. You will have to make sure that you are making the connections in your brain and not just merely learning how to use training aid.

Keep a record of your practice. Write down what you worked on, what felt different, what felt good, and what didn’t. Writing these things down is only going to give you more confidence, and it will translate to much faster learning as well. When you write in your notebook that you now know how to align yourself properly, you can use that to give you the confidence you need next time you are on the course. When you stand up to a shot, and you don’t feel confident, refer to your notebook.

Some people believe that the more you practice, the better you will get. This is true as long as you are practicing effectively. If your practice is haphazard or you are not focused, you may as well not practice at all. When you stand on the range and hit a flag over and over again, all you are doing is getting good at hitting that flag. That is not the way golf works. Vary your practice, focus on lots of different skill sets, and always pretend that a range session has some real golf holes involved.

Golf training aids are valuable tools. Some professional golfers use training aids from time to time. This is not an easy game to learn, and getting a little help from a training tool from time to time is entirely acceptable. Try and choose aids that focus on the significant areas of weakness in your game. Something like an alignment stick is going to last for many years and help you improve as you move from a high to medium to low handicap player.

The last tip to help you translate this information on to the golf course is to make sure to keep things simple. If you are going to try and work on your grip, your alignment, and your club path all on the same day, your brain may feel as though it’s going to explode. Choose one project at a time to perfect. It will very likely lead to your next project, but don’t put so much pressure on yourself to figure it all out in one day. Golf is a game that takes a lot of patience, as well as practice. It may take some time.

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