If you want to improve your golf game, fixing your swing is one of the most important things to work on. There’s a lot that go into a golf swing, after all, from your wrist movement and hand grip to angles and positions to balance and timing to a whole lot more. As such, developing the perfect swing for both the long game and the short game require precisely identifying any flaws in your execution, then dialing in numerous adjustments, both big and small, until you get it right. Even then, getting it right consistently when faced with the same situations is a whole other thing entirely.
Suffice to say, developing a better golf swing is one of the fundamental goals for everyone who spends time on the course. It’s probably the one thing people train the most when they work with a golf pro. Of course, not everyone can afford regular lessons with a pro, which is why there’s a wide selection of golf equipment designed specifically to help you work on your swing.
Golf swing trainers take you through the correct mechanics for executing swings across 18 holes. Some train you on the proper hand and wrist positions. Others help correct the path your club takes during a swing. There are those that teach you how to improve your swing control, while there are those that look to develop your overall swing rhythm. Some golf swing trainers do something entirely different from those, while some incorporate multiple components other golf aids also teach. Suffice to say, there’s no shortage of golf swing trainers out there and finding what works best for you isn’t exactly easy.
In this guide, we look at some of the most popular golf swing trainers today and explain how they can help (or hinder) your game’s overall improvement. Doing that consistently on the course, though,
Rukket Sports Pathfinder Impact Mat
Making sure the clubface is square at impact is the easiest way to ensure you’re hitting the ball right at the club’s sweet spot. Of course, saying that is easier than actually getting it done. This impact mat helps you practice that all-too-crucial mechanic.
To use, you start by putting your ball in the middle of the mat, right where the printed vertical and horizontal lines on the surface meet. To make sure you’re swinging the club right down the middle, you can place pylons on each of the four corners. If you hit any pylons during a swing, then adjust your next swing to move away from it. Swinging directly down the middle and making center-face contact means you should hit the ball without hitting any of the pylons. It’s a simple, straightforward training tool that can really help clean up an important part of your golf swing.
SKLZ Home Golf Driving Range Kit
Many of the golf swing trainers here require you to actually hit a ball with an actual club, which means you’ll have to either be at a golf course or a driving range. For a more affordable way to practice, we recommend installing this driving range kit in the backyard. It gives you a seven-foot tall net you can use to actually catch your balls, instead of having them fly off to the neighbors’ backyard, making it possible to do your swing practice from the comfort of your home. Features include shock-corded poles for quick setup, a launch pad with rough and fairway surfaces, and 12 limited-flight impact golf balls designed specifically for practice use.
Sure-Set Golf Swing Trainer
Designed to fix your elbow and shoulder alignment during a backswing, this golf swing trainer is designed to help players get the feel for the correct posture, allowing them to build proper muscle memory, instead of having to think about tucking their shoulders as their bodies rotate each time out. It does that by, literally, hinging the end of the pole towards your inner shoulder, making it impossible to move your body any other way than the correct backswing motion. We love the clever design of the tool and how easy it is to use, allowing you to learn the mechanics of a proper backswing without bogging you down with technical instruction.
By the way, the same outfit just released a new swing trainer called the Sure-Strike, which does the same things as the Sure-Set, but adds the ability to practice the correct motions for chipping, putting, and even bunker play. We decided to go with the original, since this one works extremely well for its intended job (the backswing) and does it in a very simple way, but it’s definitely worth considering the Sure-Strike, too, if you want something with more versatility.
GForce Swing Trainer 7 Iron
This golf swing trainer is actually USGA-certified, which means you can use it at the golf course if you want. However, its real purpose is to help you see what you’re not doing correctly in your swings, as the club’s flexible shaft offers instant feedback, exaggerating the way the club responds compared to a standard seven-iron and making it easy to spot when you’ve made a mistake at any part of the swing. As in, the shaft will bend excessively, move in a jerking manner, or make poor contact with the ball. Granted, you’ll have to do trial and error to see how to fix the mistake (it won’t exactly tell you how to fix your sequencing, swing path, or release), but it does give you a good idea of what things to try next. Plus, you, pretty much, know exactly when you’ve addressed the problem, since the clubhead will be hitting the ball exactly how you want it to do.
Tour Striker Impact Sling
Billed as a modern version of the rope swing drill, this golf swing trainer combines a golf grip handle with weighted resistance bands to help players dial in the proper tempo for their swings. We’ve found it to really help force the body to swing with the correct sequence, timing, and tempo, since not doing so will make the bands move erratically, occasionally even hitting you in the process. Arguably its best quality, though, is the portability, since it’s made up of a small handle and resistance bands, allowing you to fit it into a small bag for taking practically anywhere, so you can practice your swing any time you want.
ProSENDR
While many golf swing trainers are designed to “correct” your golf swing, this one doesn’t. Instead, what it does is fix your wrist alignment, so that you have a neutral lead wrist and an extended trail wrist during the swing, with perfect separation between the two. Is it the only way to align your wrists during a swing? No, but it’s definitely one of the best ways for a lot of players, which is why you see this trainer used extensively even by seasoned pros. It consists of two parts: a wrist attachment and a compression ball. To use, put on the wrist attachment on your trail wrist, then attach the ball to the inner side of the arm sleeve. From there, you just perform your swings like normal. You can also opt to use the wrist attachment or the compression ball on their own, in case you find one more beneficial than the other for a specific swing. Do note, they offer different attachments for right- and left-handed players, so make sure you get the right one.
The ONE Club Swing Trainer
This golf swing trainer is designed to help you work on three specific things, namely release, speed, and power. It does that by giving you a practice club designed to take disc-shaped tiny weights and resistance bands, so you can change up the amount of resistance it delivers. As you can imagine, this is going to be very confusing at the start, requiring you to really watch the videos to figure out how to use the weights and bands for each type of swing exercise. Once you get the hang of it, though, this offers one of the best training experiences out there, especially for folks who want to develop their swing speed, sequence, timing, and release. It offers both audible and tactile feedback, too, as the weights fall correctly into place during a swing, so you know exactly when you’ve executed a swing the right way. Basically, this is an incredible golf swing trainer, but will require you to really dig into the videos and do a fair amount of trial-and-error to figure out how it really works.
GolfForever Swing Trainer
This feels more like a gym equipment than your typical golf swing trainer. In a lot of ways, that’s what it is. It consists of a 44.5-inch long bar, two resistance bands (one light, one medium), resistance band handles, weight ball attachment, and a few other accessories. Instead of simply working on your swing, you use it with a companion app where you can follow workout programs that look to build strength in a variety of swing positions. That’s right, you’re, basically, performing exercises that mimic golf swing movements, so you can build strength, muscle, and flexibility right in the spots that will benefit your golf game, while helping you get fitter at the same time. Does it work? As an exercise tool, sure. It also definitely targets the muscles you will be using when playing golf, so it can definitely improve your swing speed and power. However, it doesn’t really help you in any of the technical aspects, so it’s probably a good addition to any golfer’s training regimen, but you best look elsewhere if you want help with specific techniques.
SuperSpeed Golf Training System
As you can tell from the name, this golf swing trainer is focused on improving your swing speed and nothing more. It’s extremely effective, too, which is why it’s used by over 1,000 tour pros. The set consists of three weighted clubs: two that are lighter than your standard driver and one that is heavier. It uses what the outfit calls Overspeed Training, where you start your practice by using the lightest club (20 percent lighter than a driver), then switch to the heavier club (10 percent lighter than a driver), and finish with the heavy club (five percent heavier than a driver). To use it, you have to follow the training videos, each of which takes anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, with five levels of development, so you can start at the beginning and progress as you build up your swing speed over time.
PlaneSwing Eagle Package
They call it “the most effective way to build a powerful and repeatable swing.” For that price, it better. Fortunately, they actually follow through with a pretty effective golf swing trainer, using a giant ring to guide you in following the correct swing path. The idea is to build muscle memory for consistently performing the same motions once you get on the course. We love the simplicity of how you practice using this, leaving very little room to make any mistakes, so you know you’re teaching your body the right sensations to make a proper swing every time. Do note, this is huge, requiring you to place it either in a large empty room or a backyard with a good load of open space. It’s worth it, though, since it makes for amazing practice, although we do wish they can find a way to make it more affordable, since it really is just a giant metal ring.
