Instructional Golf Training Aid Products

The Latest in Teaching and Training Aids

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Recently I received a spate of the supposedly latest and greatest training aids that guaranteed miraculous overnight solutions to improve my swing and short game.

Well, as you can imagine, training aids are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get inside. Thanks Forrest for a great truth.

We tested all these products at the Rancho La Quinta Country Club using their staff PGA teaching pros headed by Shaun Shearer as well as our usual group of testers and those of the PGTAA (www.pgtaa.com).

A caveat: Whichever training or teaching aid you decide on to rectify that part of your game that is lacking, you must use it regularly to obtain the benefits!

When it comes to golf teaching and training aids there is positively no shortage from which to pick from. There are teaching and training aids available for every facet of your golf game. From having a proper stance to sinking the last putt, there is something available to help anyone. The best advice here is to not get confused.

You must decide on a golf training aid that can help cure a particular problem area of your golf.

AccuPutt Putting Trainer

This is an excellent aid that can be used from home. The best feature is the ability to see the line throughout the stroke, which enables one to see if the ball is pushed or pulled. If one is able to understand why the putt is off line then the stroke can be corrected. The device definitely can build a memory that can be repeated and will create a more consistent stroke if used regularly.

AccuPutt uses a type-1 laser to shoot an invisible line down the center of the practice green - the opening on the special patent-pending putter must travel perfectly straight to avoid breaking that line. A green LED on the base unit shows when the laser line is unbroken, but if the putter strays at all from the perfect stroke, a red light is activated instead - giving the user critical instant feedback while they practice their stroke.

The aperture in the putter is even adjustable so that as a user's putting improves, they can continue to challenge themselves until their putting is pure, consistent, and deadly accurate.

The only negative is the putter used is not the putter one uses on a daily basis.

$249.95
www.accuputt.com or www.321putt.com

ProPlay 640 Personal Video Training Tool

Another technological masterpiece that EVERY golfer should have is the ProPlay 640 GPS Video (GPS stands for Golf Performance System). What a great, useful and worthwhile product! And a desirable gift every golfer would love to have!

Noted instructor, Jim Flick, thinks this practical device is the best thing since apple pie! With this device you can take your practice range game to the course!

ProPlay allows you to instantly review your swing while playing golf. Video frame by frame playback, video analysis and markup, one button operation, variable speed playback and side by side playback, are just a few of this tool’s features.

This rugged and well-designed unit is compact enough to fit in a pocket and can be taken anywhere.

MSRP: $449.00
www.proplaygps.com

Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America. He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, the California Golf Writers Association, and serves both as a Consultant and Mediator to the golf industry. He is also the author of numerous books, including "333 Best Web Sites for Golfers", "How to Build Business Relationships through Golf" which is in the Top Ten Golf Business Book's bestseller list. His latest book," The Right Mind for Golf", is to be released in August 2009.