instruction MAKING AN IMPACT Training Aids My favorite training aid is the Impact Ball. I encourage my students to use an Impact Ball By Alex Smolinski because it allows players to practice their swing without focusing on mechanics. Golfers can use TourAngle144 it for every aspect of their game, including full Price: $29.95 swing, chipping, bunker shots and putting. A Phone: (800) 737-0416 repeatable swing requires feel, and using the Impact Website: tourangle144.com Ball allows a player to ingrain proper positions by taking focus away from trying to hit at the and placing it Based on research acquired training squarely on the body and club working together through from an independent study the golf ball. The Impact Ball also helps simplify swinging conducted among golfers the by creating a relationship between the body, from multiple major tours, the hands and wrists, and the club through the impact area. the TourAngle144 is a swing training aid focused on maintain- Kyle Oliver ing a 144-degree angle from the forearm to the of the club Head Golf Professional throughout the swing to decrease shot inconsistencies and curb camps Rancho San Marcos a player’s tendencies to slice the ball. The TourAngle144, avail- able in both right-handed and left-handed models, helps pro- With so many swing aids out there claiming mote perfect posture, great takeaway and a well-timed and pow- erful release. The simple, lightweight device comes with a carry to improve your game, how do you know what’s pouch, “The Basics & More” DVD featuring acclaimed instructor STRAIGHTEN UP Steve Bosdosh, a sample pack of “4 Yards More” and free worth your time and money? Read on My favorite training aid is using two clubs shipping. for alignment purposes. Most golfers set up and aim their body lines (feet, knees, hips and shoulders) at the target or right of it. This The SwingWing he scene from “Tin Cup” where Kevin We’re always looking for an edge on the course results in an inconsistent shot pattern as the Price: $29.95 Costner has about 10 training devices beyond equipment, which is where training golfer usually has to swing over the top to Phone: (248) 685-7515 get the club in front of them and down the target line at Website: swingwinggolf.com wrapped around a body part or dangling aids come in, and since we live in a device-crazy impact. To be fundamentally sound you should aim your T body lines left of your target (for righties) about 10 percent The SwingWing is an inflatable from his head was a humorous sight. But the time, using something that reportedly will give of the shot’s total distance. The two clubs should be put training device that slides onto not-so-funny thing is that it represented only a us more power, better timing or more accu- on the ground with the one farthest from you aimed at the the shaft of the club and uti- teeny fraction of the devices made available to racy sounds good. But before you resort to any target and the other parallel to it. Put your feet behind the lizes wind-resistance to increase golfers over the years. Some work, some don’t. of the bells and whistles out there, check out closest club, aim your body lines parallel to it and use the speed and power in a golfer’s top club as a reference for your clubface (perpendicular) swing. Just swinging the club 10-20 Some are expensive, some are pocket change. what some of the region’s top teaching pros and swing path (down the line). times prior to playing a round with Some are silly, some are serious business. think might work best for you. Eric Lohman the SwingWing attached can have dramatic effects PGA General Manager on distance, tempo and sequencing. Golfers also can use Monarch Beach Golf the SwingWing to help align shots, maintain stability in the wrists during chips and putts and improve arm position and proper ALIGN YOURSELF stance. The soft, vinyl practice aid is lightweight and portable, KEEP YOUR BALANCE FINDING THE SWEET and is easily deflated and stored. The Alignment Stick can help you Maintaining good balance SPOT get more comfortable with your when you swing a club is One training aid that will STRING IT OUT target line and clubface in addi- necessary to produce a solid improve your ball striking and My favorite training aid is a string suspended over almostGOLF ball tion to aligning your feet parallel hit. During lessons I often see help you shoot lower scores is the ball when putting. Dave Pelz has one called Price: $10.95 (10-Ball Pack) to the target line. One fun way students lose their balance called The Little One. It is the the Aim Line. Find a straight putt and put one Phone: (800) 998-1077 to use it is to put it through your toward their toes on the back- fastest way to find the sweet stake in the ground 18 inches behind the hole and Website: almostgolf.com belt loops and check your hip alignment and swing, which causes fat shots because spot on the clubface. When you use this the other about 15 feet in front of it. Attach the rotation during the swing. Another great drill the ball hits the heel of the clubface. My club, which is half the size of a normal string and place your ball under the line about 12 The almostGOLF ball hits like a real is to stick it in the ground in front of you on favorite training aid to help my students , it is going to get you more focused on feet from the hole. Position your eyes over the string so it ball, but only travels a third of the dis- your target line so you can see if you started feel proper balance from setup to the top being efficient. It can teach you to hit the looks to be cutting the ball in half. If you have a line built into tance, making it safe for practice in the the ball on the line or to the left or right. of the backswing are Balance Discs. The golf ball pure, right in front of the center your that is centered with the sweet spot then the back yard, park or beach. A 14.5-gram What’s different about this training aid is you discs are filled with air so when you stand of gravity. This will create golf shots that string should look like it is filling in the line on the putter. If cross-linked foam core allows the ball also can use it on the practice green. I use it on them with a golf club in your hand you are going to have the most amount of back you have no line on the putter then the top edge of the face to draw, spin and fade naturally by in many of the same ways as I do with the full have to properly distribute your weight at spin and accuracy. The Little One provides should be at a 90-degree angle to the string. You now have maintaining the same initial velocity, swing. One great drill is to use two to create setup and maintain it into your backswing. instant feedback, which will allow you to your putter square to the hole and your eyes directly over launch angle and spin as a normal golf a track to start your stroke and have the ball You’ll fall off if you lean toward your toes learn at a higher rate and speed, as well as the ball. ball, but then causes it to loose speed roll through it. This will help your setup and or if you lift the club without turning your help you improve at the only place in the Scott Wadkins and eventually fall to the ground. alignment feel more comfortable. torso properly. that really matters: impact. PGA Professional The almostGOLF ball provides a safe, Scott Heyn Michelle Dubé Sean Foley ASU’s Karsten effective and convenient practice aid PGA General Manager LPGA Master Teaching Professional Professional Golf Coach that can benefit golfers of all skill levels. Black Gold Golf Club Tijeras Creek Golf Club

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