Excellent Golf Training Aids for Beginners

Beginners who are just learning the game of golf are often easily overwhelmed walking into a golf store and strolling down aisle upon aisle of golf training aids of every conceivable form.   From DVDs and weighted clubs to electronic gadgets and putting machines, the golf training industry is constantly expanding and it can be hard to separate what truly works from the products that just burn a hole in our wallet.  To help get you started we tested and researched various golf training aids to bring you a few of our favorites.

The SwingTIP Wireless Golf Swing Analyzer

In our recent review we told you that the SwingTIP was one of the most exciting tech golf gadgets of the year (still quite true), but it’s also by far one of our favorite golf training aids.  This simple but effective little device attaches directly to your club shaft and connects to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth.  Once activated, the SwingTIP will monitor and track the swing path of each shot in your practice session to provide you with detailed swing analysis, including all the important variables of your swing, such as swing tempo, club impact, etc.  All of this data is also conveniently stored within your free online SwingTIP account, allowing you to access the information a later time.  This is by far one of the most effective tools for bringing your practice session data home from the range to study everything in more detail.  It’s simply amazing how well this simple little tool can bring all of the detailed swing analysis data normally reserved for the game’s elite, into the hands of beginners.

Birdieball Practice Set

Our staff loves this product and in fact, it’s always set up in our offices for that mid-day golf break.  This fun and helpful training tool is an excellent way to practice your swing in your yard, house, office or any other small space.  The hollow birdieballs are designed to travel less far while at the same time allowing you to take your full golf swing to practice your strike.  Short chip shots around the house into the target bucket really help with your short game and approach shots.  We’ve been testing the Birdieball for over a year now and we swear by it.  Perhaps what we like best about this simple golf training aid is that it’s incredibly fun to use, so beginners can improve their skills while having a little fun in the back yard.  (Read our complete full Birdieball review here)

iPing Putting App Cradle

We’ve tested the iPing at store on various putters and the information that it provides can be very beneficial when determining the right putter for your game.  The app is free to download for iPhone, Android, and Galaxy phones.  Once you download the app, simply load it up and connect the phone (snap on) to the cradle attached to your putter shaft. The app is simple; it computes your putting stroke consistency and displays it  nscreen using a few variables: stoke type, impact angle, and tempo.  Putting is a key part of the golf game; after all it counts for over 30% of your strokes in a round.  Just think, if you 2-putt every hole, that’s 36 putts – so we strongly advise using a tool such as this, as it can really help beginners improve their putting stroke and consistency.

Tour Angle 144 Golf Swing Training Aid

You’ve probably seen the commercials on the Golf Channel for this interesting swing aid.  Although it looks a bit awkward, the beauty of the Tour Angle 144 is actually in it’s simplicity. The product is held in your top hand while using your normal golf grip and is designed to help you improve your distance, consistency, posture, and backswing mechanics by helping to prevent the early wrist break (which they refer to as “casting”) and improper set up position.  As a beginner, it’s essential to learn the fundamentals of how to set up and swing threw the ball properly.  We tested the Tour Angle 144 recently at the range and found that it instantly it helped prevent grounding or chunking shots and served as an excellent physical reminder of proper swing mechanics, which over the long term will help build better swing path muscle memory.  For less than $40 you can get the tool and a free instructional DVD that will help get you well on your way to an improved swing.

All of these affordable and useful golf training aids are ideal for beginners who want to improve their game without wasting their hard earned money.  We suggest using practice aids such as these early on in your pursuit of learning the game of golf because each will help you learn proper mechanics and help prevent the development of bad habits (which can be extremely difficult to fix later on).  Give each a try and let us know which helped your game the most by posting your comments below or by sending us a Tweet at @golficity.

(Cover Photo Credit)