There are millions of dollars spent every year by golfers on the latest training aids. Many of these gadgets and inventions are brilliant in teaching specific skills and swing characteristics that most amateurs long to implement into their game. However, almost all of these devices come at a spendy price tag.
Here are some everyday training aids that I like to use with my students that won’t cost you the bank, and you may have lurking around at home already.
One item I always have in my teaching studio is sidewalk chalk that I purchased at the dollar store. I use this to help my students with consistent centredness of contact strikes as well as teaching how to hit iron shots with the correct angle of attack.
On a driving range with artificial hitting mats, draw a line on the hitting area of the mat. Practice with an iron of your choice, like an 8 iron. Start with half swings, and practice striking the chalk line in the same location with every swing. Move on to larger swings. You can even place a ball on the line with the same intention of striking the line instead of the ball.
Another item I have readily available during a lesson is spray-on powder. This can be found at your local drug store. This item is great to have on-hand, especially in working with the driver and determining where students strike the ball on the club face. Simply spray the powder onto the face of the driver, hit a few shots, and determine where the students is striking the ball on the club face.
Many golfers miss the center of the club face with their driver, often indicating a poor driver fit, or a common swing flaw. Missing the center of the clubface with the driver is the number one cause of loss of distance, and effects direction as well.
And finally, another item I have around, that I actually stole from my own garage, is a simple chalk line. When setting up a putting station, I make a chalk line directly on the green marking a straight, uphill putt from about 8 feet to the middle of a hole.
This is a great putting drill to practice aim, alignment and measuring the path of the putting stroke. I also particularly like the visual of the golf ball tracking its way to the middle of the hole.
So if you are looking to improve your game, you don’t necessarily need to spend hundreds of dollars. Look for creative ways to use items you already have at home.
Jennifer teaches golf to adults and juniors at the Chilliwack Golf Academy. She played professionally on tour for over 10 years, including 2 years on the LPGA. She is the 2016 LPGA Western Section Teacher of the Year, and is now the lead instructor of the Sardis Golf Academy.
Reach her by phone at 604-798-9805 or email Jennifer@chilliwackgolf.com