Sports Plus Online

Practicing With A Grip Trainer Could Save Your Game

I’d overlooked for years the importance of practicing with golf grip trainers, thinking that they were purely gimmicks that were a waste of cash. But within weeks of first using one, I’m convinced they are great!

First, golf grip trainers forces you to place your hands into exactly the right position on the club. It also helps you to hold this perfect grip through the back swing and then down into hitting the ball and the follow through. Having used the swing trainer a few times, my hands naturally started to fall into the correct position. Correcting an error that my lessons have failed to correct, no matter how many times it has been pointed out that my grip is slightly off.

Now my grip feels comfortable at the top of the back swing, a feeling that had previously not been there. OK, professionals can sort out your grip and show you how to hold the club properly, but it is so easy to go back to old habits if you aren’t having regular lessons.

By picking up the golf swing trainer, the grip trainer in the handle automatically moves your fingers into the best place, correcting nasty habits that you might be developing.

They are also, typically, shorter than most clubs whilst weighted and shaped so that they feel correct during the swing. With care, they can be used to practice indoors safely! This means that you can easily pick up the training aid and do a few practice swings each night.

The second training element of this tool is the swing training. Because of the weighting the ideal path of the swing is slowly coached into your arms and when you go back onto the course or the range, you should feel you are hitting much better.

I never thought much of these tools until I tried one. But having experienced what they can do I am certain that for the small price they really are worth the effort of buying one. You can practice in a spare 10 minutes in an evening, and because you aren’t actually hitting balls, you really do concentrate on the swing, not seeing how far you can belt the poor ball.

So today was my first trip out around a golf course since I’ve been using the swing trainer. Did I see any difference? Well, on the very first hole, a par 4, instead of losing the ball off to the right somewhere, with a 3-iron it soared straight down the fairway, much to my amazement. Which was a pity, as I’d aimed left and at a bunker, which I thought at over 240 yards was well out of reach. Sadly, a bounce or two and then my ball plugged into the bunker.

I wasn’t upset – a straight hit with a carry of over 200 yards with a 3-iron is a vast improvement on my game. I’ll be using that swing trainer every night now to make sure that more are going dead straight and far!

P.S. For the tips about golf stretching exercise – check out this blog post.