Tour Striker Training Aid - Page 3

 I have always had a problem with thin iron shots, mainly caused by coming out of my spine angle, so I thought this might help.  And it really has.  I picked up the Pro X version, which has a reduced sweet spot. It took me about 30 swings to get the first one airborne but, once I concentrated on staying down and got that good feeling, I made much better contact.  I've used it 3 times in the past week, and can really see the difference in my regular iron play.  I'm about half a club longer with a higher ball flight.  I look forward to continuing to work with it, I think it's a great tool. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harmonious 

 I have always had a problem with thin iron shots, mainly caused by coming out of my spine angle, so I thought this might help.  And it really has.  I picked up the Pro X version, which has a reduced sweet spot. It took me about 30 swings to get the first one airborne but, once I concentrated on staying down and got that good feeling, I made much better contact.  I've used it 3 times in the past week, and can really see the difference in my regular iron play.  I'm about half a club longer with a higher ball flight.  I look forward to continuing to work with it, I think it's a great tool. 

Thanks for the nice comments! Good luck with your game.

Martin Chuck

I am planning to pick one up myself.

I think it is a great training aid.  the first couple of times i hit it, i hit it perfectly, so i put it back in the bag and went with my regular irons. came back to after a bucket and couldnt hit it for my life. i have had it for three months now, havent really seen any gain on distance but have been getting more spin around the greens, i was always a picker that hit the ball mile high in the air (hit 5 iron and people would think i hit my pitching wedge). i  would highly recommend it and i got the tour 7 iron @ 2 degrees flat to match my ping eye2 orange dots. also i like to hit it before a round b/c if you hit it good then it gives you confidence like tom watson always says he would hit his 2 iron first. if he hit it good then he had confidence for the day if he hit it bad well you werent supposed to hit a 2 iron well anyway.

I think it is a great training aid.  the first couple of times i hit it, i hit it perfectly, so i put it back in the bag and went with my regular irons. came back to after a bucket and couldnt hit it for my life. i have had it for three months now, havent really seen any gain on distance but have been getting more spin around the greens, i was always a picker that hit the ball mile high in the air (hit 5 iron and people would think i hit my pitching wedge). i  would highly recommend it and i got the tour 7 iron @ 2 degrees flat to match my ping eye2 orange dots. also i like to hit it before a round b/c if you hit it good then it gives you confidence like tom watson always says he would hit his 2 iron first. if he hit it good then he had confidence for the day if he hit it bad well you werent supposed to hit a 2 iron well anyway.

Never Used it,   however it does look like a valid tool to teach people to get some forward shaft lean on their iron shots.

I bought one late last season.  I only had one session at the range to practice with it.  I have had a problem with flipping at the ball in the past and I saw immediate results with this club.  I can't wait to have some range time with it this season.  Winter seems to be lingering this year!

I've seen the commercial as well, but I haven't been able to pull the trigger on the club. My iron play is weak, but I'm going to try puting something behind the ball a few inches and see if I can improve hitting down on the ball better. Tall tees, a shoebox top could work. I think I saw on The Haney Project where Rush had to hit and avoid a lie board behind the ball. Just a few ideas.

TW

I asked my wife for one for Christmas, and actually got it! I got the Pro 7 iron. The first time I hit it at the range, I couldn't hit it well. Then, the second time, I was getting height, but no distance. I figured out the elevated tee box at my course was too sandy, and I was able to hit fat and slide the club underneath, catching the ball on the clubface. I went out on the course and hit some shots with it where I would use a 7 iron, and had sketchy results. I recently went out and did nothing but hit it at the range, and found the right way to hit it. It takes a good bit of concentration and a feeling that I had to push down past the ball. I have seen some definite results on the course, and think my pro and I will use it when I start taking some more lessons next week.

I've tried the tour striker, it definitely provides feedback to the player in regard to his/her impact.  The problem with the device is that it doesn't train the player to have a good impact position.  An impact bag, is one of the best impact training aids I've ever used.  Here's a video that explains the merits:

I have the Pro 7 iron. I have improved each time I have used it. The first session I had a number of worm burners, shanks and line drives but felt a few good ones. The last session, I could get most of my shots up in the air quite nicely. When I hit balls with my playing 7 iron they were cleaner strikes. Funny, but some of my shots with the TS were so much better than my iron. I see ball marks on the lower part of the face now. Very pleased with this tool. It will be my practice and warmup club this season. I tended to hit a lot of heavy shots or pick them clean. The Tour Striker has helped me move my swing bottom forward. It will be my practice and warmup club this season. I love it!

The best part of the infomercial is the lpga teaching pro who "always had trouble with getting lag in the swing".  I got news for you lady, you don't get to be a teaching pro without lag....

Anyone use Tour Striker on matts? Seems like the concept would work even without actual divots, but I'm not sure.

I'm wondering about using it as a winter/indoor/dome training aid. This seems like the perfect thing to find a real steal on eBay which could take a while.

Rusty,

I use it mainly on mats. On grass it is too hard too judge whether I actually hit the top of the club.

At our club we have grass and mats. I usually warm up, take the tour striker to the mat area then move on to the grass area with my normal clubs. 

It's been a great aid for me.

Donovan

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyingKiwi 

Rusty,

 

I use it mainly on mats. On grass it is too hard too judge whether I actually hit the top of the club.

 

At our club we have grass and mats. I usually warm up, take the tour striker to the mat area then move on to the grass area with my normal clubs. 

 

It's been a great aid for me.

 

Donovan

Thanks for the answer. What happens when you hit a Tour Striker behind the ball on a matt? Are the matts too forgiving? I fear they would encourage/forgive slightly "fat" shots. 

Hi Rusty,

I wish mats would show impact better, so it is hard to say. However, there's a big difference in feel for me when I hit it just slightly fat. I can definitely feel it when I hit it fat, and of course thin shots are very clear. I've also found that having a better impact position greatly reduces the chances of hitting it fat. If you don't flip, it's less likely to release it into the ground after all. When I go from mats with the TS to grass with a normal club, fat shots are very rare.

YMMV of course but for me it is the best training aid I've ever used. I liked it so much I've sent one to my dad and my uncle. Worth a try at least!

Donovan 

Quick question.  With your regular clubs, are you suppose to hit the ball slightly higher than center, or is the tour striker just designed that way for instructional purposes?

I will say this... 

Its very difficult to buy a training aid that you don't know if it works for you or not. That being said, It did nothing for me. I was lucky enough to find one at my local golf store in the used bin for $60. I had it in my hand, and was going to buy it, no question. But just for fun I took it to the hitting bay and gave it a try. The first one I duffed, then the second one I hit great, then the third was good, then the fourth. I took about 10 swings with it and had only missed the first shot. I decided it wasn't worth my money and I put it back in the bin. As my swing is developing more and more, I do not have trouble hitting down on the ball anymore. My irons are like a hot knife thru butter, and I love it. I did not "NEED" the tour striker. Doesn't mean it isn't a good training aid, just means I didn't need that one. Now, an orange whip is another story... Hahaha