training aids for a beginner

[champ198]

Well everyone this weekend i will be picking up a great set of clubs to start playing again. when i played in the past i was at best an "ok" golfer. never knew what kind of handicap i had...but i am sure it was way up there.

i know from the past that i have a bad slice from time to time which i know is pretty normal for a beginner. so this time with getting back in the game i want to try and go all out and get to be the best player i can be.

i was wanting to get some ideas from you all on what type of training aids and so on that you all could suggest. i know a lot will say get lessons from a pro, and i would like to at some time but right now thats not a great option due to my location. so i thought i would try and start with some training aids. so could you all suggest some good aids to use to start off with.

Thanks

[RayG]

Take a look at any number of aids on video thru Youtube. Get the gist of them, then you can usually create any one of them for pennies out of dish towels, old shafts, and a bungee cord. The way to get better is to play. This has been discussed by all the "pundits" in the last few years- All the players these days look exactly alike for the most part. You REALLY can't tell the players without a scorecard. You KNEW Nicklaus' swing, Trevino was impossible to miss, Palmer's slash could be seen from across several fairways. They teach the exact same swing these days when the most important part of the swing lasts less than 1/30th of a second- the time the ball is actually touching the clubface. How you get it there is unimportant. Basics of the swing, alignment, etc... can be learned through instruction and repetition. What would happen if Jim Furyk was just starting to play college golf now? They'd tell him to go home and learn a different game. Since almost a third of the game is putting, buy a matt and putt... putt, and putt some more. Since you've played before, I would guess you have the basics down- it's consistency and accuracy that bedevils everyone. You probably have a swing that you've used and can play with that. Don't CHANGE anything dramatically, just keep working with the basics adjusting for YOUR swing. I was getting sloppy playing with guys who weren't going to beat me even if I took dbl's on the last 9 holes. It didn't matter. I decided to take it upon myself to beat them to a pulp instead of just slogging along. It might give them incentive to try and get better and make things more interesting. I started going to the range and almost starting from scratch but working with MY swing. I've played for about 40 years now and I wasn't going to radically alter my ingrained muscle memory. Worked on my stance first, then moved onto a bit more hip rotation, weight shift, then adjusted swing plane, make sure I see the clubhead strike the ball (in other words- keeping my head 'down'), etc... some worked better than others. I kept what worked and moved on. Since I started over the winter, I've picked up 20 yds on the drive (some of that might be equipment- new R11s), improved accuracy with the irons, resulting in about 4-5 strokes better than last year so far. It's only been a month or so since I put the Super Stroke oversize grip on the putter, but that made an improvement in putting, especially in that range from 3-8 feet. Last 3 rounds, no 3 putts. Nothing radical, no "devices" or aids, other than stretching and warming up with that Torc swing weight before practicing or playing. And nothing more than going back to basics of balance, tempo and the desire to improve. I find that once in awhile, I regress and feel myself sliding into old habits on a few holes. I just stand off to the side on the tee and try and "re-groove". If it doesn't work, I don't force it. I'll play with what I got and work on it some more at the range the next time. So hit the range and work on your ball striking and the like, but don't fiddle around while on the course. The course is for playing, the range is for practice. Don't let anyone ELSE tell you "you might want to try...." or "turn your hands", etc... while your playing with them. You want as little to think about when you're playing, otherwise you'll tense up and play like poop.

[champ198]

wow rats a great bunch of info. would it be feasible for me to buy a net to put in my back hard? we have a course here and was thinking of getting a net to do just what you say but be able to do it on my own time anytime I wanted to. do you think as far as training or anything of the like that that might be better to get to be able to practice? i do understand that there isn't anything better than seeing ball flight and so on but thought the net would help a lot...opinions?

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by champ198

wow rats a great bunch of info. would it be feasible for me to buy a net to put in my back hard? we have a course here and was thinking of getting a net to do just what you say but be able to do it on my own time anytime I wanted to. do you think as far as training or anything of the like that that might be better to get to be able to practice?

i do understand that there isn't anything better than seeing ball flight and so on but thought the net would help a lot...opinions?

Nets are great BUT ONLY if you know what you are working on and how to verify you are doing it.

Nets+Camera+Knowing what to look at= great practice.

Nets+bashing a pile of balls= not so good, you may just be practicing and perfecting a snap hook or banana ball for all you know.

As far as aids, I have heard great things about the tourstriker but have never tried it myself.

[Zachari208]

Swing a golf club at least 100 times a day. A heavy iron(6 iron SKLZ)( cheap), slow 30% swings. Golf a lot.

[Wally]

The Orange Whip is a good training aid for strength, rhythm, and tempo. I don't own one but have used one and I really like it.

[meenman]

The Orange Whip is a good training aid for strength, rhythm, and tempo. I don't own one but have used one and I really like it.

Have to agree with this 100%. My ball striking is much better when I use the orange whip during the week. The weeks I get home too late and dont use it cause my Saturday morning to be pure misery.

[rkim291968]

Good question.  The one I found most helpful to beginner is golf swing aid club (Medicus is the best known one).   It helps you correct your swing form before you get into bad habits.

Be careful with some training aids.   They are useless, or not good for beginners (e.g., weighted driver <--- buy it once you have a repeatable good driver swing).

[WUTiger]

Go to the hardware store and get yourself two fiberglas rod driveway markers for about $1.75 each. You can use these for alignment stakes, rather than paying $16 for the Tour Sticks.

I got the 48" length, and trimmed off 4" so it wouldn't stick over the top of my golf bag. Make sure you have plastic caps on the blunt end, or you may scratch your arm of snag your shirt on it.

You can use these rods to practice your railroad track alignment: You get the point where you see the side-by-side toe line + swing line in your mind's eye when you line up shots. Also, you can stick the rod(s) in the ground to check your swing angles, and also on the putting green for various drills.

[Teamanglerx]

Two things I can recommend:

1 - 7 foot putting green that you can roll out.  Last year I improved my putting tremendously by using this everyday for at least 15 minutes.  I still use it at least three times a week to practice putting.

2 - Cheap chipping matt and some of the foam Calloway practice balls to practice chipping.  I also have net in my basement to practice this.  While I can't get a full swing due to ceiling height I can get a 3/4 swing and I practice at least twice a week.

Putting and chipping will take a large amount of strokes off of your score card as a beginner by giving you the shot making ability to hit the green from 50-75 yards out accurately and get the put down in 1 - 2 strokes, even long 25 footers.

[Mr. Desmond]

Vison Track Pro

[champ198]

went to lowes today and you all that said check there for the fiberglass driveway marker rods were right I got them for less than $2 each so I got 4 to use for alignment rods and also found a site other than the tour sticks rods website to find drills to use the rods for. this will hopefully help me a lot in a lot of diffrent areas of my game.....at least I hope so

[Missouri Swede]

Regarding practice with a net, see Erik's thread:

http://thesandtrap.com/t/53895/hitting-into-a-net

My wife recently got me a good one (rukket). It's a little pricey, but I like it because it goes up in a few seconds.  Folding it up takes me a little longer (maybe a minute or two if I get clumsy).  Doesn't stand up well if it's windy, though.