DIY strike locator for rank golf beginners

[flyboy2160]

Good Morning all,

This is my first post. I've gotten some useful information here, so, in thanks, I thought I'd give something back - even though its probably irrelevant to almost everybody else here. But it might help other rank beginners like me who are not even at the stage of being able to consistently strike a ball - even a foam or wiffle ball - anywhere on the club face. And, even then, you don't know where on the face you made contact. So this is to help groove-in your swing before (Ha! Ha! hopefully) you're consistent enough start hitting practice balls.

 The inspiration was a product I saw online: a Velcro pad on a removable sleeve over the face of an iron and a round foam ball with the mating Velcro strip around it.

 But I wanted something for a driver, so, being inventive, off I went.

 As shown, this gizmo is made from foam sponge (Home Depot ~$4 for 2), 3/4 wide self adhesive hook and loop (Walmart ~$9 for 25'), and masking tape.

 I just stuck strips the loop to the driver face. I didn't need to make this easily removable - I won't be hitting any kind of ball until I've grooved-in my swing. (As a boy caddy, I watched in sad horror people trying to strike a golf ball for the first time while in their first round of golf on a course. I'm determined to take this step-by-step: progress from a totally spazzy swing to a semi-spazzy swing; then try to get that swing sort-of on target; then start hitting practice wiffle or foam balls.) Although you can hit a wiffle ball with the soft loop stuff on the club face.

 The "tee" is just a block of foam. The "ball" is an L shape cut from a cube of foam about the size of a golf ball.

 There is a long strip of hook on the striking face of the L. Golf is great in that poser B.S. ends when the ball hits the club. So stop kidding yourself: make that hook strip 2 to 3 times the diameter of the ball, extending both above and below the "ball." You need about an inch of mating Velcro to keep the "ball" on the club face.

 (I tried making a round foam ball like the online product, but it didn't stick well. It rebounded off the face So you need to make the foam leg mating the face no more than 1/2" thick - just enough to hold up the hook strip.)

 There is masking tape covering the exposed self adhesive loop and helping attach the loop strip to the foam "ball."

 Even if it doesn't stick every time, it will give you at least some impact feedback. And it does give nice Velcro-ripping "thwack" sound when it does stick - you'll be able to tell from the sound whether it stuck or not! The "stick" in the picture is my third (lucky) swing after shortening my driver from 45" to 43." 

 Hopes this helps somebody. In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out how to do this electronically and cheaply……

Edited February 1, 2018 by flyboy2160

[Club Rat]

Baby Powder and Dry Eraser Markers are the choice by many.

[Lihu]

1 hour ago, flyboy2160 said:

I'm trying to figure out how to do this electronically and cheaply……

I've got something rigged up to do this, but not ready for publication yet. . .

[flyboy2160]

5 hours ago, Club Rat said:

Baby Powder and Dry Eraser Markers are the choice by many.

CR,

I've read about marking the face with some temporary indicator, but that requires you to hit balls, to have a hitting net or to chase the balls, and to be able to get a good enough strike to leave a mark.

I can hit my gizmo indoors without a net.   And it catches a strike that wouldn't have the centerline of the ball on the face. Many of my misses are attached by the extended "tails."  When I'm good enough hit balls, I may mark the face.

[klineka]

33 minutes ago, flyboy2160 said:

When I'm good enough hit balls, I may mark the face.

As long as you have the hand eye coordination to not swing and miss every single swing then you are good enough to hit balls.

I never judge someone I see at the driving range or on the course based on how good or bad they are at golf. If they are nice and follow simple ettiqute, then they have just as much right to be there and play as I do. I remember shooting in the 120s in high school when my 7 iron went 100 yards.

Go to the range. Hit real balls. IMO you are going to learn so much more about your swing and improve so much faster than just hitting a piece of foam until you think you are "ready".

 

[No Mulligans]

You can make a gate, use two balls on either side of the ball you're going to hit.  HIt your ball while not touching the other balls and you'll be at the horizontal center of the club face.  Watch the ball flight to see if you hit a good spot around the verticle center of the club face.

 

Just now, No Mulligans said:

You can make a gate, use two balls on either side of the ball you're going to hit.  HIt your ball while not touching the other balls and you'll be at the horizontal center of the club face.  Watch the ball flight to see if you hit a good spot around the verticle center of the club face.

Or just make a gate and hit a rubber tee, and now you cn do it without a net.

 

[Jack Watson]

I reccomend professional lessons.

[boogielicious]

15 hours ago, Lihu said:

I've got something rigged up to do this, but not ready for publication yet. . .

Does it involve robots? Please tell me there are robots! 

[David in FL]

17 hours ago, Club Rat said:

Baby Powder and Dry Eraser Markers are the choice by many.

This. 

And it’ll work with any number of indoor-safe practice balls...

[Lihu]

2 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Does it involve robots? Please tell me there are robots! 

Not a bad idea actually, but, alas no, just some proximity sensors.

[boogielicious]

2 hours ago, Lihu said:

Not a bad idea actually, but, alas no, just some proximity sensors.

Robots with proximity sensors!!! Make it so!

[billchao]

56 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Robots with proximity sensors!!! Make it so!

And laser beam eyes!

But seriously, this:

22 hours ago, Club Rat said:

Baby Powder and Dry Eraser Markers are the choice by many.

 

[cooke119]

Why not spray foot powder and wiffle balls. Go to a school yard and hit away.

[Lihu]

5 hours ago, cooke119 said:

Why not spray foot powder and wiffle balls. Go to a school yard and hit away.

The only advantage with an electronic one is that you can keep track of progress more readily. You could take pictures and store them in your Swing thread, but it seems counter to things like Game Golf/Arccos/Mevo like tools.

Those are somewhat more convenient.

[flyboy2160]

With this gizmo, I don't have to go out - I can use it in my living room during TV commercials. Outside, hitting even wiffle or foam balls, I will have to set up a net to catch them or to fetch those tricky little suckers from all their sneaky hiding places. 

Some of you are trying to steer me into the "traditional" way of learning; if you prefer that, great.  But this is a much more efficient use of my time and my money BEFORE I'm ready to fetch balls.

A cheap electronic one would be even better. 

 

 

 

[Lihu]

3 hours ago, flyboy2160 said:

With this gizmo, I don't have to go out - I can use it in my living room during TV commercials. Outside, hitting even wiffle or foam balls, I will have to set up a net to catch them or to fetch those tricky little suckers from all their sneaky hiding places. 

Some of you are trying to steer me into the "traditional" way of learning; if you prefer that, great.  But this is a much more efficient use of my time and my money BEFORE I'm ready to fetch balls.

A cheap electronic one would be even better. 

Sure, another reason is because you don’t have to actually hit a ball, but you don’t get the feel of hitting a ball.

I’m thinking of a way to make it feel like impact. Possibly audio feedback based upon where the virtual “clubhead strikes”.

Edited February 4, 2018 by Lihu

[pganapathy]

Getting professional lessons is the best use of your time and money unless you really want to go down the route of self-learning how to swing and possibly making a mess of it. I had a friend who did this and faced 30* away from the direction he would hit and swivelled to hit it straight on every shot. If you are really insistent on hitting indoors, the plastic or wiffle balls are best. Very little risk of damage

[Lihu]

1 hour ago, pganapathy said:

Getting professional lessons is the best use of your time and money unless you really want to go down the route of self-learning how to swing and possibly making a mess of it. I had a friend who did this and faced 30* away from the direction he would hit and swivelled to hit it straight on every shot. If you are really insistent on hitting indoors, the plastic or wiffle balls are best. Very little risk of damage

My impression was that the OP was proposing a training  aid and not replacing lessons.

At least in my case, I have an instructor, and build this stuff to help with whatever I’m working on.

Edited February 4, 2018 by Lihu