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Must Haves to Play Your Best Golf in 2022
As a golf coach and instructor for over 20 years, I search high and low for anything that facilitates learning and, more importantly, application. This year, like all previous, I attended the PGA merchandise show to uncover the latest and greatest.
For three days, I personally tested every training aid and selected the very best ones to elevate your game. After combing through the sea of offerings and promises, here’s my list of the “Best of the Best”!
TOUR AIM Ready, Aim, Fire!
A big round of applause goes out to Noah Wolf, the creator of ‘Tour Aim’. Fine engineering has produced a real winner, an amazing 3-in-one tool for for full swing, putting, chipping …even a swing-plane aid.
Using TOUR AIM helps ingrain precise aim &; alignment for all players, especially starting novices and juniors. Master Aim & Alignment watch this SportsEdTV video.
WHY GOLF
You may be noticing a theme of simple, user-friendly aids. WhyGolf? Inc. keeps the streak alive with the “Pressure Plate”. Aptly named it helps you master essential fundamentals— weight shift and swing sequence.
WhyGolf offers a nifty short game aid for chipping &; pitching too. You’ll learn how to shift (swinging) and how to stay put (stroking) for precision shots around the green. With such an effective product for mastering key fundamentals, I suggest renaming the company (and changing the punctuation:) to “HowGolf!”
THE BOOMERANG by Leadbetter Golf Academy
No surprise when ‘must haves’ aids come from the coach of seven World #1 Players. David Leadbetter’s simple training aid helps players of all levels synchronize their arms &; body. The Boomerang will help players’ short game too—mastering the ‘arms-torso connection’ to produce the highest quality strokes!
Here's another essential training aid from the world-famous coach. Truly a ‘twofer’—The PUTTING BAR connects your arms and torso AND squares up your shoulders! Like its Boomerang cousin, it fits comfortably in any golf bag.
My reputation as a golf instructor was instantly cast when three novice players broke 80. “Wow! And How?” everyone asks. A most diverse threesome (one tall, lanky, another stout, and the third stocky, athletic) shared one commonality—training in front of a net! After five months of indoor coaching &; practice over a harsh Northeast winter, all were ready to play for spring’s arrival.
Tiger Woods had one. Fred Couples developed his game with a net in his garage, even today Bryson DeChambeau praises the creators of The Net Return—a net even Bryson (or Kyle Berkshire) CAN’T drive a ball through! Check out the Net Return for supreme quality and nifty ball-return design…and train rain or shine, 365 days a year!
Pair your NetReturn with a Country Club Elite Matt from REALFEEL. The #1 rated matt has the most real feeling while protecting your wrists, buffering impact on iron shots. You’ll also love teeing the ball up with a normal tee and blasting away like Bryson. It’s a dream set up for converting your cellar, garage or backyard into your own personal driving range.
Limited Space? Don’t panic, SPORNIA is here to save the day! It sets up lightning-fast, and instantly transforms a living room into a first-rate golf studio. Spornia’s nifty design includes an angled trampoline bottom which keeps balls from landing on your wood floor.
The ‘Net Focus’ of consistent swing and solid impact will pay enormous dividends, especially mixing in playing and normal range time.
Here’s an article to get started.
‘THE GPOD’ Rather than balancing your phone on your golf cart or golf bag, film your strokes &; swings with ease while practicing or playing. The Gpod is lighter than any club in your bag and made from carbon fiber that’s 10x stronger than steel. You can attach your smartphone, tablet or GoPro. The Gpod’s magnetic mount attaches to any tripod. No assembly is required; it goes right from your golf bag into action. I love filming my 3-year-old playing golf and soccer.
’LOMA BAG’ BY SUNDAY GOLF Ready for your ‘Sunday Stroll’, or a good walk spoiled? Next round, leave the motorized golf cart behind and let your legs power you. Join the likes of Sean Connery, who always insisted on walking, and playing the game “honestly and with integrity”! Well-designed, sturdy and lightweight, it’s easy to fall in love with the ‘Loma’ golf bag. So feel good, look good, and stay fit like 007!
STAYING HYDRATED Optimal performance requires being hydrated. Thermoses abound to keep your beverage at temperature, but the EcoVessel is uniquely designed. If you’re a smoothie fan like me, you’ll really appreciate how it opens two ways—making it easy to clean.
UNEEKOR LAUNCH MONITOR
Designing a home golf studio? The UNEEKOR Launch Monitor is an all-in-one system— launch monitor, virtual golf, swing analysis. It provides instant feedback; super slow motion footage through impact, in-depth ball/ club data (flight time, back spin rpm, ball and club speed mph, smash factor). The system is ceiling mounted for clean hitting space. I especially love how everything is unified on one kiosk.
A leading choice of irons for top world players, Mizuno brings ridiculously high Japanese quality and exacting manufacturing to forged clubs for players of all levels. The 2022 offerings bridge the gap between professional and 16 handicap.
*Photography &; Graphics: Margaret McCampbell
