While there's no shortage of ridiculous and ineffective training aids on the market (nor will there ever be so long as television stations consider infomercials a viable late night alternative to re-runs), there are more than a few devices, gadgets, aids and books which do in fact live up to billing and yield genuine, long-lasting improvements. The challenge (golf aspect aside) is in distinguishing between the two categories - ideally without paying for the privilege of blindly making that discovery. Though I've by no means tried them all, or even a good chunk of them, I'm hoping that my experiences can provide improvement-seeking golfers with some shortcuts to sorting out the good from the bad when it comes to golf training aids. Towards that end, here's an ongoing (so check back often) review of all the training aids I've had the privilege (and sometimes misfortune) of utilizing. In reading the reviews, please keep in mind two critical caveats:
- I do my homework prior to buying. As a result, I don't frequently pick up a training aid or publication that turns out to be a total bust. So it's not as though I'm bullish on all training aids, but by the time I purchase it, I'm fairly confident based upon other reviews and recommendations that it will live up to billing.
- My skill level likely doesn't mirror yours terribly closely. I may be far worse than you, slightly better, or some other variation. Some of these aids and publications are better suited for more highly skilled players, others for beginners and others still will have one sort of benefit for golfers of a certain level and another benefit altogether for a better golfer. Wherever possible, I've tried to draw on my experiences to make these distinctions as clear as possible...though as always, these ruminations are my opinion, and my opinion alone.
