Equipment
Top 3 full swing training aids of 2019—and a new one for 2020
The title says it all. I have tried a bunch of training aids at this point, and frankly, I have really liked most of them. In this day and age, the amount of thought that goes into these training devices is enormous and one thing that is true for all of them is that if they are used correctly and consistently, the intended change will come. There is enough out there now that you can identify exactly what you need to work on and find something to help groove it in.
I based my list on overall ease of use, the ability to use it unsupervised (i.e. by yourself without the help of a coach), and at-home convenience. So, to be fair to the market, the title could be a bit more granular and perhaps I could have done a list for each category, but it’s the holidays and I felt this was a fair assessment.
Here we go…
The Tour Striker PlaneMate
This thing is RED HOT in terms of sales and overall marketing presence but truth is, the buzz is earned. It’s a fantastic product IF you know how to use it. The given protocols and system must be followed and if you do and become an expert on what to do, it WILL make a positive change in your action. For some, it’s a backswing fixer, for the tour guys it’s face control and exit point, and for the general golfer, it’s a swing plane educator with proper feedback. The PlaneMate is a good “in the mirror at home” aid, which for me is always a big plus living in a polar vortex half the year. Can’t go wrong with this one.
Created by: Martin Chuck and David Woods
Price: $162.99
GForce Swing Trainer
This one was a nice discovery for me. As someone who gets very handsy in my golf swing, finding a timing device that I can use at home and that helps me focus on rotating, instead of whatever it is I do, is big.
The idea is simple, its a 7-iron (Also comes is driver/wedge/putter) with a REALLY whippy shaft in it. My old teacher from Seattle had one he built and we would use it when things would get way out of sync. That’s what this thing does, it simply gets your body moving in harmony again. The flex of the shaft demands it and if you get out of harmony, the ball will go all over the place. Yes, there have been aids like it in the past, but this one is the beefed-up version and it is well put together. This product can be used on and off the range which is awesome for most people.
Creator: Stuart Small
Price: $119.99
SuperSpeed Swing training System
Unless you have been living under a rock this past year, it’s hard to have not seen these things everywhere. The system has legit benefits for anyone and like the rest of the gear on this list, if used responsibly IT WILL HELP YOU. I have seen players use this over a season and get swing speeds up 5-10 MPH. That’s a big jump, and I like how the system keeps you from overdoing which is something you can definitely do with these. There are sets for men, women, and juniors, and once again they don’t require hitting a golf ball to be effective.
Creators: Michael Napoleon and Kyle Shay
Price: $199.99
And this is the one that I think will create some buzz in 2020…..
George Gankas G Box
As I’ve gotten older, I just don’t turn like I used to….this is the first device I’ve tried in a long time that gives me points of reference to turn properly. Designed by arguably the hottest instructor out there, George sent me a prototype a few months back, and as someone who loves to work on stuff in the mirror, the G Box took that work to the next level. It needs to be said that this may not be for everyone, at least right outta the box, but like anything with George Gankas, there is plenty of content to explain what and what not to do with it.
The idea is simple, there are points of reference built into the blocks. The blocks are strapped to your midsection in a specific way and there is literally a map to follow that puts you in a loaded position at the top (without cheating) and a map to rotating properly on the downswing. It’s that simple. Like the Plane Mate, the G Box will help better players with face control and exit path—and the best thing is no ball hitting is required to use it and it works in the house.
Creator: George Gankas
Release date: Late January 2020
Price: $99.95 to $199.95
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Whats in the Bag
Matthieu Pavon WITB 2024 (May)
- Pavon’s WITB accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 Max (9 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
3-wood: Ping G430 LST (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 10 X
Irons: Ping i230 (3-PW)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: Ping Si59 (52-12S, 58-8B)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Ping Cadence TR Tomcat C
Grip: SuperStroke Claw 1.0P
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Align
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Pavon’s gear here.
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Equipment
Spotted: Tommy Fleetwood’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X Prototype putter
Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
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Equipment
Club Junkie WITB, league night week 4: Some old, some new
We enter week 4 of Thursday night men’s league feeling a little more confident in the game. BK is hoping to go a little lower and reduce the mistakes out there with these clubs in the bag. Watch the video for the full breakdown of why these clubs are getting the starting nod this week!
Driver: Titleist TSR2 (10 degrees, neutral setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 63 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: UST Mamiya Lin-Q M40X TSPX Blue 7F5
7-wood: Ping G430 Max (-1 degree, flat Ssetting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 S
Iron: Mizuno Pro Fli-Hi 4
Shaft: Aerotech Steelfiber hls880 S
Irons: PXG 0317 Tour (5-PW)
Shaft: LA Golf A-Series 105 Low (4)
Wedge: Titleist Vokey SM10 (50-08F)
Shaft: UST Mamiya Dart V 105 F4 Wedge
Wedge: Ping S159 (56-10H)
Shaft: Ping Z-Z115
Wedge: Ping S159 (60-08B)
Shaft: Ping Z-Z115
Putter: PXG Battle Ready II Brandon
Shaft: BGT Stability Tour Spec One
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour X
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Gunter Eisenberg
Dec 25, 2019 at 8:45 am
For me, the best training aid in my 19 years of golf is Youtube videos.
ButchT
Dec 24, 2019 at 9:39 am
Too damned expensive! Plenty of profit at half the price!