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Swing Setter Pro from David Leadbetter
This funky hunk of metal is no substitute for personal lessons from a PGA professional. If you are confused as to whether to listen to your pro or to Leadbetter’s device, go with the pro.
Also, if you ran out and purchased this based on the cheesy commercials, videos, and plaid-pants-used-car-salesman of a website, then I expect you also have closets full of Ginsu knives, pet rocks, and the Downswing Fat Rubber-Band Club Accelerator.
But it’s not all bad.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The Swing Setter Pro at first seemed complicated, then again far too simple to be of any use whatsoever. The advertising copy on the box was very long and said, in essence, that it cured a multiple amount of swing ills and improved your golf swing, distance, and scores. How could a golf club with a ball-thing stuck on the shaft live up to all the claims on the box?
This is the second version of this golf training tool. The first, the Swing Setter, had no hittable club head; instead, it clicked at the bottom of your swing to tell you when you released the club. A nice feature.
The Swing Setter Pro, however, has no click at the bottom, you just hit the ball and let the flight tell you about your swing. I mention this because some of you might be mislead by certain ad copy or photos such as the one on the Swing Setter Pro’s website: http://www.swingsetterpro.com/. There is no diagnostic click at the bottom. As you can see in the website stop-action photo, the ball on the shaft has split toward the club head on the backswing, and it stays there throughout the entire swing—no click, just a ball strike. Yes, the ball strike could make a “click” sound, but I think the photo is misleading.
FEATURES
Pointer: One of the first things I noticed was the pointer that slides out of the end of the handle, like a dagger in the walking stick of an eccentric criminal. In, out, in out. It seemed silly. But the Plane Pointer proved to be one of the Swing Setter Pro’s most useful features.
Grip: I’d seen these kind of grip guides before, but I had trouble fitting my hands to this one. When I finally figured it out, I took a moment to think about what I was feeling, because my hands felt good and comfortable. It was a slightly strong grip and not my usual one, but my hands felt connected. The Form Molded Grip was promising.
The Ball-Thing: The ball stuck on the shaft can be split apart in two, with the bottom half sliding down toward the club head. The two halves stay together with a magnet, whose strength can be increased by dialing to a higher number on the dial around the ball. The stronger the magnetic pull that holds the ball together, the harder you must cock your wrists to break it apart.
This is supposed to improve your wrist-cock this way: as you begin your backswing and your arms reach parallel to the ground, your wrists should cock with enough force to break apart the ball. You’ll hear a loud “click” when this happens. There are no other clicks, except when clubface meets the ball. So, what keeps your swing correct after the wrist-cock? We shall see.
The Club: You can hit balls with this club. It looks to be about a six-iron. In fact, it makes good contact. But with that grip thing wedged between my fingers, I got blisters —a sign that I move my grip as I swing. The Swing Setter Pro punishes you for that error. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.
READING BETWEEN THE LINES
This is a backswing device. According to the box, it improves Grip, Plane, Set, and Tempo of the backswing. The philosophy must be that if you take the club back with the correct grip on the correct plane, the downswing will take care of itself. If you want to ensure a good downswing, the only tool you have is the Plane Pointer, if you have eyes fast enough to view it and make any immediate adjustments necessary. If you boil down the copy on the box, it tells you that via grip, backswing click, and noticing where the Plane Pointer is, you are preparing yourself to make a good swing.
Box copy:
“Loading the club on the backswing and coming down on the correct shallow plane, which you can observe by pulling out the built in Plane Pointer and checking the angle, makes for a powerful, consistent golf swing.”
And…
“The Swing Setter Pro will teach you to properly set your wrists for greater power and accuracy!”
In fact, David Leadbetter guarantees it….
"I guarantee that the Swing Setter Pro will have you hitting the ball longer, straighter and more consistently the very first time you use it." –David Leadbetter
Wow. Them’s strong words. Then again, the box says that it is “The most complete practice tool for great golf.” And “More power, straighter shots, greater consistency, improved swing, lower scores.” I took him up on the challenge.
MY EXPERIENCE
I hid the Swing Setter Pro in my golf bag when I went to the range. Sorry, it’s embarrassing. I set up my station in the last range box. I warmed up with various clubs. Soon, the moment came when I with drew the Swing Setter Pro from my bag.
I wrapped my hands and fingers around and between the grip’s flanges and put my fingers within the white outlines. I had played around with the ball-click in my living room, so I knew how to cock my wrists. I pulled out the Plane Pointer.
I took a few faux backswings, checking the Pointer for the correct plane. When I felt I had it right, I addressed the ball and took a swing. The club swung back easily—it is balanced quite well. I knew to quickly (more quickly than I’d ever done) cock my wrists and was rewarded by a loud "click" halfway through my backswing. I continued the backswing to the top.
Now I had a split-second choice: stop my swing and check the Pointer, or continue my swing. I swung. I came down smoothly, hit the ball rather solidly, and pulled it left drastically. I busted the guarantee, but I wanted to make this gizmo work. So, I kept at it, pausing at the top to check my Pointer, swinging down at varying speeds, following-through as usual. After a while I began to hit the ball quite a bit straighter (as I would do on any normal practice session), without a hint of my usual fade (probably, I thought, due to the stronger gripping of the club). I did, as I said, get blisters…as well as some attention from the chops-busters practicing to my left.
RESULTS
Guarantee: busted.
I did like how the Swing Setter Pro arranged my grip on the club, and I will continue to work on it. I also liked the quick wrist-cock, but I could make the ball-thing separate and click with the most horrific backswing planes on Earth….which makes the Plane Pointer the most valuable feature. I was extremely attentive to where the Pointer was pointing, and it helped me understand a correct backswing plane and how a proper wrist-cock could get me there. (A tee stuck in the end of a club handle might be just as effective, and substantially cheaper.)
This, however, did not help my swing flaws after two sessions. I still came over-the-top occasionally. I was also not hitting the ball longer, etc., as advertised. I didn’t expect a miracle. Two sessions are nothing, I know. I’m very patient and focused when I practice. But this device made me promises, darn it.
This is a teach-yourself tool, a trainer that you trust to partner with you in developing a better golf swing. But the truth is, I felt abandoned after taking the backswing. I felt like the club helped to put me in a decent position, then it promptly abandoned me, leaving me to flail away and figure out the downswing, hips, shoulders, speed, and pronation all by myself.
I must say that I am astonished by the garish, exaggerated claims of the hard-sell banter on the website and the product box. I’m not sure why that was the advertising language chosen to market a device endorsed by arguably the #1 teacher in the world.
Again, here’s the website: http://www.swingsetterpro.com There, you can read about the Swing Setter Pro for yourself, and even watch an advertorial video. You can also see a clearer photo of the product than I was able to take.
I am interested in hearing your experiences with the Swing Setter Pro, either here or in the forums.
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News
SuperStroke acquires Lamkin Grips
SuperStroke announced today its purchase of 100-year-old grip maker Lamkin Grips, citing the company’s “heritage of innovation and quality.”
“It is with pride and great gratitude that we announce Lamkin, a golf club grip brand with a 100-year history of breakthrough design and trusted products, is now a part of the SuperStroke brand,” says SuperStroke CEO Dean Dingman. “We have always had the utmost respect for how the Lamkin family has put the needs and benefits of the golfer first in their grip designs. If there is a grip company that is most aligned with SuperStroke’s commitment to uncompromised research, design, and development to put the most useful performance tools in the hands of golfers, Lamkin has been that brand. It is an honor to bring Lamkin’s wealth of product innovation into the SuperStroke family.”
Elver B. Lamkin founded the company in 1925 and produced golf’s first leather grips. The company had been family-owned and operated since that point, producing a wide array of styles, such as the iconic Crossline.
According to a press release, “The acquisition of Lamkin grows and diversifies SuperStroke’s proven and popular array of grip offerings with technology grounded in providing golfers optimal feel and performance through cutting-edge design and use of materials, surface texture and shape.”
CEO Bob Lamkin will stay on as a board member and will continue to be involved with the company.
“SuperStroke has become one of the most proven, well-operated, and pioneering brands in golf grips and we could not be more confident that the Lamkin legacy, brand, and technology is in the best of hands to continue to innovate and lead under the guidance of Dean Dingman and his remarkably capable team,” Lamkin said.
Related: Check out our 2014 conversation with Bob Lamkin, here: Bob Lamkin on the wrap grip reborn, 90 years of history
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News
Tour Rundown: Pendrith, Otaegui, Longbella, and Dunlap soar
Take it from a fellow who coaches high school golf in metro Toronto: there’s plenty of great golf played in the land of the maple leaf. All the greats have designed courses over the USA border: Colt, Whitman, Ross, Coore, Mackenzie, Doak, as well as the greatest of the land, Stanley Thompson. I’m partial to him, because he wore my middle name with grandeur. Enough about the architecture, because this week’s Tour Rundown begins with a newly-minted, Canadian champion on the PGA Tour. Something else that the great white north is known for, is weather. It impacted play on three of the world’s tours, forcing final-round cancellations on two of them.
It was an odd week in the golf world. The LPGA and the Korn Ferry were on a break, and only 13/15 of the rounds slated, were played. In the end, we have four champions to recognize, so let’s not delay any longer with minutiae about the game that we love. Let’s run it all down with this week’s Tour Rundown.
PGA Tour: TP takes TS at Byron’s place
The 1980s was a decade when a Canadian emergence was anticipated on the PGA Tour. It failed to materialize, but a path was carved for the next generation. Mike Weir captured the Masters in 2003, but no other countrymen joined him in his quest for PGA Tour conquest. 2024 may herald the long-awaited arrival of a Canadian squad of tour winners. Over the past few years, we’ve seen Nick Taylor break the fifty-plus year dearth of homebred champions at the Canadian Open, and players like Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Adam Svennson, and Mackenzie Hughes have etched their names into the PGA Tour’s annals of winners.
This week, Taylor Pendrith joined his mates with a one-shot win at TPC Craig Ranch, the home of the Byron Nelson Classic. Pendrith took a lead into the final round and, while the USA’s Jake Knapp faltered, held on for the slimmest of victories. Sweden’s Alex Noren posted six-under 65 on Sunday to move into third position, at 21-under par. Ben Kohles, a Texan, looked to break through for his first win in his home state. He took the lead from Pendrith at the 71st hole, on the strength of a second-consecutive birdie.
With victory in site, Kohles found a way to make bogey at the last, without submerging in the fronting water. His second shot was greenside, but he could not move his third to the putting surface. His fourth was five feet from par and a playoff, but his fifth failed to drop. Meanwhile, Pendrith was on the froghair in two, and calmly took two putts from 40 feet, for birdie. When Kohles missed for par, Pendrith had, at last, a PGA Tour title.
360° and in!
A nervy par save by @TaylorPendrith to remain one back as he seeks his first PGA TOUR victory @CJByronNelson. pic.twitter.com/LVFXUSidSg
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 5, 2024
DP World Tour: China Open in Otaegui’s hands after canceled day four
It wasn’t the fourth round that was canceled in Shenzhen, but the third. Rains came on Saturday to Hidden Grace Golf Club, ensuring that momentum would cease. Sunday would instead be akin to a motorsports restart, with no sense of who might claim victory. Sebastian Soderberg, the hottest golfer on the Asian Swing, held the lead, but he would slip to a 72 on Sunday, and tie for third with Paul Waring and Joel Girrbach. Italy’s Guido Migliozzi completed play in 67 strokes on day three, moving one shot past the triumvirate, to 17-under par.
It was Spain’s Adrian Otaegui who persevered the best and played the purest. Otaegui was clean on the day, with seven birdies for 65. Even when Migliozzi ceased the lead at the 10th, Otaegui remained calm. With everything on the line, Migliozzi made bogey at the par-five 17th, as his principal competitor finished in birdie. To the Italian’s credit, he bounced back with birdie at the last, to claim solo second. The victory was Otaegui’s fifth on the DP World Tour, and first since October of 2022.
.@adrianotaegui birdies the 16th to tie the lead at -17 ?#VolvoChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/p4tfE5DRJa
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 5, 2024
PGA Tour Americas: Quito’s rains gift title to Longbella
Across the world, superintendents and their staffs will do anything to prepare a course for play. Even after fierce, nightime rains, the Quito TG Club greeted the first four groups on Sunday. The rains worsened after 7 am, however, and the tour was forced to abort the final round of play. With scores reverting to Saturday’s numbers, Thomas Longbella’s one-shot advantage over Gunn Yang turned into a Tour Americas victory.
64 held the opening-day lead, and Longbella was not far off, with 66. Yang jumped to the top on day two, following a67 with 66. He posted 68 on day three, and anticipated a fierce, final-round duel for the title. As for Longbella, he fought off a ninth-hole bogey on Saturday with six birdies and a 17th-hole eagle. That rare bird proved to be the winning stroke, allowing Longbella to edge past Yang, and secure ultimate victory.
.@TBalla21 eagles 17, shoots 65 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the KIA Open. pic.twitter.com/TTOL2LxSdh
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) May 4, 2024
PGA Tour Champions: Dunlap survives Saturday stumble for win
Scott Dunlap did not finish Saturday as well as he might have liked. After beginning play near Houston with 65, Dunlap made two bogeys in his final found holes on day two, to finish at nine-under par. Hot on his heels was Joe Durant, owner of a March 2024 win on PGA Tour Champions. Just behind Durant was Stuart Appleby, perhaps vibing from his Sunday 59 at Greenbrier on this day in 2010. Neither would have a chance to track Dunlap down.
The rains that have forced emergency responders into action, to save hundreds of lives in the metro Houston area, ended hopes for a third day of play at The Woodlands. Dunlap had won once previously on Tour Champions, in 2014 in Washington state. Ten years later, Dunlap was the fortunate recipient of a canceled final round, and his two days of play were enough to earn him TC victory number two.
Off the green? No worries for @ScottDu12500063
8-under solo leader @InsperityInvtnl pic.twitter.com/hoj5OujL5C
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 4, 2024
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Morning 9: Pendrith’s maiden Tour win | Morikawa back with former coach | Brooks victorious
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Apryl DeLancey
Jul 31, 2008 at 1:32 am
We tried this out also – I agree that it seems a bit complex at first but it turns out not to be. You are spot on about the hard-sell ad copy as well. My husband (the righty) tried it out and liked the way it lined up his grip. The club felt good to him overall, definitely a 6-iron. He did hit good shots with it and he got the backswing right each time if we are reading the instructions right. I decided to really test the guarantee and see if I could hit the ball well with it. Again, we tried the righty and I am a lefty. After an initial obvious awkwardness with getting my hands right I managed to slice the ball about 30 yards. I got acclimated and the second one separated the ball on the device, went straight, and about 50 yards. I started to have a bit of fun with it since I never hit right handed. I did get it to go straight. The magnet seemed to separate and click regardless of how we used it. Overall, we believe it to be a decent tool for your practice arsenal but should not be the only one you use. It’s a good piece to take along to the range especially when you’re having grip issues. We’re firm believers in a lesson with an actual instructor every so often whether you need it or not to keep you straight.