3 Golf Training Aids You Absolutely Don’t Need To Buy

Golfers love gadgets. But some training aids look helpful, promise the world and end up in the garage before the weekend is over. I hate when golfers are sold promises of improvement, only for the products to fail to deliver.

While user error always has to be considered and no training aid is guaranteed to fix your game, these are three training aids I would not buy and some suggestions on what to buy instead.

1. The Dazzling Speed Swing Trainer

This trainer promises “real head weight,” better lag and instant tempo fixes, all powered by LED pickleballs. At $79, it feels gimmicky for what you actually get. A little resistance training isn’t bad but if you’re going to spend money, you’re better off with something that actually works: SuperSpeed sticks or even Orange Whip or a Power Swing Fan. Some players just grip a towel and swing it and get a similar feel on a budget.

2. Swing Away Golf Swing Training Tool

On paper, this sounds convenient. In real life? The rope tangles in seconds, swings unpredictably and the ball reportedly cracks after a few sessions. Practicing golf at home is great but you might as well get feedback and improve.

Instead of investing in this $50 training aid, keep it simple. Go to the driving range, hit real golf balls or buy a pack of limited-flight practice balls for the yard. You’ll get real contact feedback without wrestling a rope.

3. The Swing Whistle

This idea is clever. You attach it to your golf club and listen for a whistle at impact. However, the execution is not all that simple. Most golfers say it whistles randomly on the backswing or halfway down. Some say their swing speed isn’t fast enough to get it to whistle at all.

One of my concerns with this training aid is chasing the whistle noise or trying too hard for the louder whistle. It could throw off your swing and reinforce some bad habits. One reviewer of the products said that it was fine overall but it popped off the club on one swing and got lost.

Final thoughts

A good training aid should improve a real skill, make practice more effective and give clear feedback. If something looks or feels gimmicky, it probably is. Move on and look for one of the better golf training aids on the market.