Updated: My latest DYI training aid; what do you think?

Update 4/25: I have been messing around with the stretch band and have figured out that instead of wrapping one end around my leg, I now stand on it with my lead foot. It puts no pressure on my knees but still allows me to improve my flexibility but it also trains me to start my backswing slowly and provides the resistance I like at the top of the swing where I bump my hip to the target while keeping my trail palm pointing to the sky and my elbow pointing away from me. Feel free to give it a try! Thanks for reading!

Two of Tom's latest videos that I watched, slowing down your swing and keeping your trail arm connected to your side have really helped me lately. What I am working on that really is working well is:

- Talking my usual stance with arms close to the body and weight about 60% in the lead foot.

- My backswing thoughts are to point my lead shoulder to the ground while I keep my trail elbow tucked into my side while I exterally rotate my trail shoulder, bend back my trail palm and get the rear elbow pointing away from me.

- As I start the backswing I start counting from 1-3 at a leisurely pace. I want my backswing completed by the count of 3.

- I then take a brief pause at the top and then start counting 1-3 again with my dowswing completed by the count of 3. It of course doesn't take anywhere need that that long to complete the swing, but as Tom suggested pretend that it will take you a long time to complete your downswing and it will force you to start at a leisurely pace.

- At the count of 1 on the downswing I drive my lead knee to the target while trying to keep my trail shoulder extended, my trail palm faciing the sky and my trail elbow pointing in front of me. It is as if I am stretching a resistance band betwen my lead knee and my trail palm.

With the above method it is almost impossible to come over the top or to start your downswing in a rush. And the tension it causes between my front and trail sides causes the club to whip very quickly through the hitting zone and the downswing because almost automatic.

I wanted to engrain this feel into my swing so I came up with the idea of attaching an actual resistance band to my lead knee while holder the other end with my normal golf grip. I used a cut off club handle to make it easy to train with this indoors whithout out having to use and full-length club and conking someone on the head.

While practicing this I will also make use of my other training aid that helps me keep my head behind the ball until after impact:

10 Comments

rcissell56

Apr 25, 2023

See my updates above in the original post.

May 04, 2023

Replying to

A few updates on my swing trainer prototype and a request for your input on a product name.

- I have started using this while I stand perpendicular to a wall with my weight forward and my lead hip touching the wall.

- I start my backswing as usual by doing a crunch of my lead side with my trail arm pinned to my side and the feel that my trail shoulder and arm are moving as far away from the ball as possible. All the while my lead hip stays in contact with the wall, ensuring I stay stacked over the ball! - At the start of the "downswing" I keep my trail shoulder back as long as I can while I try to knock over the wall with my lead hip.

- When I carry these feels over to my real swing they translate perfectly. I start the backswing slowly and I get full turn and extension by extending my trail shoulder.

- Carrying over the feel of knocking over the wall with my lead hip while keeping my trail shoulder back makes sure I start down slowly but with a powerful move of the lead hip.

- I have so much of a stretch between my lead and trail sides that the slow powerful move of the hip toward the target whips the club through as if it was on auto pilot (like a sling shot).

- An addional idea I just thought of: make a moded grip that teaches you how to to correctly grip the club. The mold would be designed by non other than @Tom Saguto who has the best, most detailed grip training videos you will ever watch.

- I am still thinking of product names. Since the device actually looks like a whip that a lion tamer might use I am thinking of incorporating one or both into the product name. You input is welcome. Thanks very much!

What is a good name for this training aid?

SwingTamer Pro
WhipTamer
SwingTamer
PowerWhip