by Andre Sanchez

There are many types of golf training aids on the market, ranging from the very simple to the complex golf swing plane trainers, those large circular things that you see at many practice ranges.  For the average golfer, the simpler training aids are sufficient to give you a good workout and stay fit for golf.

Fitness for golf is not like the fitness you get in a gym.  Pumping iron and treading treadmills do not improve your golf game.  The exercises have to build up your rotational strength, and work on the muscles used in your golf swing.  They should also include stretching workouts to improve the flexibility of your joints and muscles.

There is no need to buy expensive training aids for this, or even to join a gym.  There is a lot of inexpensive equipment that can be used, the dearest of which will probably be a weighted golf club.  In order to strengthen all the muscles that you use during your swing, you are best to swing against a resistance.  A weighted golf club is the easiest way to provide that resistance, and is a popular means of strengthening your swing, and so improving your distance.

You can also do it with a single dumbbell or a medicine ball.  Hold it in both hands and swing with it.  This is just as effective.  Another inexpensive training aid is a length of exercise or resistance tubing.  Fix this to a door or wall and swing holding it in your hands. You can get various strength ratings of tubing, and it is very good for a wide range of strength-related exercises.

Simple flexibility exercises can be carried out by holding a weighted medicine ball.  Sitting straight up on a chair, hold the ball straight out in front of you then twist to the left as far as you can.  Hold it for few seconds then twist to the right.  A few repetitions a day and you will notice that you are swinging your gold club a lot easier and without any aching joints or muscles.  As you get fitter you can increase the weight of the ball.

You can even improvise if you don’t want to spend any money on golf training aids.  Al you need is something with a bit of weight in it.  A heavy rock can be used in place of the medicine ball, and you can tie some weighs to your golf club to increase its weight.  All you need is some resistance to your normal swing, and there are a whole load of flexibility exercises you can carry out without any equipment whatsoever.  A few twists with a golf club across your shoulder will loosen up your shoulder, back and abdominal muscles, and you can also do the same thing sitting down.

There are plenty of proprietary training aids available on the market such as laser systems that ensure that your stance is correct, with your feet in the right place.  Many of these are below $100 though the more expensive systems can also provide a trace of your swing arc, and the direction the ball would take.  There are specially designed balls that you hold between your arms to keep them correctly positioned in the swing.  These enable you to improve your swing mechanics for extra power and length.

If you want to pay a bit more, you can purchase a hinged driver that helps you to swing with the correct tempo and in the correct plane.  Once you get it right, your muscle memory develops and you eventually find yourself swinging correctly shot after shot without having to think of it.  You can concentrate on other aspects of your game without worrying about your swing.  Wouldn’t it be great if your swing was spot on every time?

Although simple training aids like the hinged clubs are not necessarily inexpensive, most are, and a four foot resistance tube fitted with handles can be purchased online for less than $10.  How’s that for inexpensive!  Weighted medicine balls range from around $10 for a 1 Kg ball to over $30 for 5 Kg balls.  That’s still pretty inexpensive.  So, as you can see, some excellent golf training aids are available at very affordable prices.

OK, you can get the crème de la crème equipment, but is it really needed?  All you need is some swing resistance to build up your strength in the swing, and to help stretch those muscles, so that you can store energy in your backswing, much like a stretched elastic band, ready to release explosively in your swing, and hammer that ball 300 yards straight down the fairway.  A $10 aid will do that just as well as its $100 equivalent.

Simple Golf Training Aids was originally published at http://www.golfplayernow.com