Golf is a peculiar beast when it comes to actually seeing an improvement in the standard of your play. Most activities or tasks that are regularly repeatedly by an individual, will result in that person showing significant improvement in their performance simply through doing it over and over again. Unfortunately, the same cannot usually be said when it comes to golf, a point proven by millions of golfers all over the world who play regularly, but never get any better. Even going to the driving range and beating buckets of balls night after night is no guarantee of a better performance the next time you step on the first tee. 

So, what is the answer then? Just how does a player get better at golf?  

Practice time is an important part of improving at this most difficult of sports, but as mentioned earlier, mindlessly whacking balls into a large field is of little benefit. How you practice is the key to becoming a more proficient golfer. Every time you practice it should ideally be with a specific goal in mind, and that goal should not be hitting a good golf shot. Quality practice in golf is about skill acquisition and improving certain areas of your technique that will improve your ball striking over time. 

I will be discussing what this means in far greater detail in an upcoming blog article, but for now I am going to highlight a few excellent practice aids that are available to increase the value of any time you do spend practising. Over the years there have been thousands of practice aids brought to market that have promised to transform your golf game and in all honestly, many of them have been utter rubbish. As technology has improved and more R & D time and money has been spent on developing effective training aids, there are now plenty of superb options that can really help your game with regular use. 

One of the biggest differences between good golfers and bad golfers is the regularity with which the good player strikes the ground in the same place on iron shots. The poorer golfers will often hit the ground at various points before the ball resulting in fat shots, and many times they don’t hit the ground at all - resulting in a horribly thinned shot that never gets airborne. The FATPLATE range of training aids are the perfect practice partner to help master this most essential of skills. This type of practice aid is superb because it is task driven – when you can consistently complete the task, your golf swing will have changed for the better, with little mechanical thinking involved. 

For golfers looking to improve their swing plane or wrist action within the swing, the Swingyde Golf Practice aid is an excellent device that is easily affixed to your club in seconds. This unassuming device provides superb feedback on the wrist positions in the swing and allows you to hit full shots with it on. It is used extensively by some of the finest golf coaches in the world and can make an enormous difference to how you see the golf swing. 

If you are looking to add yards to your drives through an increase in swing speed, then there is now a proven route to doing this. Players all over the world have seen huge jumps in their club head speeds when they have devoted time to overspeed training. Purchasing the Rawspeed Golf Training Kit also gives you access to their training protocols and, if followed correctly, can increase your driving distance by up to 20 yards in as little as 8 weeks. 

An essential practice aid for any golfer to have as part of their arsenal is a pair of alignment sticks. These are extremely versatile and can be used in a multitude of helpful ways, including; laying on the ground on you ball to target line and on your feet line, ensuring you are setting up square to the golf ball. You can place the sticks twenty feet in front of you so they are stuck out of the ground on your desired start line (on a grass practice ground). This gives you an excellent visual of where you want your golf ball to start. They can also be used extensively in swing drills, including placing one through your front belt buckles so you can understand better how the hips work in the golf swing.

The PGA Tour Swing Pro Training Band is another low cost option that can really improve the structure of your golf swing. Many amateur golfers struggle with their arms becoming disconnected from their body, especially in the backswing and can result in numerous faults including the flying right elbow. The Power band ensures that the arms maintain their correct structure, resulting in a more compact and efficient action. Again this can be used whilst hitting full shots, starting off with half and three quarter swings before progressing to full swings.

Full Swing Practice Aids

These training aids are ideal for use at home with a decent quality striking mat and practice net. Practising into a net can be beneficial when working on aspects of your technique as it stops too much focus from being placed on the result of the shot. Technique practice is simply just that – it is not about hitting quality golf shots; it is done to allow you to hit quality golf shots the next time you step on the course.
Practice Nets