Golf training aids have come a long way through the years.  With professionals, novices and beginners looking to better their golf game, there's an ever increasing market for golf training equipment.  Choosing the right golf training aids can be somewhat challenging considering the vast selection of golf equipment that's available on the market today.  For you to be able to choose the proper golf training equipment, you first need to determine the areas in your golf game that require improvement.  

Typically the main areas where golfers are looking to improve on are as follows:

• Golf Swing
• Putting
• Driving
• Sand Wedge Shots
• Golf Grip

Once you analyze the specific area of your golf game that you're looking to improve, you can then determine the proper golf training aid to use. 

Let's take a look at each each golf training aid area and their overviews:

1. Golf swing trainer & golf swing aids:  these are used to perfect your arm position during the swing and train you to use the proper arc when swinging at the golf ball.  They'll help you to keep your arms at the proper distance apart, promote consistent speed and give you better timing when used regularly
2. Putting aids:  Provide a medium to practice putting skills both on the golf course and away from the golf course at your home or office.  Practice putting greens are the most widely used methods.
3. Golf Driver training and practice:  The most widely used training aids for golf driver practicing are fake golf balls which can be used indoors.  These are great for days when the weather is unfit for a game of golf at your local course.
4. Sand Wedge Training: The golf equipment market today is flooded with a wide variety of golf training clubs.  These clubs are meant to promote and correct your impact position on the ball as well as give you better accuracy and ball placement.
5. Golf grip trainers:  Your golf grip is the cornerstone of your golf game.  This is where everything starts.  Golf grip training clubs promote the proper alignment of your hands and the correct velocity.

Now that we know the available golf training aids that are availble today, it's just a matter of finding which one is the proper one for you.  Before you rush out and purchase any of the above listed golf training devices, talk to your local golf pro at the golf course.  They can guide you based on their professional experience and from their observation of your golf game.

Written by: Golf Training Aids

Golf fitness training in the off-season can greatly benefit golfers of any age in the improvement of their skills on the course. All to often the golfer will neglect the physical components relative to the execution of a bio-mechanically efficient golf swing. Rather than develop the physical requirements of the golf swing, the golfer will spend an insurmountable amount of time practicing and money on golf lessons with minimal improvement.

The common thread in such instances is physical limitations in the areas of mobility, flexibility, stability, strength, and power limiting the ability of the golfer to execute a biomechanically efficient golf swing. The golfer must remember it is the kinetic chain of the body executing every phase of the golf swing, and in order for the athletic movements of the golf swing to be performed efficiently, certain physical parameters must be evident within the kinetic chain.

If the golfer is lacking in the physical parameters required of the golf swing, compensations in the execution of the swing results. These compensations lead to swing faults such as a loss of club head speed, poor ball striking, inconsistencies, and poor play. To prevent such a situation from occurring and provide the golfer with a physical foundation to execute the golf swing, the introduction of golf fitness exercises can be of great assistance.

Golf fitness exercises as with any sports-specific training program have the goals of developing the physical components within the kinetic chain required of the athlete's chosen sport. The end result of the implementation of such training modalities is a transfer of training effect into the execution of the golf swing. A transfer of training effect is the ability of a training program to have a direct benefit on the performance of the athlete during competition (Juan Carlos Santana, Institute of Performance, Boca Raton, FL).

Once the golfer understands the physical components connected to the execution of the golf swing as well as how a sports-specific training program can assist in the development of these physical components. The next step is the introduction of a sports-specific training program for golf. The ideal time for the introduction of such a program is during the off-season.

The off-season consists of the time of year in which competitive golf is not being played, and the amount of practice time associated with the sport is minimal. The traditional off-season for golf is the winter months where weather is not conducive to rounds of golf and the professional tour is on a hiatus. This provides an ideal off-season for any golfer from the recreational to professional level to implement a sports-specific conditioning program for golf. The ideal time frame for an off-season golf specific training program is 8-12 weeks. This is the minimal time frame required to introduce golf-specific training modalities into ones conditioning program to create adaptation in the kinetic chain. In addition, a time frame of 8-12 weeks allows for progressions to occur within the specific modalities of the clients off-season golf specific conditioning program.

Outside of the ideal time frames associated with an off-season golf specific conditioning programs are the goals of such a program. The general goal of the off-season program as stated previously is the development of the physical parameters within the kinetic chain required in the execution of the golf swing.

In order to achieve the goal of developing the physical components within the kinetic chain for the golf swing, a basic understanding of the biomechanics of the swing is needed. A brief review on golf swing biomechanics indicates the following: the golf swing is typically separated into phases which are; address, takeaway, backswing, transition, downswing, impact, and follow through. The goal during each of these phases is to keep what is termed the kinematic sequence in tact.

The kinematic sequence is a model determining the efficiency in the human body at which speed is generated and transferred to the golf ball during the swing. Researches behind the development of the kinematic sequence include Dr. Greg Rose of the Titleist Performance Institute, biomechanist Phil Cheetham of Advanced Motion Measurement, and Dr. Rob Neal of Golf BioDyanmics. The kinematic sequence allows a viewer to look at how efficiently and effectively a golfer generates speed, transfers speed through the body, and where in the golf swing a golfer may be lacking the physical or biomechanical requirements to execute the swing with the greatest amount of efficiency possible.

Understanding the kinematic sequence is imperative to the development of a biomechanically sound golf swing. The information provided by the kinematic sequence allows us to begin to dissect where the golfer physically is breaking down within the kinetic chain during the execution of the golf swing. This will be a cornerstone in the development of a golfer's off-season conditioning program.

Once an understanding of the kinematic sequence is in place, attention can be turned to the physical side of this equation in the form what physical requirements are needed by the golfer to execute a biomechanically efficient golf swing where the kinematic sequence remains in tact.

The ideal model to reference for determining the physical requirements of the golf swing is the mobility/stability pattern of human movement. This principle was first noted by physical therapist Gray Cook and strength coach Mike Boyle, and popularized in the sport of golf by Dr. Greg Rose. This principle states efficient movement within the kinetic chain of the human body occurs in an alternating pattern of mobile joints and stable segments. If this pattern of mobile joints and stable segments is altered, dysfunction in movement patterns will occur, and compensations in these movement patterns will be the result. A joint-by-joint view of the mobility/stability pattern of human movements is as follows: foot - stable, ankle - mobile, knee - stable, hip - mobile, pelvis/sacral/lumbar spine - stable, thoracic spine - mobile, scapular-thoracic - stable, gleno-humeral/shoulder - mobile, elbow - stable, wrist- mobile, cervical spine - stable.

As you can see the human body operates "feet to fingertips" in an alternating pattern of a mobile joint followed by a stable joint throughout the kinetic chain. Relative to the golf swing the mobility/stability pattern of human movement allows for the creation and transfer of energy through the kinetic chain from "feet to fingertips" into the golf club. If the mobility/stability pattern is dysfunctional relative to the golf swing, the development of speed will be limited, transfers of this speed to the golf ball will be compromised, and compensations in the golf swing will occur.

At this point, we understand the goal of an off-season golf conditioning program as well as the guidelines dictating the development of such a program. The next step is the implementation of a golf-specific conditioning program during an 8-12 week off-season time frame. The first step in this process is a physical assessment. An assessment through a series of physical screens will determine any dysfunctions within the kinetic chain relative to the mobility/stability pattern of human movement. If any dysfunctions are found during these physical screens, a series of corrective exercises will be incorporated within the golfer's off-season conditioning program for correction of these dysfunctions.

Once an assessment is complete, the next stage in the development of an off-season golf fitness program is a need analysis. A needs analysis is the process of determining what requirements the golf fitness program must fulfill. Such an analysis not only includes goals, but in addition, what pieces of equipment are available, time constraints on training, and the information from the physical screens. Once the needs analysis is complete, the development of the actual off-season program can commence.

An off-season strength and conditioning program is typically separated into the following training segments:

1. Mobility/flexibility training

2. Neuromuscular efficiency development

3. Strength/stability training

4. Power training

All or only a couple of the training segments listed above may be incorporated into a single training. Corrective and performance enhancement training modalities are incorporated within each of these categories. The actual exercises within each category are dependent upon a number of individual variables such as kinetic chain dysfunctions requiring attention within the golfer, goals of the golfer, and training experience.

The final steps in the development of the off-season golf specific training program is the introduction of the exercises into the program. Guidelines to adhere in this section are the introduction of exercises that are geared towards the individual needs of the golfer in a systematic and progressive approach. A useful methodology to utilize in the selection, introduction, and progression of exercises into an off-season golf fitness program is a periodization schedule.

A periodization schedule is the cycling of loads, volumes, intensity, and exercise within a given time frame. The time frame may be divided into days, weeks, months, or even years. The cycling allows for a systematic approach to achieving improvement in the mobility, flexibility, balance, strength, stability, and power as well as prevents overtraining.

Each time frame has a specific arrangement of load, volume, intensity, and exercises within the give time frame. The cycles of a peridiozation program are broken down into macrocycles and microcycles.

A macrocycle is the complete training time, which for golfers is usually one year. A mesocycle is a specific time frame within the macrocycle (for example, the off-season). The subdivisions of mesocycles for the golfer are as follows:

Phase 1: corrective, strength, stability, and endurance training

Phase 2: strength and stability training

Phase 3: Power training

Phase 4: Sports-specific training

Phase 5: competition/maintenance training

The off-season of a periodization schedule will typically find phases 1,2, and 3, phases 4, and 5 are found in the pre-season and competitive playing year.

Knowing the off-season consists of phases 1,2, and 3. The training for the golfer or golf fitness trainer can be focus upon the modalities incorporated within these segments, in addition to the development of these components within the kinetic chain.

To summarize, the off-season is the ideal time in which the golfer can take advantage of developing a physical foundation for the golf swing. In order for this to occur, the golfer must have a basic understanding of the connection between the physical body and execution of the golf swing. Once this basic component is understood, the development of an off-season golf fitness program can commence. The first step in this process is an understanding of golf swing biomechanics and the kinematic sequence. The second step is a basic understanding of mobility/stability pattern of human movement. After this final component is acknowledged, commencement of an individualized off-season program can begin.

The development of a golf fitness program in the off-season follows a specific order in terms of its development. A physical screen begins the development of the program to determine if any dysfunctions exist within the kinetic chain. Once complete with the physical screen a needs analysis is initiated to recruit the individual requirements and goals of the program. Finally, the development of the off-season golf fitness program commences with the utilization of a periodization schedule.

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly working with professional golfers, most notable PGA and Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean Cochran and his golf fitness exercises and training programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

When you are looking at enhancing your golf handicap, a superb golf swing drill is paramount. Who does not want some sort of zero handicap, or possibly a below eighty average? I am absoluetly certain we would all desire to smack the actual golf ball not unlike Tiger Woods.Typically the idea with being very good at playing golf is that it truly is only about steadiness and being consistent. |It comes down to how you strike any golf ball excellently, repeatedly, and never end up carrying out that rather distressing slice of the tee?

One of the inimitable ideas designed for boosting your personal golf game really should be to exercise regular golf swing drills. This will help educate all the muscles you use as well as focus your mind easily into being aware of what it feels like whenever you hit the ball correctly. Typical drills like this will provide you with "muscle memory", basically teaching your body to perform systematically, the efficiently practiced motions, time after time.

Many  top golfers spend countless hours of repeating the identical shot in the driving range. Training muscle memory, and thus strengthening consistency. Thus it is when you are trying to improve your game of golf. If it turns out you are the kind of player who may have a particular unpredictable golf swing technique, then simply golf swing drills will be ideal.

Golf swing drills support the training of the various parts of your own body that you use everytime yo take the perfect golf swing. It is all about how you can get the body used to the right technique to strike a ball when having an ideal swing action, continuously.

When researching golf swing drills, (there are plenty of videos online) you might well discover golf drills that train the wrists, your primary arm swings, as well as how you should stand and the the placing of your respective feet. By just rehearsing each of these drills, every area of the body recognises exactly what it really needs to be accomplishing the perfect golf slice, and that allows you to keep clear of the old classic golfing slice.

You will soon discover that an individual's golfing ratings will substantially enhance. For everybody who is a newcomer to golf you certainly will notice a super fast development inside your golf game. If you unearth the correct golf drills for the weak parts of your game, you're going to set in place typically the foundations necesaary to establish a vast improvement in one's individual game.

Golf swing drills have a large number of different aspects to them. They are much more than just about the physical movement of the particualr swing you are trying to perfect. They also have the additional benefit that they will help you concentrate your mind, keeping an individual inside the zone, whether  playing for fun or in competition. All of the golf swing drills will certainly emphatically increase one's golf game.

You will find no quick fixes or shortcuts in golf, as in life. That old adage of practice, practice, practice will be the key. Selecting the best fundamental Golf swing drills, and applying them frequently will increase your golf game scores, and provide you with higher achievement when actively playing, resulting in a good deal more fulfillment in general. After all, the game of golf is meant to be fun, and when you can do something well, then it makes it much more enjoyable. This will consequently improve your game as well.

Golf Swing Drills As a newbie golf player, I found that using golf swing drills as part of my practice, dramatically improved my game.

Check out my blog for more golf swing drill tips and how to cure your golf slice at http://www.mygolfswingdrills.com

There are almost as many theories about the golf swing as there are instructors. And one of the least understood aspects of the swing is the rotation of the hips to an "open" position just before impact.

Most contemporary golf instructors believe it is necessary to "clear your hips just before the point of impact" in order to get your hips out of the way of your hands. According to this theory, if you don't "clear your hips" your hands and arms will be impeded and will not be able to attack the ball with power.

This is sometimes used as an explanation for why an overly "vertical" stance is not a good thing. According to this line of thinking, when you stand too close to the ball your hands will not be able to make a clean pass in front of your body because on the way down your hips will get in the way.

But while hip rotation is very important to the effectiveness of the golf swing, it is not because the hips are in the way of anything. In fact I can't see that this idea of "clearing the hips" makes much sense. Your hips are not in the way of your hands. In fact, rotating your hips towards the target pushes your backside out further towards your hands and puts your hips more in the way than if you did not rotate them.

Most of us -- whether we rotate a lot or not -- are not in the habit of hitting our hips with our hands when we swing our golf clubs. The reason is simple: our hips do not get in the way of our swing, and to suggest this as an explanation of the importance of hip rotation is just plain misleading.

In my own research, on the course and in my basement "lab", I have found that hip rotation does indeed put the club on a more powerful, more direct path to the ball coming into the point of impact. But as far as I can tell, this has very little to do with getting your hips out of the way of your hands.

What happens when you rotate your hips is that this allows you to get your shoulders and arms in the optimal power position. This happens because your upper body and lower body move in a synchronized way. In the golf swing, as in most other movements involving the human body, your upper body, including your shoulders and arms, moves in harmony with and in response to the movement of your lower body -- your hips and legs.

Think of a power hitter in baseball. Those classic photographs of Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson or Barry Bonds making contact with the ball always tell the same story. Their arms are fully extended, hips are rotated to an open position, head is back, and they are perfectly balanced with most of their weight now centered over their front leg and hip. In fact they have used their front leg and hip as a pivot around which their upper body has rotated. Take that pivot away -- swing with just your shoulders and arms -- and you're left with a much less fluid, much less coordinated, and much less powerful swing.

In the golf swing this connection of upper and lower body is less obvious because the golf swing is a combination of vertical and horizontal. But the principle is the same. The rotation of the hips pulls your upper torso around and gets your lead shoulder into the correct position (the left shoulder in the case of a right hander) at the point of impact. Ben Hogan described this hip movement as a matter of throwing your lead hip around and back against the wall -- one of the most useful images in all of golf instruction.

Try it in slow motion. Place your club head along the swing path about 18"-24" behind the ball (on the inside/out arc). Make sure your lead hand and arm are straightened as they should be in the impact position. Now rotate your hips so the club head moves towards the ball (keeping your hands and arms locked in the previous position).

Notice that when your club head reaches the ball, your hips will be "cleared", and your lead shoulder will be rotated as well. Your lead arm will be in the correct "power position" with the arm and club shaft forming a more or less straight line down to the ball.

Now pick your club up and swing it more horizontally like a baseball bat. If you have had any baseball training at all, your hips will just naturally lead the swing and your shoulders, arms and "bat" will follow.

In fact trying to make an "all-arms" swing without hip rotation will feel awkward and unsynchronized. Your arms will not be able to follow the momentum that wants to carry them around to a natural finish. This is why golfers who do not "finish" their swing by rotating their lower body will often snap the club back to the starting position.

The basic principle here is one taught by golf teachers since teachers first started analyzing the swing: upper body follows lower body. Coming to a better appreciation of this principle can only have a positive impact on your golf swing.

Rick Hendershot Rick Hendershot publishes InternetGolfReview.com | Chess Boards, Chess Sets, Chess Pieces | World of Warcraft Gold - Buy world of warcraft gold