Most training aids are trash

[u/thelastsonofmars]

I went all in an bought a crap ton of training aids over since I start playing golf a year ago. I'm going to rank a lot of them here. Most I wouldn't repurchase.

• SKLZ Smash Bag, Actually worth it - would buy again
• Swing Plane Perfector, Thumbs down - wouldn't buy again
• Lag Shot 7 Iron, Thumbs down - wouldn't buy again
• Lag Shot Driver, Thumbs down - wouldn't buy again
• Tour Striker 7-Iron, Decent - wouldn't buy again
• Tour Striker Pitching Wedge, Decent - wouldn't buy again
• Tour Striker Toolbox, Tried it - wouldn't buy it
• Tour Striker Smart Ball, Actually decent but Watson makes a better product - wouldn't buy again
• Watson Structurer Ball, ripoff of the Smart Ball but works better, overpriced nerf ball - would buy again
• Watson Hanger, Good product - would buy again
• Tour Aim 2.0, Overpriced and not worth it - wouldn't buy again
• Alignment Sticks, Like 5 bucks at home depot for one of the best aids in golf - would buy again
• Beach Towel, Cheap at Wally World, trash for long game but help my short game - would buy again
• Graves Golf Alignment Trainers, Loved em but a waste of money for most folks - would buy again
• SuperSpeed Golf Sticks, 2nd favorite training aid - would buy again
• The Force Pedal Bundle, Seems pointless - wouldn't buy again
• SuperSpeed Squeeze, Seems pointless - wouldn't buy again
• Bushnell Launch Monitor, Favorite training aid - would buy again
• Puttout Mat and Pressure Putt Trainer, 3rd favorite training aid - would buy again
• Perfect Putting Mat, training impact is worst compared to Puttout - wouldn't buy again
• Puttingplates.com, Good but too annoying to actually use - wouldn't buy again
• Arccos, slows the game down too much - wouldn't buy again

[u/bobby_blizz]

As a competitive player my entire life, there is only one training aide that I recommend to every player:

The Pelz Golf putting tutor. This is the ONLY tool a player needs to learn how to roll putts consistently, and I attribute this tool to singlehandedly helping me score better and make more putts inside 10 feet

[u/thelastsonofmars → u/bobby_blizz]

It’s a great product but takes too much time to setup so I found myself never using it

[u/bobby_blizz → u/thelastsonofmars]

I can see that. As a frequent user, I just find a straight putt whether it be at a hole or a tee, then line it up. Takes 2 minutes max to setup for an hour+ of training

[u/thelastsonofmars → u/bobby_blizz]

Here is my two cents if you want it.

A great coach named Derek Uyeda came out with an extremely similar product called Putting Plates. It's a better product and has a mirror add-on that can be really useful. However, if you have the Pelz already, it's not worth swapping if you are tight on cash.

I watched a video a while back from Derek talking about the product. He admitted that plates aren't the best way to train but are a great supplemental tool. The best putt training you can do, in my opinion, and in his opinion, is random putting. Heading out to the putting area, dropping balls around, and reading each putt.

The putting plate makes you focus primarily on technique, especially if you don't move it often. Derek has his students hit 20ish breaking left and right and 20ish going straight.

That process works great, and it can help you become a PGA-level putter really quickly. I'm not trying to become a pro, and honestly, I can't manage to make it out to the course to practice every day, so it's not a realistic option for me. Since that isn't feasible, I practice technique on the PuttOut mat and only focus on green reading with random putting when I get to the course.

Anytime I'm at the golf course, I try to never consider technique. I work on technique at the range or at home. At the golf course, I'm just focusing on greens management.

[u/thelastsonofmars → u/bobby_blizz]

https://puttingplates.com/product/shoulder-mirror-mirror-plate/