Golf Swing Drills And Golf Training Aids

I believe golf swing drills, as golfers typically use them, are a complete waste of time. Is this really a surprise? Most golfers have no clue how to practice so their practice sessions are almost a complete waste of time. If their practice is ineffective, what are drills going to do for them?

If you're doing a drill like hitting off of one leg, swinging with one arm, or if you put your feet together and make full swings, these aren't replicating closely enough the swing you play with so the body will tend to distinguish these drills as being something other than a positive influence for your golf swing—in other words, you might as well be fishing. Your body is not going to be directly influenced by these drills, at least not in the long term! While you shouldn't expect a drill to change your swing, what a drill can do is change your mental image of the swing, which is where a drill's real value lies.

The only way to effectively control and effect swing change is to hit balls on the range with your goal being to convert your mental swing image into your physical swing. This is one of the key areas where golfers fail with their practice—they're brain dead! How they use a drill is a perfect example of brain dead. They mistakenly think that the relation is this: drill influences, or shapes, golf swing. This would make improving much easier, and of course, people are always looking for shortcuts, but it's wrong (and there aren't any shortcuts). The reality is this: with proper practice, drills gradually influence mental swing image, which very gradually influences golf swing. I'm not talking one practice session to benefit from a drill, I'm talking hundreds! And again, you have to practice properly.

The belief that drills directly influence the golf swing implies that no work is necessary, other than hitting balls, which by the way, isn't the real work of practice. Concentration is the work of practice. It's brain activity as opposed to brain inactivity. Every swing on the range, whether it be a drill, practice swing, or a hitting swing has a purpose, and therefore requires one hundred percent of your concentration. You can't just hit balls on the range and think you're accomplishing anything, because you aren't!

I also believe most training aids are basically ineffective for training a golf swing, for the same reason drills are ineffective. However, if approached the same way I suggest you use a drill, then training aids may also be beneficial, assuming they actually fit their purpose and that purpose is valid. I've never used one but I think an impact bag or something similar would be a good option for golfers with manipulative golf swings and one type of training aid I do like are the weighted clubs. They probably won't help improve your swing technique, but they should help strengthen and stretch the muscles you use in your golf swing and they may help your mind get a better idea of tempo and rhythem, which you may be able to transfer to your swing. They are also good for warming up before a practice session or a round of golf.

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