Best Golf Training Aids
Golf training aids are specially designed tools that help you improve aspects of your game, everything from grip and alignment to tempo, putting, swing speed, and your short game.
While not permitted during competitive play, they’re invaluable during practice, giving you feedback, reinforcing muscle memory, and helping you correct flaws.
They range from simple, portable gadgets to sophisticated tech.
You’ll find aids for swing mechanics (e.g. alignment sticks, weighted clubs), short-game refinement (e.g. putting mats, alignment guides), tempo and rhythm (e.g. weighted whips), and high-tech analysers (e.g. sensors and apps).
Types of Training Aids at a Glance
- Swing trainers: Develop swing plane, timing, connection (e.g., Orange Whip, StructureBall).
- Putting aids: Putting mats or guides that improve alignment, roll, pace, and feel (e.g., PuttOUT AirBreak, Devil Balls).
- Alignment aids: Sticks, lasers, or guides to ensure setup, ball position, and aim are correct.
- Tempo & rhythm tools: Help instil consistent swing timing (e.g., Orange Whip).
- High-tech analysers: Provide data, e.g;, swing path, wrist angles, pressure from connected sensors (HackMotion, Blast, DeWiz).
10 Best Golf Training Aids
1. Orange Whip Golf Swing Trainer
A staple across coaching circles, the Orange Whip improves rhythm, sequencing and flexibility.
Its weighted, flexible shaft helps you feel the swing’s tempo and warns instantly when your timing’s off, with that tell-tale wobble.
It’s also fantastic as a pre-round warm-up to loosen muscles and reinforce a smooth swing. Popular on tour and widely available in the UK, it’s a smart investment for anyone wanting to groove their swing dynamics.
2. StructureBall
Held between your arms, the StructureBall locks your upper-body connection and width through the swing.
Trusted by PGA pros (and even praised by Rory McIlroy), it offers tactile and visual feedback on your setup, alignment and pivot during practice.
Excellent for ingraining harmony between your arms and body. Only drawback: it’s not the most portable but worth it for focused range sessions.
3. Sure-Strike Golf Swing Trainer
Designed by teaching pro Dan Frost, this compact aid aligns your grip, timing and body-club relationship.
Developed to improve swing mechanics smoothly, it helps eliminate disjointed or rushed sequences, promoting better flow and strike.
Portable and lightweight, it’s great for warm-ups or daily practice, especially helpful for golfers seeking consistency and efficient sequencing.
4. PuttOUT Devil Balls
A clever putting aid that gives instant feedback on face angle at impact, you feel a jolt when you miss the square strike.
Ideal for building start-line accuracy, they are simple and effective, making them a smart addition to any putting practice setup or home studio.
5. PuttOUT AirBreak Putting Mat
A premium putting surface featuring adjustable air-bladders that create putts with break.
It lets you practise left-to-right and right-to-left putts of varying complexity indoors.
Lightweight, durable, and versatile, it’s great for serious practice on pace, break and alignment in the comfort of home.
6. SuperSpeed Golf Training Set
A trio of weighted shafts designed to enhance swing speed and tempo.
Start light, progress heavier, and the result is more clubhead speed and improved flexibility with practice.
Aimed at increasing distance, users have reported speed gains and a more fluid swing, though consistency in usage is key.
7. PuttOUT Slim Mat / WellPutt Mat
The Slim Mat is compact and portable (£39.99), offering smooth roll for basic stroke work.
The WellPutt 13 ft Mat (£149) is premium: marked lines, smooth surface, app-based drills, making it the most effective overall in recent tests.
Great for home or club practice to develop alignment, pace control, and consistency on long and short strokes.
8. V-Plane Golf Training Aid
A versatile short-game tool that clips onto the shaft for putting, chipping, and pitching feedback.
With alignment wings and optional drill sticks, it promotes a shoulder-led stroke, stable contact, and good strike.
Reviewers in the UK valued its quick setup, premium build, instant feedback, and tangible improvement, especially for short-game stability and feel, starting at £79.99 (£94.99 with sticks).
9. Alignment Sticks (e.g., Callaway Stix)
Cheap and versatile: use them on the ground for alignment, lay-ups for swing path, or even on the range to guide stance and swing plane.
Essential for ingraining setup habits and swing direction. Highly portable and effective, plus, tour pros use them daily.
10. High-Tech Swing Analysers (HackMotion, Blast, DeWiz, BAL.ON Smart Kit)
These sensor-based devices pair with apps to provide in-depth data: wrist angles, swing tempo, hand path, weight-shift, etc.
For instance, HackMotion excels at wrist tracking, Blast gives swing speed and tempo metrics, DeWiz uses haptic feedback, and BAL.ON uses smart insoles to reveal weight transfer data.
Ideal for data-driven golfers who want immediate, actionable insights to fine-tune performance.
Get training, get playing better Golf
Golf training aids are not just gimmicks, they’re precision tools that can revolutionise your practice, whether you’re working on fundamentals or fine-tuning advanced mechanics.
From simple sticks and mirrors to high-tech sensors, there’s an aid to suit every golfer’s goals and budget.
In the UK, many are readily available online or in specialist stores.
Choose wisely based on what your game needs fundamentals like grip and alignment for beginners, tempo and timing for mid-handicappers, or data and short-game precision for serious players and watch your practice translate into lower scores.
