Best Swing Trainers in 2021, and are they any good?
Swing trainers do not replace lessons from a solid PGA professional, some of them are very capable of providing solid information back to the golfer.
In this article we review a number of the best swing trainers available in 2021, and discuss the features and benefits.
They are a nice tool to have and can make working on certain swing changes more fun, or with a little more purpose. They can help with speed and timing, help increase speed in the club head, and a multitude of other variables. Personally I use golf training aids and find some very good and others pretty awful, so are Swing Trainers any good? Well it is a personal opinion, I personally like them and have found benefits from using swing trainers, but just go try one and see what you think.
See the below list of the best Swing Trainers and descriptions, I have put together a comparison table and description of each to try and help you make a decision.
SKLZ Gold Golf Swing Trainer 48”
SKLZ state that the trainer creates power to help you bomb your drive down the fairway and gain more distance. They have stated that the extra flex in the shaft also encourages a slight lag at the top of your back swing, establishing the ideal swing tempo, so making it a tempo trainer as well.
SKLZ also claim that the momentum in the weighted head of the club encourages the correct method of weight transfer on impact. The training aid also assists with helping the golfer with a full follow through, which teaches the golfer better form, balance, and increased power.
The swing trainer is 48” in length, has a robust polyurethane head and a flexible fiberglass shaft.
If you would like to read more about the SKLZ Golf Swing Trainer then please read my full review.
SKLZ Gold Golf Swing Trainer 40”
The SKLZ 40” swing trainer is exactly that, just the same trainer but much shorter, it is designed to be easier to use, more like a 5 wood or longer iron size.
SKLZ state, the Gold Flex golf swing trainer is designed to improve your swing tempo, your strength, and your flexibility. The exaggerated flex in the shaft will help lengthen your swing by keeping your hands and arms extended.
SKLZ states that the trainer creates power to help you bomb your drive down the fairway and gain more distance. They have stated that the extra flex in the shaft also encourages a slight lag at the top of your backswing, establishing the ideal swing tempo, making it a tempo trainer as well.
SKLZ also claims that the momentum in the weighted head of the club encourages the correct method of weight transfer on impact. The training aid also assists with helping the golfer with a full follow through, which teaches the golfer better form, balance, and increased power.
The swing trainer is 40” in length, has a robust polyurethane head and a flexible fiberglass shaft.
If you would like to read more about the SKLZ Golf Swing Trainer then please read my full review.
Orange Whip Full-Sized Swing Trainer
What is the Orange Whip Swing Trainer?
It was designed and developed by Jim Hackenberg who is PGA teaching professional. Jim stated that when he was teaching his golf students he found they were not swinging through the ball, they has a tendency to use a chopping motion.
After Jim didn’t quite make the transition to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour, he caddied for a friend of his in the summer months. He noticed being around the other tour professionals, that they all had a great tempo and balance. When Jim returned to his teaching classes, his students were the opposite of the professionals with poor balance and tempo. He designed the Orange Whip from an old fishing rod and weight to demonstrate the correct tempo and balance, and that is how he created the Orange Whip.
The Orange whip has different lengths. The main Orange Whip trainer is 47 inches long.
When I used the Orange Whip I found it to be quite similar to the SKLZ Gold Golf Trainer, and I like the idea behind this tool (you can read my full review of the SKLZ Trainer here). I feel this product would have done a similar job to the SKLZ Gold Golf Trainer.
Jim Hackenberg has produced a video of the tempo drills for the Orange Whip, which should help you develop your tempo, balance, fitness and power.
Orange Whip Mid-Sized Swing Trainer
The Orange Whip Mid-Size is the same idea as the Orange Whip it is just 3.5” shorter, which is probably around a 3 wood length. So it makes the swing trainer more versatile for a lot more golfers, the larger swing trainer can be quite demanding.
If you struggle with the larger swing trainer then this one is worth checking out, or the even smaller Orange Whip Compact.
Orange Whip Compact Swing Trainer
Orange Whip Compact is the little brother or sister of the Orange Whip Swing Trainer, this swing trainer is 35.5”. The idea is you can use this at home in doors. It is designed to emulate a more short game iron.
Again this training aid will assist with your core muscles, and help the tempo in the golf swing.
Orange Whip Lightspeed & Orange Peel Package
The Orange Peel package included the Orange Whip Light Speed, Orange peel concave deck and power bands.
Orange Whip Lightspeed – This forty three inch speed trainer has been produced to help golfer increase swing speed through ‘over training’. The idea behind the Lightspeed swing trainer is for the golfer to make a swing, using alternate weights. Swing the Orange whip and the Lightspeed as fast as you can, which produces muscle memory and apparently should increase club head speed. This does seem to be trying to take share from the guys at super speed golf.
The Orange Peel is a concave pad or deck, the idea behind the Orange peel, it is trying to centre the core of the golfer and promote better balance. When you swing the Orange Whip light speed trainer while on the Orange Peel, it works in conjunction to keep the core of the golfer more balanced. With the concave sides, you can also train to swing on both uphill lies and downhill.
If the Orange Peel helps me to improve my posture, then I quite like the concept. Jim Hackenberg states on his video that you can use this trainer and then walk onto the first tee. I very much doubt I could, and would want to take the quite bulky Orange peel to the course. However I would use this at home to help my swing, and work on my balance.
One of the areas I do like from the Orange Whip package is the exercise routines they provide on Golf Fitness. If you are struggling with fitness, or want to build strength then I believe it is a good option for you to try. The resistance bands included are a nice addition, I have used these bands before and they really do make a difference. This Orange Peel Power Package is definitely worth considering.
PGA Tour Swing Weight and Training club
The PGA Tour swing weight and training club is a training aid that has been developed to only help right handed golfers which is a little strange. The ideas behind the swing trainer, to assist in building muscles with the weight attached to the shaft. The moulded grip is designed to help your grip and demonstrate the correct method for holding the PGA Tour swing weight and training club.
For the price it is ok, I have used one of these a few times but feel it is not as effective the Orange Whip or the SKLZ gold golf swing trainer
