Whether it’s his technique, the beauty of his swing, or his ability to control the golf ball so effortlessly, Rory McIlroy is admired in so many ways.
But even with his generational talent, the Northern Irishman still has to work on his game and is constantly looking for ways to refine technique and maintain performance.
Sometimes that includes the use of training aids. So why is it some amateur golfers think using a trading aid is irrelevant? Are they just tools designed to help beginners improve?
Former European Tour player Liam Bond reckons that’s far from the truth. The founder of TRS Golf has developed a range of training aids used by leading professionals, including Grand Slam winner McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, and says they can be just as valuable for golfers who are working on the fundamentals.
“Some people see the tour pros using them, and then think, ‘well, they’re already good, so maybe they’re not for me’,” he explained. “It just shows you that they are (useful for everyone), because getting your trail arm into the correct position in the backswing, [the] correct position at impact, we all need to do that – whether you’re a beginner golfer or whether you’re a top player.
“Using the right training aids, you can use them all the way through (your golf development), it’s not just something a top player would need.
“Now a top player would need the equipment, an extra stiff shaft or very little loft on the driver as they’re able to use that but, with a training aid, I think they’re pretty universal for everybody.”
How can a training aid help your golf swing?
One of the products in the range is the TRS Golf Ball, which McIlroy has used in the past. It’s designed to help golfers maintain good arm structure and reinforces correct arm connection throughout their swing.
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The idea is the ball sits between the forearms as a golfer swings the club to encourage better ball striking without constant swing thoughts creeping in. It develops a better working relationship between the arms both during the backswing and through impact.
“All players benefit from it, that’s why you get tour players using it as well, because everybody benefits from having good arm structure,” Bond said.
“Even though a tour player will have generally good arm structure, they still want those feelings just renewed. So when they’re warming up, they want to make sure they’ve got that feeling, they’re not getting slack in the practice.
“They always warm up with it for 10 to 20 minutes before they start going through their routine, and it kind of just secures the arm position where they want it.”
Bond believes amateur golfers should take notes from the pros as it could help address one of the more common faults in the swings of club golfers – the chicken wing. It’s where the lead arm bends excessively through impact and the follow-through.
“In the takeaway, the trail arm kind of starts to move away a little bit, the ball will drop out on the way through,” he said. “People with the chicken wing on the way through, which is you know a very common fault, the ball will drop out. So they lose that pressure they’ve got in the arms, which we need at impact, we need at the top of the backswing.
“It’s for everyone. If I was coaching people now, it’s something I’d go to all the time, because having good arm structure is one of the problems a lot of people have.”
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Do you use any sort of training aids when practising at the driving range or out on the course? Have you found them to be helpful in the past? If you were to use one, which area of your game would you like it to focus on most? Let us know in the comments or by getting I touch with us on X!
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