There are a couple of golf swing practice aids I have purchased over the last 2 years that I am going to start using again this year. There are so many different things out there that can miraculously improve your game it is very often difficult to know which to chose! I'll give you a quick overview of the practice aids I currently have and will review each in more depth after another few months of using them.
Leaderboard
I bought the Leaderboard last year as Neal had me using it down the driving range during lessons. One of the first problems we had to address with my swing when I went to see Neal was the reverse pivot I had going on. With the Leaderboard you put one foot on each of the platforms and move apart to take your stance - there are elastic bands joining the platforms to add resistance. You can now swing slowly, and if you have any movements that would mean a reverse pivot your right foot will move. The idea is to keep the two plates in the same position. Any movement and things are going wrong.
There is a third platform that you can use to actually position a ball on and hit it. I'm going to start doing this soon when using it outside with the Rotanet (see below)
Putting Mat
I can't remember who made this putting mat that I bought. It has spent the last 9 months in the shed. I got it out today and unrolled it so it will take a while for the creases to go. It's long enough to practise putting up to around 9 feet, but I'll keep using it for shorter ones and focusing more on technique. Real practise will still have to be done on the putting practice green and out on the course
RotaNet
This was the most expensive purchase I made - and unfortunately the one I used the least. I bought it last spring so I could hit practice balls in the garden to focus on technique - but the combination of a few windy days, and our cats climbing up it meant I took it down. I'm not very good at looking after things, so it has been left outside for 6 months by the path of our garden collecting leaves and snails. It is looking so poorly because when I put it up today we still had a frost and so the final tension bar that makes it stand upright was frozen. Hopefully tomorrow it will thaw out and I can put it up properly. I hit a few balls into it this evening before the sun went down and am certain it is going to get a lot of use in 2010.
What golf swing practice aids do you use and find good?