If you’ve got a swing flaw (and who among us doesn’t), chances are there’s a training aid designed to help you fix it.  In truth a good bit of what hits the market each season is often little more than rehashed, slightly updated versions of the same cure-all devices we saw the year before.  It’s not all bad of course, some of what’s out there might actually do some good, but the golf training aid industry as a whole seems to be lacking for imagination.

As much as anything, what attracted me to the idea of reviewing the SKLZ Gyro Swing is that it’s one of the few truly unique products the industry has to offer.  Sure, there’s a multitude of options out there, but how many feature a battery-powered gyroscopic motor built into the clubhead?  Don’t hold me to it, but I think the answer is 1 – The SKLZ Gyro Swing.

It’s been several months now since I first previewed the Gyro Swing as part of my “Best of the Rest” from the PGA Merchandise show.  The media team at SKLZ was kind enough to provide a sample for testing and review.  I’ve had the product in hand for well over a month now, and have made the most of my opportunity to find out what the most techie-friendly product SKLZ has to offer is all about.

Background

I’m guessing that if you’re reading this you already know what the Gyro Swing is all about, but for the sake of completeness, allow me to quickly rundown exactly what it is the Gyro Swing is supposed to do, and how it actually does it.

The centerpiece of the Gyro Swing’s marketing is the notion that it allows you to “feel the perfect swing”.  As a guy who’s been feeling a mostly imperfect swing for over 5 years now, that’s exactly the type of muscle memory building experience I need.

It sounds good, but what does “feel the perfect swing” really mean?  In the case of the Gyro Swing, it means that there’s a gyroscopic motor built into the clubhead that spins at an astonishing 20,000 RPM, which in-turn not only forces the club to move along the ideal swing plane, but also forces the golfer to properly rotate the clubhead through the impact zone (whew…that’s a bit of a mouthful).

What makes the Gyro Swing unique is, as the name suggests, the gyroscope built into the clubhead (that round brass thing on the right). Spinning at an amazing 20,00 RPM, the gyroscope allows the SKLZ Gyro Swing to practically swing itself.

Now I’m not physicist; in fact, I’m probably not smart enough to play one on TV, but I do know that muscle memory is one of the keys to building the consistent, reliable golf swing that so many of us lust after.  This of course brings us to another question of some importance; does the SKLZ Gyro Swing actually work?  The answer in a moment.

What’s in the Box

• Gyro Swing training club
• Head cover
• 6 Rechargeable AAA batteries & charger
• DVD with usage instructions and training drill videos

I’ll admit I was a bit peeved when I learned the Gyro Swing requires 6 AAA batteries to run, but any frustration dissipated when I found out a 6 pack of AAA rechargeable batteries is included (where was this kind of thing when I was a kid)?  It’s also worth noting that the included charger is able to get the batteries powered up in under 15 minutes.  Good stuff.

Getting Started with the Gyro Swing

I love it when it’s simple.  Insert all 6 batteries into the grip.  Screw the fastening knob into place.  Wait for the Gyro Swing to get up to speed.  Practice, practice practice.

While I would recommend you check out the quick drills detailed on the DVD, you should be able to figure out how to use the Gyro Swing without much in the way of guidance.  In fact, there’s actually almost nothing too figure out because, as you’ll soon learn, the Gyro Swing pretty much drives itself – I’m just along for the ride.

Practicing with the Gyro Swing

My Routine

In using the Gyro Swing for the past several weeks, I tried to limit my sessions to 10-15minutes.  I’d start with a waggle, and then half swings; eventually working my way up to full swings (although I wouldn’t recommend taking them at full speed).  I also mix in drills from the DVD to try and give myself the most complete Gyro Swing training experience possible.

When I test a training aid I’m a bit of a mischief-maker.  While I stop short of intentionally using the product other than how it’s intended, I will go well out of my way to see how it handles the worst swings I can put on it (intentional or otherwise).

Swinging the Gyro Swing

One the primary flaws the Gyro Swing is designed to correct is casting (or swinging from over the top).  I took several very deliberate ax-chop type swings, and the Gyro Swing fought me to exhaustion on each and every one of my hacks.  So while it is possible to swing the Gyro Swing from over the top, it’s nothing that’s going to happen through the course of a natural swing; the 20,000 RPM gyroscope simple won’t allow it.

Occasionally my game develops a severe variant of the over-the-top swing where I’ll start inside, but end up swinging completely around the ball.  On the course the result is usually a 45-60 yard pull hook that starts well left of my target and ends up even lefter (yes, I realize lefter is not actually a word).

Regardless of whether or not my around the world swing is intentionally summoned or naturally occurring, the Gyro Swing is very effective at correcting the issue.  I’m assuming it’s the gyroscope that forces the clubhead shut well before it enters the impact zone and causes me to nearly take out the kneecap on my back leg with the clubhead.  As bad as that may sounds it’s actually quite helpful as the Gyro Swing makes it abundantly clear that the swing I just took is not one to be repeated.

For those of us who compound their outside-in approach with a penchant for leaving the clubhead wide open at impact, the Gyro Swing is quite simply the best tool I’ve found to teach the feel of proper clubhead rotation and release.  Because the club, for all intents and purposes, rotates itself you’re practically forced to make a proper and complete rotation each and every time you move the club through the impact zone.  If nothing else, the Gyro Swing is idiot proof, which is exactly what I need.

Because when possible I like to get a sense of what others think about some of the toys I get in the mail, I let a couple of “friends” spend some time with the Gyro Swing.  My wife is not a golfer, has only been to the range a few times, and has one of the few remaining golf swings on the planet worse than mine.  Still, she was curious about the Gyro Swing, so I let her play with it for a few minutes.

While her posture and balance could use some work, it wasn’t long before she was making natural-looking, on plane swings, with full clubhead rotation and release.  In that respect, I believe the Gyro Swing probably is an excellent training tool for the beginning golfer.  That said, in the interest of full disclosure, my wife only used it for a few minutes, and hasn’t swung an actual golf club since, so I can’t say with 100% certainty that her experience would translate to real-world improvement.

My buddy Matt also spent a couple of minutes with the Gyro Swing.  He routinely shoots in the 70s, so I’m going to assume that he’s mostly got his swing path and clubhead rotation issues ironed out.  Still, after using it for a couple of minutes he told me that he could definitely feel the gyroscope turning the club over for him, and that he through that it was “pretty cool”.

Also of value are the see-through grip design with alignment aid.  Although I know how to grip a golf club, occasionally I let it get away from me.  The alignment aid offers a quick reminder to check my grip, and because the Gyro Swing is relatively light you can, if you’re so inclined, use it any time and any place to reinforce proper hand placement.

The see-through grip aid is a very simple, but effective means of helping the golfer verify his hands are positioned correctly. In my opinion the Gyro Swing way of doing things is far superior to the molded training grips on the market.

The two-tone shaft is designed to add further visual checks to verify rotation, although in practice, I haven’t found it all that useful.

It Ain’t Perfect

As with most everything in life, the Gyro Swing isn’t perfect.  As is briefly mentioned in the training videos, the Gyro Swing works pretty much the same way if you swing from the extreme inside out.  Since most path issues are of the outside-in variety, in most cases this won’t be a problem.  Unfortunately I occasionally do develop the nasty habit of bringing the club back too far to the inside.  Generally it happens if I’m playing too much and get tired.  Sadly, that’s exactly what happened (36 holes followed by 18 on foot about 14 hours later).

I wore myself out on the course, went home and practiced with the Gyro Swing for 15 minutes and pretty much ingrained an way-to-far-inside-out golf swing that has taken me a couple weeks to shake.

Again, the documentation acknowledges that the potential for trouble is there, so I’ll chalk up the fact that I used the Gyro Swing to reinforce a swing flaw up to my own carelessness.  Pay attention to your take away and you should be fine, but know that the potential to make your swing worse exists.

Other minor annoyances

While the Gyro Swing requires 6 batteries, the charger can only handle 4 at a time, which means you’re going to have to wait for 2 separate charge sessions before you can use your Gyro Swing.  Generally speaking I found battery life to be good, so it won’t be an everyday issue.

To turn the Gyro Swing on and off you simply screw and unscrew the battery cap.  It works well, but since the cap needs to be loosened to turn the Gyro Swing off, there is the potential that the cap could become dislodged and lost.

While the screw-in to turn-on system works, I am concerned that the threaded plug could fall out and either get lost, or in my house, chewed by a dog, rendering your Gyro Swing useless until you can find a replacement.

Call it a mixed blessing, but the Gyro Swing is slightly shorter than my lob wedge (about the length of a driver from one of those USA Kids sets).  The downside is that it doesn’t “feel” like a driver.  The upside is that you can use it indoors without any real risk of damage to ceilings and walls.

I was surprised by how short the Gyro Swing is. You can see that it's every-so-slightly shorter than my standard length lob wedge. While this length means the Gyro Swing won't feel like a driver (it's not really supposed to), the relatively small footprint means my wife doesn't yell when I use it inside the house.

The Good

• Rechargeable batteries & charger included
• Outstanding “feel-based” tool for correcting over-the-top and outside-in swing flaws
• Teaches proper clubhead rotation (and prevents “flippy” wrists) without feeling unnatural
• See-through grip alignment tool for reinforcing the proper grip position (who among us doesn’t let the proper grip get away from us from time to time?)
• Dual color shaft reinforces proper swing plane and calls attention to problems
• Seems to work for both beginning and more accomplished golfers

The Bad

• Charger only charges 4 of 6 batteries at a time
• Screw-in on/off system could potentially result in a lost cap
• Potential to reinforce undesirable swing path (too far inside-out)
• At $220, it’s one of the more expensive training aids on the market

Final Thoughts

As I’ve said in the past, I’m generally not a big fan of golf swing trainers that you can’t actually hit a golf ball with.  In a perfect world the Gyro Swing would be the length of a 5 or 6 iron and you’d be able to take it to the range with you.  I’m pretty sure there’s some serious engineering hurdles that prevent my dream from becoming a reality, but for an impact-free swing training club, the SKLZ Gyro Swing is very impressive.

Not only does it work as advertised, but it’s also worth mentioning that using the Gyro Swing is about as effortless to use as a swing trainer gets.  It does most of the work, you’re job is to do little more than hold on and feel the path it’s taking you on.  It’s like having a caddy for your training session.

Does it work?  Yes.  Is this gyroscope thingy cool?  Yes, very much so.  Is it worth $220?  I’m afraid that’s the one question I don’t have an answer for.  If however the question is “which is more likely to fix my swing problem a Gyro Swing, or a new club?” I’d be hard pressed to not to suggest you start with the Gyro Swing.

Buy the SKLZ Gyro Swing Now at Amazon.com