In a perfect world, fitness, nutrition, and training would have each gotten an entire day devoted to it, but this is already day 13 of the guide, and if I’m being honest, I just don’t have it in me.  I’m tired.  I could easily devote an entire website to golf training products and never run out of things to write about.  It may be there only category of golf gear where product development outpaces that of the club makers.  It’s absolutely mind-blowing.  Some of the stuff I’ve seen is simple, some complex, and others…well, I’d say it’s completely ridiculous, but who am I to judge.

I lumped fitness, nutrition, and training together in one post, not just because we’re nearing the end of the guide, but also because all 3 are absolutely critical for you to play your best.

Fitness

Golf Fitness products range from the incredibly simple to high end complicated health club class equipment that the average golfer simply can’t afford to put in the basement.  With golf season right around the corner in the Northeast (perhaps that’s a bit of wishful thinking), I’ve really started to dedicate a lot of time to core strength and flexibility, and that pursuit is reflected in the products I’ve chosen.  While I did give some thought to including equipment that you might be fortunate to find at your local gym, I’m limiting this list to gear you use at home.

Golf Stretching Pole

From a simplicity standpoint, it’s tough to beat the Golf Stretching Pole.  Invented by Randy Myers, the Director of Fitness at Sea Island Resort, the Golf Stretching Pole can improve the flexibility of the various muscles used in the golf swing.  The Golf Stretching Pole promotes proper hip and shoulder rotation, and since it automatically positions the body in the perfect position throughout each part of the swing, it helps to build the muscle memory necessary for a repeatable and reliable golf swing.

The Golf Stretching Pole is available in both a women’s and a men’s model.  There is also a tour model which adds a wrist break to set the proper wrist angle, and reduce hand strain during the stretch.  There are 5 distinct exercises which target all of the upper body muscles used in the golf swing.

The Golf Stretching Pole conforms with USGA rule 14-3 which means it may be carried in your bag and used during play.  The standard edition retails for $49.95.  The cost of the tour model is $89.95.

More information can be found at www.golfstretchingpole.com.

Smart Body Golf

As I said, I’m really working on flexibility and core strength this year, which is why I find the collection of golf oriented fitness equipment from Smart Body Golf so appealing.  The collection consists of several different products designed to either improve flexibility, or increase the core strength and balance necessary to create a powerful turn.

The Inside 80 targets the large muscle groups to develop the feel needed for shots inside of 80 yards.  Use of the Inside 80 helps synchronize the golf muscles and develop rhythm and distance control. The inside 80 will also dramatically increase shoulder turn and flexibility which will lead to longer, straighter golf shots.  The Inside 80 is available for $79.99

Smart Body’s Swing Fit Elite features a weighted grip handle that is specially designed for conditioning and stretching golf specific muscles.  To use the Swing Fit Elite, simply anchor it to the ground with either foot, and work through a series of swing drills with varying ranges of motion.  For more advanced exercises a foam door attachment is included.  The Swing Fit Elite is available for $49.99.

At the core (really bad pun intended) of the Smart Body lineup is their Sona Golf System.  Featuring thumb placement indicators, a two-color design to help ensure proper release, a swing plane guide to help visualize the correct path, and a comfort handle for reduced fatigue and soft feel, the Sona may very well be the most versatile weighted ball on the market today.

The Sona can be used at home, at the range, or even before you hit your first tee shot.  Of course, ideally you’ll use it year round.  Use of the Sona ball will not only improve strength, flexibility and balance, but it also allows you to simulate a proper golf swing while getting a serious core workout.  To take your balance to another level, the Sona can be used in conjunction with stability cushions or a Swiss ball.  The Sona Core Trainer is available in 6 lbs, 8 lbs, and 10 lbs models.  Retail price is $79.99

More information about all 3 products is available at www.smartbodygolf.com.

Titleist Performance Institute

This is the 3rd year of the Golf Guide, and this is the 3rd year I’m going to mention the Titleist Performance Institute.  I’ll continue to mention each year for as long as they continue to improve it like they’ve done each of the last two years.  For those of you unfamiliar with TPI, it’s without a doubt, the most comprehensive resource for golf fitness information you’ll find on the Internet.  Actually, it’s probably the most complete golf fitness resource you’ll find anywhere.

For those simply looking for exercises, TPI offers episodes of the Titleist sponsored Golf Fitness Academy (seen weekly on The Golf Channel).  The videos include workout demonstrations by some of your favorite Titleist Tour Pros.  Some workouts require the type of equipment you’ll only find at a gym, but there are a plethora of exercise that you can do at home.  For those looking for of a hands-on training experience, the website can help you locate a TPI certified trainer in your area.

Over the last couple of years the site has grown far beyond exercise demonstrations.  The articles section of the website is absolutely huge.  It not only include articles on golf fitness, but there is also information on general health, the golf swing, and golf technology.  They even do book reviews.

Within the last year they’ve given users the ability to upload and analyze their own swing videos without the need for expensive software.  The Fitness Store has grown by leaps and bounds as well, and now includes dozens of different pieces of fitness equipment; including Randy Myers’ Golf Stretching Pole.

Although the Titleist Performance Institute does require registration, it’s completely free to use, making it the single best deal in golf fitness.  More information is available at www.mytpi.com.

Nutrition

Golf nutrition can be as simple as a granola bar at the turn, or as complicated as a full-blown nutritional analysis and diet plan.  Sometimes it’s just a couple of pieces of fruit in your bag.  Here at Qwowi, we like to keep things simple, so rather than delve into a couple dozen of the diet and energy products developed for (or at least targeted at) the golf industry, I thought I’d limit it to a couple of products I think are really cool.

1st & 10th Tee Bars

…a two pronged approach to help you “Sustain Your Game”.

1st Tee Bar

The 1st Tee Bar is intended to be eaten before the start of your round.  The ingredients are supposed to help you stay calm and reduce anxiety at the start  of your round.  As a guy who frequently gets jittery before he plays golf (it’s the excitement of the game, I guess), and sometimes suffers from 1st tee anxiety (if only those guys behind me wouldn’t watch), a product designed to boost energy while helping me to chill out a bit is really intriguing.

1st Tee Bars contain chamomile to help reduces anxiety, hops to help you relax and combat nervousness (kinda like beer), and Valerian root to reduce stress and improve circulation.  The 1st Tee pre-round bars are available in Chocolate Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Raisin flavors.

10th Tee Bar

The 10thTee Bar is meant to be eaten at the turn, and is designed to help you finish your round with focus and energy.  Here’s another case where the idea makes a lot of sense personally.  I am a notoriously bad back-9 golfer (perhaps the understatement of the decade).  I’ve been known to shoot under 40 on the front 9 and finish with a mid-50s back 9.  For whatever reason, some days I just can’t hold it together.

The 10th Tee bar contains green tea extract to help regulate blood sugar levels and combat mental fatigue (like those times when I’m too mentally drained to hit a fairway), and Panax ginseng extract to improve circulation and gently boost energy.  The 10th Tee Bar is available in Chocolate Peanut Caramel, and Peanut Honey flavors.

I haven’t tried either bar for myself, but the certainly sound like an improvement over the burger/hot dog alternative that can leave one feeling bloated and heavy.  1st & 10th Tee Energy Bars are catching on with golfers everywhere.  They’re available in over 3,500 golf shops, as well as online.  A box of 12 will run you $24 online.  Volume discounts are available.  More information is available at www.golfenergybar.com.

ViB

Pronounced vibe, ViB offers a vacation in a bottle (I just now got that).  So just what is ViB?  It’s being billed as a “functional beverage”.  Unlike energy drinks which get you all hopped up, and inevitably lead to cashing, ViB creates a natural change in body chemistry which improves focus, enhances clarity, rejuvenates and relaxes; all without causing drowsiness.  ViB is definitely something I’ll be trying out this spring as I try and break the routine of energy drink induced high scores on the back 9.  This year, I’m all about keeping it chill.

At it’s heart, lightly carbonated ViB is derived from Lycii & Gogi berries, Pomegranate, amino acids and a collection of B vitamins.  The antioxidant-rich balance of ingredients is highly nutritious, and unlike energy drinks, ViB contains no caffeine, no sodium, and no melatonin.  It’s low in calories (4o/8 oz. serving), sugar, and carbohydrates (10g each/8 oz. serving).  ViB isn’t about energy, it’s about relaxation.  ViB is about improving your focus and mood.

Designed to make you feel good (and when you feel good you play well), ViB will soon be available at grocery and convenience stores near you, and is available online through Drugstore.com  Look for new flavors in the coming months.  More information is available at www.drinkvib.com.

Training Aids

Someday I may launch and entire website devoted to Golf Training products.  If I had the time, I could review a new product each and every day and still not come remotely close to including all of the new gadgets that hit the market every year.  Even if I decided to only focus exclusively on putting trainers, I’d still easily have more material than I could ever hope to handle.  The world of golf training aids is, to say the least, vast.

In golf guides past I’ve made only passing references to some of the training tools that made an appearance at the PGA show.  This year I thought I’d pick out a handful of products that I think are among the very best.  As you’ll see, they range from the very simple to the technologically complex, but each of the 5 was chosen because I truly believe it has the potential to improve my game.

The Golf Ring

No, it’s not a collection of poorly designed web sites strung together through a lose collection of links.  The Golf Ring, billed as the #1 training device for the short game, is a very simple solution to overcoming one of the biggest obstacles I face on the golf course; my brain.  In the simplest terms, The Golf Ring is a flexible, collapsible, and portable hoop (or ring) that you can place over the hole to create a larger target.

The 6′ ring is visible from 100 feet away and provides a more realistic target.  At the risk of stating the obvious, it’s a heck of lot easier to get a golf ball inside a 6′ circle than it is a 4.25″ circle.  So while the golf ring can’t actually make the hole larger (I don’t think the USGA would go for it), it provides the golfer with a more attainable target during practice that inevitably leads to more confidence and better scoring during your round.

Apart from the psychological benefits that larger target can provide, the Golf Ring offers the opportunity for some “Big Break” style fun with your playing partners as well.  In addition to the 6′ size, The Golf Ring can be purchased as part of a set which can include either a 18″ landing ring (for practicing chips and pitches), or as a set with 9′ & 12′ rings.  The Golf Ring works well when used with either wedges or the  putter.

The Golf Ring weighs only 8 oz.  It’s flexible enough to fit in the large pocket of most golf bags making it an extremely portable short game solution.

The Golf Ring has already been endorsed by several PGA teaching professionals and college coaches.  It’s also been endorsed by famed mental conditioning coach, Dr. Bob Winters.

A single 6′ Golf Ring retails for $29.95.  The 2 ring set which includes the landing ring is $34.95.  The 3 ring scoring pack is $79.95.  More information (including demonstration videos) is available at www.thegolfring.com.

Thumb Caddy

One thing I can say with certainty; if you’re not gripping the club correctly, it becomes very difficult to consistently hit good golf shots.  On the plus side, a poor grip does make it very easy to hit hooks and slices.  It’s not that I don’t know how to grip a golf club, but if I stop paying explicit attention, over time, my grip has a tendency to get away from me.  By last fall I had allowed my grip to get so weak that any attempt to hold the club correctly left me feeling awkward and completely unable to make decent contact with the ball.  The only solution I had at the time was to play through t it and wait for winter to sort it out.

So here I am.  It’s winter, I am sorting it out, but I’ve just learned about a new device that makes getting it right, and preventing my grip from getting away from me again very easy.  The Thumb Caddy ensures both the perfect grip and perfect club alignment.  Most impressively, it does it for less than 8 bucks.

Unlike other grip trainers that either rely on visual cues, or training grips that don’t fit everyone (and are sometimes incorrect), the Thumb Caddy will work for every golfer.  Man, woman, child; right or left handed, it doesn’t matter.  Simply slide the Thumb Caddy in to place on your grip, set the thumb of your top hand into the Thumb Caddy cradle and you’re basically good to go.  You can adjust the placement as needed to correct for a slice or a hook.  The Thumb Caddy will take care of the rest, virtually guaranteeing you’ll maintain a proper grip from takeaway to follow-through.  The Thumb Caddy also helps to prevent gripping too tightly (or trying to choke the life out of the club), which can also help improve ball striking and increase power.

The Thumb Caddy retails for $7.99.  More information (including videos) is available at www.thumbcaddy.net

Tour Striker

As much as a like the other training aids I’m covering in this guide, my favorite has to be the Tour Striker, developed by PGA Teaching Professional Martin Chuck.  One of my more general golf goals is to become a better ball striker.  Granted, that’s a fairly vague objective, and believe me, there’s near infinite room for improvement, but the Tour Striker is looking like the best pure ball striking aid I’ve ever seen.

What separates the Tour Striker from other swing trainers is that the emphasis is 100% on ball striking.  While most other trainers seek to mold your swing into the mirror image of the so-called perfect swing, Martin Chuck took the approach that the style of the swing isn’t nearly as important as how the clubhead makes contact with the golf ball.  Sure, we’d all love to have Tiger’s swing, but in reality most of us have a quirk or two in our swings that make us a bit more like Jim Furyk (minus the trophies of course).  What the Tour Striker can do is teach the average golfer to apply the clubhead to the golf ball in the same manner as the best golfers in the world.  Best of all, it can do it while utilizing the swing you already have.

The Tour Striker is designed with 36° of loft (the equivalent of a modern 8-iron).  The design of the clubface is such that there aren’t any grooves below the sweet spot.  In fact, in looking at it, it doesn’t appear that there’s much of a face below the sweet spot.  Instead, there’s a substantially large leading edge, which should make it just about impossible to hit a decent shot without some forward shaft lean at impact – and that’s what it’s designed to teach.

When many golfers face what should be a perfect fairway lie, they are overcome with the fear of not being able to get the clubhead under the ball.  This is exactly why many high-handicap golfers will tell you they prefer a fluffy lie in the rough to being dead center on a closely mowed fairway.  Consistent use of the Tour Striker will remove the impulse to try and lift the ball into the air, and replace it with the solid impact that comes from a descending motion and forward shaft lean.  In short, the Tour Striker will teach you to hit through the golf ball, instead of trying to hit under it.

The Tour Striker retails for $99.  More information is available at www.tourstriker.com.

Fairway Pro

If there’s a problem with the training aids I’ve already listed it’s this:  They all require a place practice, and the average practice mat pretty much sucks.  Unless you’re fortunate enough to have a country club membership, or access to a grass range, you’re pretty much limited to those same standard issue mats found at nearly every driving range in the country.  Most are beat up, balding, and in desperate need of replacement.  Even you’re lucky enough to find a brand new one, more often than not it still offers little more than an excessively firm surface which provides little in the way of constructive feedback.  And of course, there’s the small issue of the excess wear and tear your hands and wrists take from pounding balls off range mats for hours at a time.

There have been alternatives on the market for a number of years.  Unfortunately they’re generally bulky, and none really qualify as portable.  Finally, and thankfully too, there’s a product that addresses all of the shortcomings of range mats, and yet manages to be portable enough for the average golfer to bring with him to the range, which means you can get full use of your practice time, not to mention and all of those other training aids you have.

Billed as the ultimate divot simulator, the Fairway Pro aims to change the way golfers practice.  Unlike the unyielding turf of most range mats, the Fairway Pro reacts when you strike the ball, simulating the feel of hitting off a fairway.  Its spring-load design moves like actual grass on impact, and then quickly returns to position for your next shot.  Unlike other mats, the Fairway Pro provides meaningful feedback, and won’t cause unnecessary fatigue to the joints in your hands and wrists.

Made from aircraft grade aluminum, the ultra-portable Fairway Pro can be slipped in place next to any standard range mat (it has an anchor arm that slides under the mat for stability).  It’s premium turf wears less than on  a standard mat because it slides forward, avoiding the full force of impact.  It is, however, fully replaceable, and capable of holding a standard golf tee (no more rubber range tees either).

Retail price for the Fairway Pro when it begins shipping in early April is expected to be $229.99.  Register today on the Fairway Pro website and you’ll be eligible for a $20 discount when the product begins shipping.  For information is available at www.fairwaypro.com.

TOMI

I looked at probably 2 dozen different training aids specifically designed to improve your putting stroke before I chose the TOMI for inclusion in the guide.  A lot of people have come up with a lot of really cool putting training aids.  Some are simple, and some like the TOMI are more high tech.  In fact, it was probably the fact that the TOMI plugs into a computer that I found most interesting.

TOMI, which stands for The Optimal Motion Instructor, was invented by Marius Filmalter.  Marius has helped countless PGA, LPGA, and Champions Tour pros improve their putting, so in many respects, he’s pretty much exactly the guy you’d hope would invent something that can give the average golfer access to the same type of feedback available to touring professionals.

The TOMI is a two piece system which includes an infrared transmitter that attaches to the shaft of your putter, and a receiver that attaches to your computer via USB.  As you take your putting stroke, the transmitter is measuring the 4 critical elements of the putting stroke; alignment at impact, stroke path direction, stroke rotation, and speed at impact.  All of this information is sent to your computer where it gets quickly analyzed and assessed.

TOMI will then let you know not only what you’re doing wrong, but also how you can fix it.  It will also suggest drills to help you become a great putter.

TOMI retails for $199.  A Tour model which measures for additional components of the putting stroke is available for $899.  The pro model is designed more for use by serious amateurs and teaching professionals.  More information is available at www.tomi.com.