Need to release the club? Try the Swing Setter, but watch your wrist and elbows.

This week I managed to snag the SwingSetter for $40 at Dick's Sporting Goods. I was very happy with the purchase,especially since retail is usually $120.

The Swing Setter is a great tool forevery level of player. The package includes an instructional booklet, aclubhead attachment and the training aid itself. The training aid includes aGolfPride form molded grip guarantees that a perfect grip every time.

It also includes two magnetized ballsthat are placed on the shaft. Each ball can be adjusted based on your currentswing and strength. The balls are created to give auditory feedback to theuser. You guessed it one for the backswing and downswing. Surprisingly enough,some golfers actually swing too slow. The user should hear the first click whenthey are half way back (when the left arm if you are right handed golfer is parallelto the ground and the club is pointing straight up towards the sky), the secondclick should occur at or just after the impact position. If you do not hearthis or it is later than just after impact you are not releasing the clubcorrectly.

My swing has always been a tad bitclosed on the way back and at the top of my backswing. That is where theoptional clubhead comes in very handy. Users can choose to had the clubhead onor off the training aid. Have you ever tried to see the position of yourclubhead before throughout the swing? It is not very easy. That is why this issuch a great tool. If you can see your grip, most likely you can see theposition of the clubface. That is what I love about it most. It is so easy tosee where I am at halfway back and at the top.

Finally there is the swing plane pointer. It is a metal rod that extends from the top of the grip. If you are not aware of swing plane, this probably means nothing to you. It doesn't mean anything to me either. I am a big fan of swing plane, but this is asking a little much from the user. The rod should point at your swing plane throughout the swing, but do you know how hard it is to try and visualize a little rod and where it is pointing? Not easy. Maybe a laser pointer that is, if your swingplane is drawn out for you on the ground. It is probably the most useless part of the training aid. Good idea, just hard to implement for students.

Overall I would say that the swingsetter is a great tool for beginning golfers. Shoot my girlfriend who hasn'tever golfed except on the driving range loves it. Her swing actually improveddramatically instantly! It is a very cool training aid. But remember to notover swing, it will do a real number on your wrists and elbows due to theweight of the club (heaver than your standard 5-iron to increase the feel).