Training aids are expensive

[tj2kgolfer 8]

Why are they so dang expensive? I’m trying to get better and some of these so called “cure” aids cost hundreds of dollars. Makes no sense to me

 

 

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[Herts JoaTMoN 74]

Global pandemic and subsequent lock downs has pushed up the prices a lot in the UK. A net i bought before the pandemic cost me £50, I look online now and they are selling for £160. Demand is up so prices have gone up.

Most of these companies are relatively small so with their limited production runs and low economies of scale they can afford to push their prices up as their will always be someone willing to pay over the odds to ensure they get the thing they want.

Its the same for the used club market as well. Since more people are playing the game, there is more demand and higher prices. Most used equipment in the UK sells for 25-50% more than they did pre covid.

 

[RickyBobby_PR 5,302]

You are paying for the time and money spent researching and developing the training aid. Since many are coming from small companies or in some cases a single person or a duo like with the planemate they have to pay the costs to the company actually producing the product as well as the shipping costs to the get the product back to the creator. Then there’s the time of the developer to ship or if they choose to have someone else store and ship them.

The cost of materials has been on the rise for awhile as well.

As for the cost one has to determine if the investment is worth the price. Let’s take the planemate as it’s one of the more popular aids out right now. It’s $163 plus shipping and taxes. It’s expensive up front but it’s a training aid that can be used everyday over  to 1) learn the proper feels in the swing 2) as a warmup tool before rounds 3) as an aid to continuously train the swing and keep the feels over an extended period of time.  If one uses it for a year the overall cost is pretty cheap.  When compared to a golf lesson $163 dollars in lots of cases gets you 1 lesson with a coach in person, maybe 2 depending on the coach (some cases it will get 1 and you have a few dollars left over) if you do online it may get you 1-3 lessons.  Those lessons may or may not make you play better and your money is gone in a very short period of time

[Headhammer 1,941]

Can't speak for training aid companies, but right now there are a lot of manufacturing chains that are in chaos due to the pandemic in every industry. Raw materials are scarce, factories are running on skeleton crews to keep social distancing, both of which are driving prices higher. I see it at the grocery store, as it seems like staples I buy each week have gone up 1-2 dollars since the beginning of the year. We are still seeing scarcity of many items on the shelves. Hopefully, with the vaccines starting to become available things will start to get back to normal, but I expect it will be a while till supply is ready to meet demand and prices stabilize.

[Kansas King 233]

Training aids have always been expensive. As Herts said, they are typically not mass producing them on a scale big enough to reduce costs. The pandemic has raised the cost of some training aids but they were expensive before the pandemic hit. The reality is that golfers tend to have more money to spend and are willing to part ways with money to find the "better mousetrap". Most training aids don't really work because they focus on one specific feeling and not the whole swing. The best training aids are generally just alignment aids. I also like the putt out because it's more of a focus training aid than anything. The orangewhip is nice for warm up and tempo but it's not going to change the world. Beyond that, training aids become a game of whack a mole. Many like the Plane Mate but it's a challenging product to use properly.

The reality is that your money is probably best spent on a pair of alignment sticks and lessons. A good putting mat and something like a putt out is also useful if you're stuck inside. I'm not saying other training aids aren't useful. However, most are only useful for a very limited amount of time or if used in conjunction with lessons. 

[dlow206 5,842]

2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

You are paying for the time and money spent researching and developing the training aid.

Exactly this.

@tj2kgolfer - if you spent time coming up with a training aid and created a successful idea, wouldn't you want to charge as much as the market is willing to pay?

[Chip Strokes 3,130]

6 hours ago, tj2kgolfer said:

 

Why are they so dang expensive?

 

because people will pay endless amounts of money for any goofy doodad they think will make them a better golfer.  then they look like this and the only numbers that got lower are in their bank account.

 

[Tom the Golf Nut 2,755]

Everything is expensive because they can get away with it. Supply and demand. Michael Breed used to have an instructional show on the golf channel. You can find a lot of his training videos on line. What I liked about him the most is that all his training tools were household items, and he showed you how to utilize them to help you improve. Simple things... coat hanger, pool noodle, a shoe box, kids inflatable pool floats, piece of rope, golf tees, golf towel. You get the idea.

As for other items on the market like the swing speed sticks, down under board, chip O, All these things you can make yourself if you are handy.  Personally i just like the challenge of making a training aid for a fraction of what you would pay in the store.  Some training aids are good and some lead you to say "I'm glad I really didn't pay for that". 

[cnosil 15,721]

Yes, others have said why training aids are so expensive but there is also a compounding factor to costs. People often seek the quick fix to improve their game and choose the training aid of the day and keep buying them when it doesn’t work.

The best bet is to get recommendations from your instructor to help you fix the problems that you are having in your stroke. If you don’t want to go that route do some DIY things to see if the actual aid would provide some benefit.

[stuka44 111]

7 hours ago, tj2kgolfer said:

 

Why are they so dang expensive? I’m trying to get better and some of these so called “cure” aids cost hundreds of dollars. Makes no sense to me

 

 

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Got to agree with Chip on this one.  Not only training aids, but apparently enough people bought the HAMMER X, 20 years ago, that they are now advertising it again to see how many people will by it for the 50 yard gain off the tee or whatever it says.  As a 14 handicap your game should be pretty good.  Save your money on the training aids, and read some good advice on how to practice with a purpose, before a round and on days your not playing by going to a course and just practice various aspects of your game. Now I'm not throwing stones, I'm one of the worst.  Jump out of the car, no practice swings, no practice putts, do a couple of Miguel Angel Jiminez stretches on the first tee and hammer that first one.  And I then wonder why my scores aren't sustaining any improvement.  Just believe that some time dialing in accuracy of approach from 100 yards, chipping/pitching to 3-5 feet regularly instead of 8 feet will likely help you get better instead of buying training aids, given the noted handicap.  Just my thought.

[Buffly 556]

Some training Aids are cheaper than others:

• Arm sleeve trainer $12
• Arm wrist angle $10
• Reflector Stick from Home Depot is a perfect alignment stick for $2
• Also, Smash Bag $25
• Orange Whip Clone $37 (yellow version)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NVQFG1T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_EcM7FbCWTJZX0?tag=mochaglobal-20&ascsubtag=srctok-aba1768b9dd1aa2a&btn_ref=srctok-aba1768b9dd1aa2a

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08FH5M9N4/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&th=1

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-48-in-Reflective-Rod-in-Orange-31474/304685319 

 

[cnosil 15,721]

As a 14 handicap your game should be pretty good.  Save your money on the training aids, and read some good advice on how to practice with a purpose, before a round and on days your not playing by going to a course and just practice various aspects of your game.

  Just believe that some time dialing in accuracy of approach from 100 yards, chipping/pitching to 3-5 feet regularly instead of 8 feet will likely help you get better instead of buying training aids, given the noted handicap. 

I don’t think handicap plays a part in this. The top players in the world is training aids to help build feels and tighten mechanics.

I am a single digit golfer and use putting aids all the time to check alignment, work on face angle, and stroke.

Go to the driving range mon-wed at a professional tournament and you will see lots of training aids.

The problem isn’t the aid, it is having the understanding of which aid you should be using.

[stuka44 111]

26 minutes ago, cnosil said:

 

I don’t think handicap plays a part in this. The top players in the world is training aids to help build feels and tighten mechanics.

I am a single digit golfer and use putting aids all the time to check alignment, work on face angle, and stroke.

Go to the driving range mon-wed at a professional tournament and you will see lots of training aids.

The problem isn’t the aid, it is having the understanding of which aid you should be using.

 

What I saw in his original post was "trying to get better"  implies that he is not being successful.... "cure aid"  implies to me somewhat of an "easy fix" eluded to by  chip strokes.... and "hundreds of dollars" being the ones he is apparently looking at to "cure" whatever it is he believes is keeping him from getting better.   I sensed a greater sense of "urgency" on his part that there was "some thing/object"  that would "make him better".    I was  only imparting that before I spend "hundreds of dollars" on a golf aid  to "help me get better", maybe get to the 7 handicap that you are, that when that goal becomes important enough to me in golf,   I will first make sure I am chipping 150 balls a week to ensure that my proximity to the hole from 20-70' improves, to hone my distance control on the greens from 10-20-30 feet to reduce 3 putts, and yes practice 3, 4, 5, & 6 footers, because all of our scores will improve it we one putt more of those.  Now if the original poster has done what I suggest, and truly just practiced more(without a "cure" or "aid") and his scores are "stuck", then I don't have any advice.  It just didn't seem to me that using that putting aid with the tees that Tony Finau was grinding 4 footers with on the practice green at the Genesis Open on Sunday, was what the original poster was referring to.  I could be wrong though.

[cnosil 15,721]

What I saw in his original post was "trying to get better"  implies that he is not being successful.... "cure aid"  implies to me somewhat of an "easy fix" eluded to by  chip strokes.... and "hundreds of dollars" being the ones he is apparently looking at to "cure" whatever it is he believes is keeping him from getting better.   I sensed a greater sense of "urgency" on his part that there was "some thing/object"  that would "make him better".    I was  only imparting that before I spend "hundreds of dollars" on a golf aid  to "help me get better", maybe get to the 7 handicap that you are, that when that goal becomes important enough to me in golf,   I will first make sure I am chipping 150 balls a week to ensure that my proximity to the hole from 20-70' improves, to hone my distance control on the greens from 10-20-30 feet to reduce 3 putts, and yes practice 3, 4, 5, & 6 footers, because all of our scores will improve it we one putt more of those.  Now if the original poster has done what I suggest, and truly just practiced more(without a "cure" or "aid") and his scores are "stuck", then I don't have any advice.  It just didn't seem to me that using that putting aid with the tees that Tony Finau was grinding 4 footers with on the practice green at the Genesis Open on Sunday, was what the original poster was referring to.  I could be wrong though.

Valid points. We interpreted the original post differently. I read it as I want to get better and all the cure my swing training aids I look at are expensive. To me no different than the latest fix my slice tip of the day. Those thoughts aren’t handicap or skill related. I’ve hit hundred of balls trying to work on my short game and finally got smart and started working with an instructor.

Ideally we would have seen a post that read I have been working with an instructor and he told me to get this aid because I have this problem but I am wondering why it is so expensive.

We have no specifics on what aids or what the person is trying to fix. $20 might be expensive to the individual.

[stuka44 111]

And for what its worth, I may break down and get one of those golf tee things that Tony Finau was using, because I don't like it when I hook a 4 foot putt, like its a 4 iron coming out of wet rough....

[tj2kgolfer 8]

I don’t think handicap plays a part in this. The top players in the world is training aids to help build feels and tighten mechanics.

I am a single digit golfer and use putting aids all the time to check alignment, work on face angle, and stroke.

Go to the driving range mon-wed at a professional tournament and you will see lots of training aids.

The problem isn’t the aid, it is having the understanding of which aid you should be using.
That’s very true!! The point I want to make however, is that for those who don’t know to do these things they spend money on a quick fix that won’t work


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