Look long enough, and you'll find numerous opinions on golf swing teaching aids, and the comments--from professionals and weekend golfers alike--are all over the map. Some golfers swear by training aids, and many feel that only traditional practice is beneficial. Many teaching pros use homegrown teaching aids that cost next to nothing--reflector strips, plum lines, show boxes, hula hoops--to help golfers who are seeking to learn how to golf swing, and to give them a mental image that can help them keep the swing grooved when they're on the links.

All Shapes and Sizes

As you can already tell, golf swing teaching aids come in lots of price ranges and varieties. There are computerized gadgets that can tell you about clubhead speed, club face position, and other things; there are wrist and arm braces that help you key in on proper positioning during the swing; there are special hinged clubs or other clublike instruments that help you get the feel of a proper--and improper--swing. You'll even find simple gadgets like specialized grips.

The Key Ingredient

The big thing is to recognize that there is no panacea--there is no single golf swing teaching aid that will instantly fix your game. Realistically, there is no teaching aid that will even improve every part of your swing. Instead, each teaching aid will assist you with a specific piece of your golf swing. But that's okay, as specialization and focus are key to really absorbing these motions into muscle memory.

The other important thing to realize is that you must use common sense in selecting and purchasing golf swing teaching aids. Realistically, long-term game improvement comes through effort and focus -- and that comes from practice. Golf swing teaching aids play their own role, but at the end of the day, it's you who needs to apply it properly.

For that matter, some of the best improvements you will encounter will come from two decidedly no-tech sources: exercise and a video camera. Exercise that specifically works your core will do wonders for your swing and distance, especially over the course of a round. I'm not talking about crunches and the like, but a full core workout, e.g. using Pilates or a physioball. As for the video camera, it's obvious how that can help your swing, but it dawns on very few golfers to actually use theirs. Put together all of these puzzle pieces, and you're beginning to look like a contender!