Golf Gadgets: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
We've been playing golf long enough to see our fair share of gadgets. Celebrated on infomercials and hawked in pro shops everywhere, golf gadgets offer the promise of better performance and more fun on the course.
Maybe it’s a swing aid, beverage cooler, or nifty technology, you or someone you know has bought a gimmick they might regret. But every so often you find a real gem, like the divot tool (golf’s OG gadget?), and realize some products really can make the game better. That’s probably why a majority of golfers spend between $500-$1000 annually on golf accessories. They just can’t say no to the tease of making life on the course more enjoyable.
Obviously, not all gadgets are created equal. Some are purchased as gag gifts, others by frustrated golfers willing to try any cure for what ails them. Well, we’ve got opinions on all these golf gadgets, and we’re going to give them to you! Let’s break down golf gadgets by good, bad and ugly.
Golf Gadgets: The Bad
Let’s get started with the most entertaining category by far, to get us laughing before we look at some with actual merit. Ready for some fun? Take a look at these.
Swing Jacket
Golf is a frustrating sport, so perhaps it's best we all just start playing in straight jackets. Practice aids like this swing jacket have become so overly specialized that every guy with an idea seems to think theirs is the key to the perfect swing. Sure, swing jacket gadgets might teach a golfer to keep their arms in position while taking a shot. But guess what? So will a couple of hand towels. Or golf balls. There are plenty of ways to practice golf at home without having your kids strap you into a vest, shuffling out into the front yard, and embarrassing the entire family.
Iron Head Covers
Even non-golfers know that some golf clubs 'need' to wear little sweaters in order to stay warm during those brisk morning tee times – they're called head covers. Some golfers use them to keep their woods out of the rain and ding free, others like custom golf head covers to express their personality or sports allegiance. Covers for your woods are fine - they’ll keep them from getting banged up and reduce noise when schlepping your bag from tee to green.
But covers for your iron? No, just no. Your irons are made of, well, solid iron, so they’re durable enough to withstand the nicks and chips that can befall your new lightweight titanium driver. Not only will you slow the pace of play by constantly taking off and putting on a head cover for 10 other clubs in your bag (a big no-no when it comes to golf etiquette), you’re just going to look ridiculous. Unless you own a set of Honma Beres 5-stars, what could there possibly be to protect about a set of irons? The answer is nothing, so just don’t.
Precision Impact Wrist Hinge Trainer
This looks more like something that Tony Stark would create for his Iron Man suit: a brace that promises to “eliminate flipping and scooping of the hands” so that you can “strike the ball with complete command.” Ok sure. Just strap this solid brace onto your forearm and swing your way to lower scores, and make sure to send Peter Kostis some money for his Precision Impact Ambassadorship.
Multiclubs
The old adage, 'jack of all trades, master of none' could not be more fitting for this unique circle of golf gadget hell. Multi-loft clubs like this one from Q Golf have been sold under many names over many many years. Their promise is to give the golfer more flexibility over their loft angle, and therefore improve their accuracy. But adjustable clubs are like multitools – they do a job, just worse than any of the tools they've crammed into the thing. No one's best screwdriver is the one in their Swiss army knife, just like the best club in a golfer's bag isn't likely to be the one that can be used for every shot on the course.
The HammerX Driver
Want to crush your drives with the ferocity and energy of a pro wrestler (the fake kind, not the Olympic kind)? Then the HammerX Driver might just be for you. While it looks like the skeletal remains of a fully decomposed driver, former long-drive champion Jack Hamm uses it, and there’s apparently a lot of science behind it. Pseudo science that is. The only thing this whacky club is good for is one of the best golf infomercials of all time:
The UroClub
Congratulations for making it this far. As a reward, we have enrolled you in the UroClub. No, not EuroClub, Uro as in urine. Get it? This fake club isn't full of liquor, it doesn't store a few beers in the shaft – it's a hollow club that you pee into if you need to use the potty while looking discreet. Of course, by discreet, we mean standing still in the middle of a golf course, with your entire religion in a plastic tube pretending to eye up your next shot. "Where do I put it when I'm done?" you ask: just stick it right back into your golf bag. Don't forget to see if your friends need to use the potty too, because sharing is caring.
Silicone Golf Ball Ring
If you’re married to golf, this just might be the ring for you. From a utility perspective, the DiMPLD PGA Tour® Silicone Golf Ball Ring promises to enhance your grip and reduce vibrations. We make no statement on those claims, but honestly they aren’t that far fetched. This golf gadget could probably serve a purpose, especially if you’re planning a golf bachelor party and need a funny gift for the groom-to-be. Or if you really want to set the tone in your marriage, skip the traditional white gold wedding ring and let your significant other know that they aren’t just marrying you, they’re marrying a lifetime of weekends wondering where you’ve been all day.
Golf Gadgets: The Good
Not all golf gadgets are bad. Some are quite convenient and deliver on their promise of making your game better, faster, and more enjoyable. As a reward for the ugly section above, here are some products we fully endorse.
Club Finders
I know it looks like a nice walk in the park, but golf requires a lot of concentration. There are uncountable ways that a golfer's swing can affect the flight path of a ball, and that's before taking into account the weather, club, and course conditions. Add in a touch of heated rivalry, some beer, and the stresses of life – and you have a recipe for forgetfulness.
Leaving clubs behind is simply a pastime of golf. And if the club in question is one that's rarely used, one might not even notice until they're back at the car organizing their bag to discover that a wedge is missing. Club Finders are an inexpensive, and invaluable addition to a set of clubs that will help a course ranger, fellow player, or groundskeeper get any wayward stick back to the rightful owner. Because they pop into the back of most golf club grips, they're easy to install, and won't change the weight/balance of a club – ensuring that the golfer's swing stays the same (good swings not guaranteed). They also make a great golf gift.
Never Lose a Club Again with Club Finders (Even if You Wanted To)!
Range Finder
Let's face it, not every golfer is going to put in the time to perfectly hone their golf course strategy for each round they play. Even if they did, the knowledge afforded by having a reliable, accurate range finder cannot be overstated. Distance to the hole will help a golfer know which club to use, and how much of a swing they need to put on that club.
Some GPS-enabled rangefinders like this Garmin GPS watch are incredibly useful, showing golfers their distance to the hole wherever they are on the course. Even the traditional, spyglass style rangefinders have been infused with technology, and now come standard with HD LCD screens, laser precision, and even elevation/slope measurements. With all the information that a rangefinder provides, golfers are better able to understand what needs to happen on their upcoming shot, and how best to accomplish it.
GPS Speakers
Want a range finder that also blasts sick beats? The Bushnell Wingman GPS Speaker is the gadget for you. Look, we all know golf has a reputation as a stuffy, boring game. But on courses across the country, more people are loosening up, and there is no greater evidence for this than the emergence of music on the course. Perfect for casual rounds with friends, the Wingman has a magnet for attaching to the golf cart and connects to your smartphone through bluetooth. And when you’re ready, just push a button on the remote and listen to the sweet sounds of front, center, and back distances. True music to a golfer’s ears!
Divot repair tool
As you may have heard (or guessed) golf is a game played on grass. Sure, over 100's of years of selective breeding, care, and the collective knowledge of groundskeepers world over, it might look like carpet – even feel like carpet – but it's still grass. And it's important to keep it looking as good as possible. Unlike the field of play, the devices of golf are quite hard, so when a ball impacts a green, especially from height, it can leave a divot in the surface. While you can fix it with a broken tee or a golf pencil, the class and simplicity of a divot repair tool is hard to beat. Because it clips onto their favorite golf hat/visor, it won't get left behind. Personalize it with your favorite golfer’s initials and make for a fine, thoughtful gift for any occasion.
The Arccos Golf Caddie
Technology has great promise for making the world a better place, and golf is part of the world. So technology should help your golf game, right? We think so…and the makers of the Arccos Golf Caddie think so too. This handy piece of golf-nology (yeah we did) is a wearable shot-tracking device to give you all kinds of data about your game, from your swing to ball flight, and everything in between. It can link to your iPhone or Android device and even includes a built in, A.I. powered GPS range finder.
It definitely seems like a lot, but if you’re a serious golfer then it’s good to know your tendencies. Incorporating your natural swing shape into a pre-shot routine is crucial to better scores and avoiding “the big miss,” and if you don’t believe us then just know that Arccos Caddie has won four-straight Golf Digest Editor’s Choice Awards for “Best Game Analyzer.”
Golf Push Cart Conversion Kit
Got a push cart that you’re a little tired of hauling around? Convert it to an electronic, remote controlled push cart with the Alphard Club Booster Push Cart Conversion Kit. It does just what it’s title suggests: transforms nearly any model push/pull cart into a fully remote-controlled golf caddy. Control it by remote or hit the “follow” setting and that old push cart will follow you anywhere your golf ball takes you.
Golf Gadgets: The Ugly
Not everything that is ugly is bad. While these golf gadgets may be unsightly, they definitely have utility!
Ball stencils
The blight of pro shop check out desks across the globe, ball stencils actually do look quite promising. Sometimes, golfers are in foursomes with people who use the same kind of ball, so being able to quickly differentiate whose is whose is a plus. This is especially true if you’re involved in a golf betting game or formal match play where playing the wrong ball can cost you the hole.
While you could just mark your ball with special dots, a stencil can give you a cleaner line, a plus for lining up putts. Not to mention I have terrible penmanship, so attempting to mark my balls free hand is a recipe for sloppiness. So why not pick up some golf ball stencils and take carelessness out of the equation. Or just buy custom golf balls!
Golf Ball Grabber
If you have a bad back, stiff knees, or just don’t like bending over, this handy little golf gadget is for you. Attaching to the end of your putter, the golf ball retriever/grabber is a little suction-type device that allows you to retrieve loose golf balls from the turf or the bottom of the cup. It’s especially useful for putters that don’t have that little scooper on the back, and essential for golfers who don’t want to risk pulling a muscle in the most depressing way ever.
Golf Ball Picker
In the same vein as the golf ball grabber is the golf ball picker, that telescoping unit that you probably used as a child to fish in the river for errant shots while your moms and pops got their golf on. We’re not going to endorse these as something you should use often (remember: pace of play!), but they definitely have a place. Nobody wants to get wet over a splashed Pro V1, but nobody wants to leave $4.50 in the stream either. A quick scoop and score can keep you going, but you aren’t on a fishing trip, and some balls just need to meet a watery end. Use at your discretion, and definitely take one with you if you’re lucky enough to live near a golf course that let’s you walk on it during off hours.
Ball finding glasses
Have you ever seen an infomercial for those orange plastic glasses that promise to improve your night vision while driving, or those glasses that promise to eliminate 'blue light'? Well golf ball finding specs are about as clinically proven as those. That is to say, they don't do anything outside of changing the aesthetics of whoever's wearing them.
That being said, for golfers with colorblindness, or other vision difficulties, shifting the color of the ball/grass into a spectrum for which they have more rods and cones might actually make an appreciable difference to their ability to spot the ball. But if dad has decent vision, you don't need to send him out looking like a skeet shooter at the Olympics. Isn't the argyle sweater vest enough?
For as long as we play golf, hucksters are going to continue to push weird golf products on unsuspecting hopefuls. While some golf gadgets are certainly worth your time and consideration, there are no shortcuts on the road to better golf. If it looks ridiculous, it probably is, so approach with caution!
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