7 Gadgets Women Golfers Should Have
Top 50 Coach Katie Dawkins takes us through her favorite gadgets to help women play better golf
7 Gadgets Women Golfers Should Have
Without generalizing massively, golf is different for women in many ways. There are some incredible gadgets out there that can make golf far more enjoyable for any player. Anything to make the game easier, less challenging and more practical will always catch my attention. Through my years of coaching women, I’ve fallen in love with many bits of kit, but these are some of my game changing favorites.
Orange Whip Swing Trainer
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The Orange Whip is my all-time favorite training aid. You simply need to swing this back and through and it will guide your golf down a brighter path. Available in different lengths, the mid-size is aimed at golfers with a slower swing speed. The weighted end and whippy shaft really accentuates the follow through, which is an element many women struggle with.
The whip encourages a more athletic posture from the off, then as momentum is gathered, the weight transfer is ignited and greater clubhead speed just happens where you need it. You don’t need to think too technically with this, it’s just repetition.
TheFitLife Exercise Resistance Bands
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Reasons to avoid
While it’s important to perfect your technique and practice your golf swing, doing exercises will also help to improve your game. From beginners to experienced players, resistance band training is extremely effective at burning fat and increasing muscle strength for greater flexibility, balance and stability.
This is a great set of 5 anti-snap, non-irritant and odour free bands that can be used alone or stacked in any combination of intensity to 110/150/200/250/300lbs. With attachable handles, ankle straps and a door anchor, you can choose different training methods for building a stronger golf swing. This is exercise made easy; workout in the comfort of your own home, or pack bands into your golf bag so you can incorporate them into your warm-up routine or range practice.
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Taking your game to the course from the range is tough. This incredible bit of kit is an investment but will teach you your yardages. Most importantly, the distances you carry your clubs and those half and three-quarter shots. It connects to the Garmin App on your phone and you can immediately see your results. You’ll really start shooting lower with this knowledge under your belt.
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If you want to make practice fun then the app comes with 42,000 worldwide courses, so you can literally play a round in the range or at home in your living room! It’s waterproof, is voice activated, has an impressive 10hr battery life and comes in a very smart case.
The Force Pedal Bundle
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Reasons to avoid
If it’s more distance and an efficient swing you want for Christmas, look no further than the Force Pedal. There are tons of drills you can do to enhance your weight transfer in your swing, but what this aid does is really hone in on the correct movement of your lower body.
Driving from the ground up, you gain extra clubhead speed through repetitive training. If you’re someone who struggles to shift your weight through to your front foot, then that process is dealt with in two stages: the yellow pedal introduces you to the sensation of transferring weight from the ground up, and once mastered you can progress to the firmer orange pedal. As you have to exert force through the rubber of the pedal, it’s an action that can be repeated easily when the pedal is taken away.
SKLZ Smash Bag
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This bag scares some of the women I teach, but it doesn’t have to be packed with loads of old towels. Fill it more delicately and you can still get the same results without feeling like your wrists are giving way.
I often use these like medicine balls, to throw into the boot of my car as a warm-up drill. This encourages women to use less arm dominant moves to hit shots and more of a powerful drive with their bodies. The Smash Bag can also be smashed but with smaller swings, so as to make solid contact without jarring wrists. This bit of kit really helps to improve your impact position and it will get your bigger muscles working to up your yardage.
douper Golf Accessories Holder
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While this is a handy golf accessory organiser to use at home, it’s especially useful when travelling. You can hire a set of clubs, but you’ll still need your accessories such as a golf glove, tees, pitch mark repairer, ball marker etc to put into the bag, and this case keeps everything together in one place.
It has a special storage section for two golf gloves, so if one happens to get sweaty or wet, clever ventilation will help to dry it out, so in the meantime you can use your dry glove for your next round. It also has a large mesh zipped pocket that gives you easy access to your mobile phone or a small purse.
PGA Tour Pro Driving Net
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
This net is over 3m wide and over 2m tall and is an officially licensed product of the PGA Tour. It's easy to assemble and has a very handy target section where you can practice hitting to specific areas. It says 'lob', 'chip' and 'pitch' and these are useful for that but other shots too.
Don't worry about the strength of this net either, because it is made from a lightweight and yet strong fiberglass frame, whilst the durable nylon sheet dampens the impact of the ball, and gathers them up nicely. On top of all this, the net comes with PGA Tour Academy driving and chipping tips too.
There is literally a minefield of products to improve your game out there. This is only a small selection but there’s definitely something for everyone on here. You never know what Santa might bring you.
Katie is an Advanced PGA professional with over 20 years of coaching experience. She helps golfers of every age and ability to be the best versions of themselves. In January 2022 she was named as one of Golf Monthly's Top 50 Coaches.
Katie coaches the individual and uses her vast experience in technique, psychology and golf fitness to fix problems in a logical manner that is effective - she makes golf simple. Katie is now based on the edge of the New Forest. An experienced club coach, she developed GardenGOLF during lockdown and as well as coaching at Hamptworth Golf Club she freelances, operating via pop-up clinics and travelling to clients homes to help them use their space to improve.
She has coached tour pros on both LET tour and the Challenge Tour as well as introduced many a beginner to the game.
Katie has been writing instructional content for magazines for 20 years. Her creative approach to writing is fuelled by her sideline as an artist.
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