Hank Haney Power Release Trainer

Purpose:

Hank Haney Power Release Swing Weight Trainer 1)Promotes proper full-swing release for improved distance and accuracy and helps build muscle strength. 2)Variable weights are included to simulate different clubs(simulate both woods and irons) and different swing types 3)Pre-round warm ups

Set-Up:

There really is no setup required, if we were talking about a house it would be considered a key turner. Only thing you will have to change is the weight at the end, which screw in easily.There are two versions of this device, only difference is the grip at the end. 1)Molded grip (Molded training grip teaches correct hand placement and position to help you perfect your club grip) I don’t recommend the molded grip for everyone because as we all know even pros have such a variety of grips.So if you prefer a weak or strong grip the molded option is not for you. I personally change my grip & stance depending on my ball flight that day. For example if my ball flight is slicing, I will align my feet so my shoulder line is more closed (back facing more toward the target) this will get it started right of the target. If its still slicing I will strengthen my grip(turn hands more clockwise). I do the opposite if its hooking, align feet so my chest is facing more towards (back facing less towards the target) the target, if its still hooking I will start weakening my grip (turning it counter clockwise). That is my personal preference so that’s why I prefer grip number 2, but playing devils advocate here that’s not right for everyone. If you are a beginner just starting out or have a conventional grip that you never change I would say a molded grip is a better option for you. 2)Normal round grip similar to any other club you have in the bag. This grip has delineation with colors. So you can place you hands in a way you prefer. This is good because the swing trainer would be difficult to use if the grip was just one color,cause you would not have a consistent starting place you can put your hands. 3) Option 3 This is the best option in my opinion because It will provide you with both option 1 & 2 and wont cost much more.Buy the Hank Haney Power Release Swing Weight Trainer (Normal grip) and a training grip that you can attach to a normal grip. There are lots of different kinds.I have a training grip that has a big cut down one side and can be put on to any normal grip and attaches by a Velcros strap.One of my friends has this plastic piece that clips on to any grip.Go out and try a few at your local golf store and see which one works for you because its all about personal preference. This.This is a good option because you can move the grip clockwise or counterclockwise around to make the grip stronger and or weaker. This way you can have the best of both worlds, you can have a normal grip, training grip and also have the option of changing the strength of the grip with or without the training grip. I would recommend doing a few swings with the training grip attached to the training club, making sure to mark where you placed the grip on the training club. Then Grab your regular club and place the training grip on there & see what your ball flight is, also making sure to mark where you placed the grip on the normal club. At this point you are trying to make sure that the grip you placed on the training club and your regular club are in similar positions. If its fading/slicing, take the grip off your regular club and place it back on the training aid exactly where you had it the last time, then move it counterclockwise to strengthen the grip, mark the new position. Do a few swings(training club+training grip), then place it back on your actual club & also move it counterclockwise the same amount you did on the training club. See what ball flight you get, It should straighten out. If its still fading, repeat the steps and strengthen the grip more on both clubs, but remember to do the practice swings with the training club because it helps keep your timing. If its drawing/hooking to much, do the opposite. Weakening both grips every time. Its a trial and error , rinse & repeat method.You will understand what changes effect your ball flight & during the round if your ball flight changes you will give yourself the best chance to fix it.

Ease of Use:

You grab it like any other club and then you swing away, only caviet to this is making full swings. Full swings felt awkward with this training aid because the shaft has a bend in it to make it turn over to train your hands to release at the same spot during your swing. The reason I think that caused a problem during the full swing is because at the top of the backswing & at the end of the follow thru, bend in the shaft and weight gave you a really weird unbalanced feeling. As you guys know in golf its all about feelings.. My point is if you’re doing full swings and it throws off your swing, try doing half swings. I really like to use this device with half swings just to get some timing down before a round.

Effectiveness:

My friend swears by the product and uses it pre warm up when we hit the range. Its his holy grail of golf aids, this month lol jk bud you know who you are.I think timing/rhythm/syncing whatever you want to call it is key in a golf swing. This is because when your timing/syncing/rhythm is similar you will get a repeatable result, no matter how funky your swing looks. This in turn will provide a repeatable ball flight and a repeatable spot you bottom out your club and turn it over (the bent shaft with the weight does that well). This will improve contact consistency, as long as there is not very much vertical change. If there is to much vertical change either standing up or bending down more you will either hit it fat or thin. Weight aspect of the club: 1)simulating different clubs Clubs are really light these days,the difference is length of shaft (for example driver vs pitching wedge).I noticed If i kept everything else the same ( grip, stance,etc.) and changed the weights I would get different ball flights. For example if I had a light weight,If my ball flight was a fade. When I increased the weight on the training club for a few swings then switched to my normal club, it would straighten out my ball flight (squared the face up during impact). The same is true if I am hooking I would decrease the weight and try to swing the normal club to see if it straightens out my ball flight. I always try to count in my head 1,2 on the backswing & 3 on the downswing(some people use a metronome), to try to keep the length of time of every part the swing similar while changing weights.When your having trouble with your driver its a good thing to try because you could be hitting your irons well but having trouble with your driver. This is because of the length of the clubs, think of a car wheel. If you have two different sized car wheels, the larger one will take longer to make a full rotation(keeping the speed the same) This is because it has to travel farther therefore taking more time if its going at the same speed. If your talking about irons (pw) vs woods(driver),you need to give your driver more time to square up because its a bigger wheel. By keeping the count the same in your swing and changing the weights you can accomplish this task.I think that’s what they mean by simulating different clubs. 2)Different swing types I think they are referring to the weight change, simulates different impact positions. So if your in this category your probably using one weight because that’s your swing type. That’s the answer I received when I asked some golf pros, It seems more of a marketing thing to me. If any one has any info regarding this please leave a comment. 3)muscle strength The concept is simple, if you swing club A:100 mph & it weighs 1kg. Then you swing club B and it weighs 5kg’s. When you return to club A , your clubhead speed should be greater than 100mph. It turns out that swinging a heavy club before a round actually does the opposite, it will decrease your clubhead speed & could mess up your rhythm. Check out the below links and make up your mind if a weighted club is right for you. warming up with a weighted bat or clubDoes swinging a weighted club help you warm up? Side note:Neither of the above sources looked into if your using your swing trainer everyday over time you will build more strength, which will translate into more speed. They only looking into using it before a round. When asking some golfing buds to try the device out, I got mixed reviews. Some thought it was really good while others found it messed up the rhythm of their swing. When staring this review process I have noticed that’s the case with most swing aids because it only solves one issue in the swing, or if that golfers swing is unconventional it might muck up one part of their swing sequence which in turn throws off their swing. But I guess that’s kinda obvious because there is no swing aid to replicate Jim Furyk’s swing. If there was it would probably look like a contraption resembling a octopus in a phone booth. Only a joke Furyk fans, I love his swing one of my favs.

Longevity:

This device is robust and can be thrown in anybody’s golf bag without worry of it breaking. In regards to using it, I like to change up the timing aids I use, for example one day I use the impact bag, another day the orange whip. Some days I just count in my head and if I wanna warm up with weights I grab 2 or 3 of my regular clubs together and do some practice swings.Its strange in golf sometimes what works one day doesn’t work the next, is it because you have a different problem. I am not gonna lie to you sometimes you don’t know whats the problem and will get really frustrated. At that point some change is good and as the expression goes throwing the kitchen sink at it isn’t a bad idea. By that I mean grab another swing aid you have or drill you usually do and just work on that for about 30 min to 1 hr and you know whats weird your swing works after for some god dang reason. Its mind bottling, yes you’re read right its like your mind is trapped in a bottle, I say this because its weird and doesn’t make sense and someday’s when nothing works do the opposite of what would work because that’s all that’s left and you will surprise yourself. A little mind psychology for those tough days when you wanna throw your clubs into the water or snap them over your knee.

Cheaper alternatives:

When looking for cheaper alternatives, I try to understand the purpose of the device then find similar ways to accomplish the task.For example if you are working on timing with your hands, a popular device you might already have is a impact bag, also some prefer a orange whip for timing/syncing issues. I have to stress the main thing with these products, the problem you have with your swing has to be the problem the aid solves and also I found I need to use the aid regularly to build consistency. Even if the product at first makes your swing worse, I feel the purpose of swing aids is to eliminate some flaws, and only then you can work on adjusting other aspects of your swing to make the swing function properly.If you eliminate one aspect of anything you can trial and error the other parts more easily.If you want to work on timing, try counting in your head 1,2,3. Or I’ve heard some people say a word on the backswing and another on the downswing, this keeps the length similar because in theory you should say the words in similar speed and pause between the words in a similar manner every time. Its almost like trying to sync your swing to a melody of a song.Other options are grabbing 2 or 3 of your regular clubs together and doing some practice swings (this will replicate a heavy club).

Conclusion:

To conclude you have to make up your mind with the info your presented with and make a conclusion that will work best for you. I would recommend this product, I feel it helped me with my release. But with the new info regarding heavy clubs, I would not use one before a round. If I where to use a heavy club it would be on my days off the course.

Website’s on Hank Haney Power Release Trainer:Hank Haney Power Release Trainer @ golfsmiths (scroll down to middle of the page has a good video of Hank Haney explaining the device)Hank Haney Swing Weight Trainer Review (youtube video)

Other Website’s on Various Heavy Swing Trainers(there are many more if you are curious about a particular one please leave a comment or email me and I would be glad to look into it for you):Heavyweight Swing Trainer Roundup (mygolfspy.com)SKLZ Swing Accelerator Driver Training AidOrange Whip TrainerSKLZ Golf Training Aid – The Gold Flex (Golfer Reviews.org)Other Links GOLF TRAINING (sport-fitness-advisor.com)