[jane032657]

I have a friend who is looking at buying one of these and is wondering if any of you have ever used the swing jacket and if it helped you or not? Did you see improvement with your game? Did it make a real difference with your swing? Thanks for your reviews.

Swing Jacket | The Ultimate Swing Teacher

[VApeople]

I went to the Kemper Open (a PGA tour stop) in the early 1990's and saw Tom Kite using a training aide very much like the one in the website you gave.

Kite used to have a big inside-out loop at the top of his backswing earlier in his career and he won a lot of money with that swing. Then about 1990 (I think) he was leading the U.S. Open after three rounds but shot 78 in the last round when his swing deserted him. After that, it appeared that he changed his swing to get rid of the loop and won the U.S. Open a few years later.

If you have a problem with your swing plane not being consistent, maybe this contraption would help you.

[ColdNoMore]

There have been times when it took 5 shots to hole out from 100 yards...I could have benefited from a straight-jacket.

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

There have been times when it took 5 shots to hole out from 100 yards...I could have benefited from a straight-jacket.

Last year in the Masters we saw Hall of Famer Ernie Els take five shots to hole out from two feet. No one says golf is an easy sport.

Seriously, I was impressed that Ernie had the guts to finish the round. Most of us would have just crawled into a hole and felt sorry for ourselves.

[fred53]

Notice how any references made to who uses them it's not the poster, but a professional. The reason is that typically without a professional golf instructor correcting any swing mistakes the jacket won't likely improve the usual mid to high handicapper. The reasons are because the swing jacket is designed to keep: 1) the arms and body as one unit 2) keep the upper arms closer to the rib cage. If you don't already have a great grip, decent swing plane, proper stance, maintaining the correct spine angle through the hitting area, proper alignment, proper timing and tempo,etc. this jacket will not correct those faults which are all key into attaining lower scores. Putting a clubhead cover under each area will accomplish almost the identical result as this swing jacket.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

In my humble opinion it might be a good device for one type of swing. But, again in my humble opinion, that type of swing is not the best for most amateurs and especially for seniors.

Although I do like aids, I'm not a big fan of the type of aids that restrict movement.

In the video in this ad, the golfer has his shoulders moving on too flat of a plane. His arms then follow his shoulder plane. My solution would not be to force his arms closer to his body, but to get his shoulder plane corrected and then to get his arms to swing on a more upright plane.

Forcing his arms closer to his body on the follow through might make him get the club face closed, but he'll most likely end up hitting pulls. And then what happens when the device is removed? Unless the shoulder plane is fixed and he learns to move his arms on a correct plane, he's going to go back to swinging the way that he did in the past.

No device is going to fix your swing. You are not going to strap this thing on for a few practice sessions and suddenly go from slicing to hitting it straight.

Improvement in golf takes time and an understanding of the correct fundamentals that match your swing.

[DonH57]

So is this thing like a straight jacket, but only better?

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by DonH57

So is this thing like a straight jacket, but only better?

This part of the movie Tin Cup (with what appears as the same 'jacket' mentioned by the OP)...still cracks me up.

[DonH57]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

This part of the movie Tin Cup (with what appears as the same 'jacket' mentioned by the OP)...still cracks me up.

LOL. That does look pretty funny. Thanks.

[VApeople]

You guys make a lot of sense, especially Fred and the John Lennon lookalike.

When I saw Tom Kite using a similar training aide, I did not see an instructor standing nearby, but I bet he had worked closely with one to make sure the aide would actually help him. In addition, I am sure he understood his swing much better than we understand ours.

That year in the Kemper Open, I believe Kite finished tied with Grant Waite but then lost the playoff.

When I watched Kite play, it seemed like he had the attitude that something good was going to happen. On the other hand, Curtis Strange seemed to have the attitude that something bad was going to happen. Golf is a very mental game, isn't it?

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by VApeople

Last year in the Masters we saw Hall of Famer Ernie Els take five shots to hole out from two feet. No one says golf is an easy sport.
Seriously, I was impressed that Ernie had the guts to finish the round. Most of us would have just crawled into a hole and felt sorry for ourselves.

Good Point. I never thought much about it; but it did take guts for Ernie to finish the round.

[John_W]

You can put a golf glove under your left armpit for free and accomplish the same thing.