How this gadget finally sorted out my iron play

Ooooh, I do love a gadget. And if you are a golfer you will know that there are literally thousands of them out there.

And they all promise one thing - to make you a better golfer. The array is simply mind-boggling, and some of them closely resemble instruments of torture.

It’s not just club golfers who are out there looking for help. Turn up at any professional tournament and head for the practice ground and you will witness the world’s finest players using a variety of the weird and the wonderful. 

You will see golfers with towels tucked under their armpits. You will see them swinging with inflatable balls wedged between their elbows. You name it, they will try it. Anything that might give them some kind of an advantage.

I have one criteria when it comes to swing aids - it must have been created, devised or invented by a golfer I have actually heard of.

Step forward Robert Rock. If you follow the DP World Tour you will know that Rock possesses a swing that is the envy of many. He is a keen student of the golf swing and began coaching tour players while still in his prime. And he continues to do so.

Rock has come up with something called the TRS Slider, and I have just taken delivery of one after discovering that it is used by, among others, Cameron Smith and Thomas Detry, two of the sweetest swingers in the game.

It comes in three sizes and is suitable for both right- and left-handed golfers.

So what is the Slider designed to do, and does it work?

It aims to keep you connected in almost exactly the same way as sticking a towel under your right armpit. It consists of two loops - a large black loop that you strap around your chest and a smaller pink loop that goes around your right arm.

The theory is that it will teach you to keep your right arm and elbow in precisely the correct position in your backswing and through impact, eliminating a slice in the process. Essentially, it keeps your right arm in the right place. It instantly eliminates the flying right elbow.

Initially it may feel rather awkward but stick with it because after a few swings with an iron I was making fantastic contact and compressing every single shot. 

And the Slider does what it claims to do - every shot hit while wearing it was a delightful draw. In golf, repetition is everything. Hit 40 or 50 shots wearing the Slider and then remove it and repeat the process - muscle memory should mean that you end up repeating precisely the same move without the Slider.

I have been playing this game for longer than I care to remember and I have always struggled to make crisp contact with my irons. I believe that I may have finally found the tool that puts that right. So yes, it works. You just need to practice with it and groove in that feeling.

TRS say: "Most training aids are built by marketers - they look good but don't actually product results. 

"That's why we created TRS. Our training aids designed by tour players, and actually used by tour players. 

"The Slider training will force your trail arm into the right impact position, helping you to eliminate the slice, improve ball striking, and gain distance."

It comes in a case that will easily fit into your golf bag. If you are serious about improving your game and grooving a draw this product is definitely worth trying. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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