‘Best Of’ Review: The Orange Whip Trainer

Welcome to GOLF.com’s “Best Of” review series, where one of GOLF’s editors review new, interesting and helpful products from around the golf world. This week: The Orange Whip Trainer

Background

The Orange Whip Trainer is one of the most well-known and recognizable training aids around. It’s inventor, Jim Hackenberg, was an aspiring PGA Tour player-turned teaching professional who noticed that many 0f his students were struggling to “swing in rhythm while maintaining balance.” And that’s a tricky thing to teach — after all, rhythm is something that can’t be demonstrated as simply as a specific position in the golf swing. That quest eventually led Hackenberg to invent the Orange Whip, a tool to help players feel their club swinging in a “tour pro motion.”

The Product

The Orange Whip Trainer is exactly what it sounds like. It’s an orange rubber ball attached to the end of a heavy, black, flexible golf shaft with a grip at the end of it. The Orange Whip trainer weighs 1.75 pounds and stretches 47 inches in length. That added length and weight, along with excess flexibility, exaggerates how the driver moves during the golf swing, and forces you to adjust your tempo accordingly so everything remains in sync.

Does it Work?

It looks a little goofy, but if you’re one of those (many) golfers who tends to get quick at the top of your backswing, or tends to cast the club on the way down, then the Orange Whip will certainly help your swing. It’s a surprisingly simple way to iron out a lot of little glitches in your swing without having to think much about it. Even if you don’t struggle with those problems, the Orange Whip certainly won’t hurt, and it’s a handy tool to help you loosen up before your round.