GOLF.com Review: A putting training aid that’s an actual pendulum

ORLANDO, Fla. — Training aids, especially putting training aids, are a particular weakness of mine. Which is why my ears perked up at the 2020 PGA Show when I first laid eyes on the Gatekeeper by AI Golf ($99.95). Here’s the rundown.

Background

The Gatekeeper is the first of three forthcoming training aids by Australian company AI Golf. The inventor is a former player himself who consistently struggled with tempo in his putting stroke, so he invented a training aid designed to give you real-time feedback.

The Product

The training aid attaches to the lower third of the shaft of your putter. You align it so it corresponds with the lines on your putter when you look down, and it unfurls into a miniature pendulum. If your putting stroke is square and smooth, the ball will swing through unencumbered. If your face over-rotates or your path isn’t straight back or straight through, the ball will bang on the sides, as you can see me do below (not intentionally).

Does it Work?

Every training aid works, it’s all about whether it solves a problem plaguing your game. The Gatekeeper is better to use indoors than out. It was a windy day when I tried mine, which meant the ball blew around slightly before I even moved it. It’s also one of those training aids that doesn’t subtly blend into the background. When you’re using the device, it’s very much the center of your focus. That said, it’s a testing and effective way of ironing-out the kinks in your putting stroke. It’s impossible to “cheat” the training aid with a poor stroke, and it’s one of the few products that actually helps golfers improve the tempo of their putting stroke.