From the Manufacturer (our review below):
Gold Flex Strength and Tempo Trainer
The Gold Flex warm-up and tempo training aid is designed to improve your swing while providing a core muscle workout. The Gold Flex encourages a flatter swing plane and forces the downswing to be initiated by the lower body, both of which fight slices.
Features
- Durable polyurethane head for frequent use
- Shaft length helps flatten the swing plane
- 49″ in length, 2.5 lb. head
- Flexible fiberglass shaft teaches lag and helps eliminate early release/casting
- Golf grip with guidelines for proper hand placement
- Head weight improves kinetic sequencing in the swing
- Strengthens core golf muscles
- Great low-impact stretch for pre-round warm-up
- Fits easily in golf bag and is legal to carry on course
- PLEASE NOTE: This product cannot be re-gripped
Sizing Guide
Gold Flex 48-inch
Measures 48″ in length with a 2.5 lb. head
Generally more appropriate for individuals 5’6″ or taller, but individuals under 5’6″ who are stronger, or more skilled/experienced will be able to utilize the Gold Flex Original without difficulty.
Gold Flex 40-inch
Measures 40″ in length with a 2.5 lb. head
Generally more appropriate for individuals under 5’6″, however, individuals under 5’6″ who are stronger, or more skilled/experienced will be able to use the longer Gold Flex without difficulty.
Our Review:
If you read our review of the Orange Whip, this is going to seem like Deja Vu. However, just to be up front with you, we would go with this product over the Orange Whip mainly because of cost.
The SKLZ Gold Flex training aid is well constructed and appears durable. The grip has a decent feel as well. we could feel the “whippy-ness” immediately. The weight at the end has a good feel to it. It has enough weight that you can feel where it is when whipping it around.
Swinging the SKLZ Gold Flex
When swinging the Gold Flex, the idea is to feel the point where the weight passes your hands. Within the first few swings, we could find that point pretty easily. We could tell where that spot is, just as we could with other similar swing training aids. It did help us put that spot where the golf ball is.
We know that the point of release in the golf swing should be after contact with the ball and this is what the Gold Flex helped us feel. If you release the club before making contact with the golf ball, your contact with the ball will be much worse. You will lose power, it will be much more difficult to make a solid downward contact, and you will probably hit the ground first anyway. If you want to be a good player, you just have to hit the ball when the club head is still behind your hands. In this case, the orange should still be behind your hands at that point in your swing.
Cons
When using the SKLZ Gold Flex, just as with the Orange Whip, we found that it’s important to keep a few principles in mind. First and foremost, you have to guard from breaking your left wrist. This type of whippy swing can be good, but if you don’t practice hitting golf balls very much, then you may have trouble with a slice. People like Vijay Singh and Freddy Couples are incredible and swing just like the Gold Flex would encourage you to.
However, if you start to swing the club faster, you may find the club head moves faster than your wrists can turn over. If your wrists don’t turn over by the time the weight is on the way back up, then your left wrist will break and you will most likely hit a slice. The SKLZ Gold Flex does not have a directional club head on the end, so we found that it could be swung faster than you should necessarily swing a golf club. You don’t get the feedback of the club head during the swing.
Conclusion:
This can be a stellar training aid. A lot of people really like it! It has a 4.5/5 star rating on Amazon and has become quite popular. It helps with tempo and feel because of the exaggerated weight. However, make sure to keep the cons in mind when using it as well.