Last week, I wrote about the training aids are golfers buy now. Most of them are about setting up a place to practice like nets, mats and put setups. My advice was to build feedback tools into your process, too, because reps without feedback are just grooving to what you’ve already done.
The TempoKing Swing Trainer was sent to me to test and I have been working with it consistently. It is absolutely a feedback tool that you can use with or without a golf ball.
What is
Time King is a patented swing training club built to improve time, timing, sequence and release through immediate audible feedback. An integrated piston travels in the club and clicks as you swing so you can hear and feel your timing. It doesn’t need any electronics or apps and you can hit real golf balls with it. The click also tells you something. A click that comes too early usually means you throw your arms without your body and a late click usually means you hold and then run.
Match your head to your game
The iron head Time King the offers are not one size fits all which I have not seen on similar aids. TempoKing comes in four versions: Classic, Offset, Professional and an Offset for the left. Offset heads are generally the most forgiving, built for golfers who want help squaring the face, similar to game improvement irons. The Professional version is aimed at top players who want more feel and are comfortable with a head that rewards a pure strike. The Classic sits in the middle. The idea is to choose the one that is closest to the irons you currently play, so that what you feel carries over to your clubs.
It’s also good to see a left-handed option, since many training aids are right-handed only.
That I like
Hitting real shots is the big one. Having an actual club on hand makes it much easier to take what you’re learning to the course.
The feedback is strong. The first time I hit a shot I thought I broke the club and half stole it. In a few swings I liked it and I started wanting to make that sound (at the right time) in every swing which I think is the point.
I like the reset too. After each swing, you turn the club so that the piston falls back and that forces you to reset as well. You can’t just rake on another ball and go again. I think the break adds to the mental benefit of training.
The weight feels right to slow me down and work on time and release together. Does it work? For me, absolutely.
How I use it
An injury this summer got me into a bad habit of letting my backswing go too long and I’m working on getting it under control again. With Time KingMy focus is moving from where the club is on top to feeling the weight of the TempoKing and just trying to feel that click at impact.
I use it as much without a ball as with one. It is a good warm-up before going on the course and also a daily club to swing if you have prepared for a winter without being able to play.
What I don’t like
It’s loud and there’s a small learning curve before it stops crashing. The club is also a little long for me, so I would like to see a shorter version. At $199.99, you have to decide if you’ll use it enough to justify the price.
Other tools I have tried
I use similar tools, incl A Club and Lag Shot. I don’t like the ONE Club. It’s more complicated than it needs to be and I didn’t find it useful. Lag Shot is a great tool, but the feedback is not the same. It is sense only, not hearing and sound. The tools are different, but TempoKing is the advantage for me.
Verdict
If you want feedback you can’t ignore on real shots and simple daily swings, Time King worth a look. Let me know if you have any other questions that I can answer with this training aid.
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