The Golfer’s Coronavirus Survival Kit

March 18, 2020

Here is a list of products that will help golfers make the best of a bad situation.

The necessary steps we are all taking to reduce the impact of this dreadful coronavirus could have dour consequences on our golf. Of course we acknowledge golf must take a backseat to the somewhat weightier issue of public health right now, but if we can prevent our games from suffering while preventing the spread of toxic microbes then so much the better.

Some will take advantage of social-distancing directives by getting out on mostly empty, flag-less, rake-less, clubhouse-less courses, but those who rely on carts or need to take care of kids whose schools are closed will be stuck at home with no live golf on TV to alleviate the pain.

How great would it be if there were ways to make the enforced homestay entertaining somehow or, better yet, entertaining and useful. Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could not only keep ourselves amused but also emerge better golfers?

We put together a few items that should relieve the boredom and even help knock a few shots off your score when life returns to normal.

Practice at Home or at the Range

Here are five products we love that you can use at home, and which, if used regularly, will help improve your full-swing, short-game and putting–three fairly crucial areas of the game.

Tour Tempo

John Novosel’s revolutionary (our word not his…and we mean it!) approach to improving golfers’ tempo first appeared in April, 2004. Easy-to-use, highly-effective devices are our favorite kind, and Tour Tempo fits the bill perfectly. Just let the tones sink into your subconscious, and enjoy the results.

Available new on Amazon for $15.69 (used from as little as $1.56)
amazon.com
tourtempo.com

Delayed Strike Technology (DST)

Five years ago, England’s Bertie Cordle introduced Delayed Strike Technology (DST) to the golf world and, for a brief period at least, it seemed it was all golfers could talk about. The curved shaft training aids were featured in over 70 publications around the world, and Cordle added to the initial offering with more tools aimed at helping amateurs compress the ball like the pros. The story went quiet, however, and we wondered if the company was still operating. Cordle recently confirmed that DST is still very much in business which is great news because it is undoubtedly one of the best training aids we’ve ever come across.

Choosing between DST and Tourstriker isn’t easy. Both are very effective, and we recommend each of them unequivocally.

$100
dstgolf.com

Tour Striker

Martin Chuck launched his odd-looking training club in December 2008. Since then it has helped hundreds of thousands of golfers avoid scooping or flipping at impact and learn to compress the ball powerfully.

$95
tourstriker.com

Eyeline Mirror

The Eyeline mirror helps prevent the damage caused by misalignment. By ensuring your putterface is aligned correctly and that your eyes are ideally-positioned over the ball, you will build confidence that you can take to the course. Also develop consistent, sweet-spot contact by avoiding tees in the Gate Slot.

$40
eyelinegolf.com

Orange Whip Wedge

Orange Whip’s counterweighted flexible shaft allows you to feel the proper sequencing of the chipping motion, enables you to avoid elaborate forward thrusts with the arms and hands and builds an easy, natural, repeatable action.

$120
orangewhipgolf.com

Improve Flexibility and Speed

MISIG

We first featured the Most Important Stretch in Golf (MISIG) in early 2017. Bernie Fay’s ingenious contraption helps build a much bigger, stronger shoulder turn that will lead to greater clubhead speed and longer drives.

$120
feelthestretch.com

SuperSpeed

There are numerous products on the market today that help you swing the club faster. The SuperSpeed system has perhaps the most convincing science behind it, a fact borne out by the 600 or so Tour pros that use it.

$200
superspeedgolf.com

Read

Monarch of the Green–Stephen Proctor

Proctor’s comprehensive biography of the great Tom Morris Jr. is both highly entertaining and educational and, if you have even the slightest interest in the playing accomplishments and personal story of the younger Morris, it will keep you turning pages for hours.

Paperback available on Amazon for $19
amazon.com

Last Stand of Payne Stewart–Kevin Robbins

Robbins, a senior lecturer in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, gave notice of his meticulous inquiry and compassionate composition in his 2016 biography of Harvey Penick, a co-recipient of the USGA’s Herbert Warren Wind Book Award. Robbins won the prestigious award again last year in giving the colorful Payne Stewart the same treatment. You smile at stories of his brazen cockiness and cry over the retelling of his tragic death all the while reminiscing about that glorious, syrupy swing.

$14 hardcover on Amazon
amazon.com

Roaring Back–Curt Sampson

Combine Sampson’s erudite, astute storytelling with Tiger Woods’s return to glory at the 2019 Masters and the result is just enthralling.

$19 hardcover on Amazon
amazon.com

Play

The Golf Club 2019 – PS4, Xbox, PC

Having secured a PGA TOUR license in May 2018, HB Studios released the Golf Club 2019 just 14 months after it had introduced the Golf Club 2. The license bought with it six TPC courses – Sawgrass, Summerlin, Boston, Deere Run, Scottsdale and Southwind–all superbly bought to life on-screen. With the course editor you can create your own fantastic designs, and by creating a society, you might even compete against other golfers forced to sit out the coronavirus scare at home.

$15
amazon.com

For more on the latest and greatest gear in golf, visit our GEAR PAGE.

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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