If you are at all into golf, I bet my putter that you have been tempted to try or buy golf training aids that promised you the moon. Whether it’s longer drives or getting out of bunkers, there are tons of golf training devices to help you achieve your goal. Many of you are probably shaking your head about the last golf doodad that popped into your head. I have also tried my fair share of these gadgets over the years to varying degrees of success. There have been some really good ones, to be sure, but more than not, what seemed really good in theory just didn’t click with me.

Evolution of Swing Training Devices

All things have a beginning. And for most beginners, it usually starts with the basic golf swing. Most of you are probably familiar with the training club sporting a molded grip to ingrain a proper golf grip. It usually was a shorter club with a weighted tip that made a clicking noise if the desired head speed was reached. The goal was to have the user get a feel for where the club head was supposed to make an impact with the golf ball. My own journey began with a bat-like club studded with four big plastic fans to give it wind resistance. Since then, dozens more would follow, and in more recent years, I have dabbled with the Orange Whip and Superspeed golf, both aimed at improving my swing tempo and speed, respectively.

To all the swing trainers I’ve loved before…

When I was first introduced to the Power3 swing trainer a couple of years ago, I wasn’t too keen on it.

After all, it was the same ol’ plug, albeit this one offered to increase distance AND improve swing tempo at the same time. Initially named after its inventor, the original device was named Kim Deok-kyoo Timing. The nomenclature also threw me off, but if you look past the grammar, the name was to reflect the gadget’s ability to teach an effective swing tempo (translated as ‘timing’) to result in better impact and longer distance.

The first differentiator of Power3 from other conventional swing trainers was that I could use it on my own golf clubs. Looking back, I can’t recall ever using a swing trainer that allowed me to do this. The familiarity of swinging my driver and irons made the Power3 easier to take to, and the added benefit was that it saved me from looking goofy like Kevin Costner with the swing yips in Tin Cup. The device clipped on easily to the shaft near the club head and at 28 grams, the weight didn’t affect my swing at
all.

Power3 trainer is a small, sleek device that clips onto your own clubs

The premise behind the Power3 device is simple – just make the LED panel on the device light up at the point of impact. For drivers, this would be near the left foot, while the irons and wedges would be in the middle and near the right foot, respectively. The device also makes an audible click sound if the LED lights up for both visual and audial feedback. That’s nice. But isn’t it just a different iteration from many swing trainers out there? Yes and no. Again, using your own clubs is a big plus, but there is another big surprise I will discuss further on down.

Power3 Speed Trainer

Entering its 18th year in existence, the device is now named Power3 Speed trainer and comes in two models for men (blue) and women (red). Each device comes with a battery and two shaft clips for woods and irons and is pre-set to three-speed settings (hence the name). When the club head reaches the speed corresponding to a target distance, it lights up with a click. If not, the device remains dark and silent.

The best feature of Power3, in my opinion, is that it is highly intuitive. Without having to explain in so many words, I’ve had first-time golfers first try to light up the device by swinging it. Soon, they naturally realized that to make the LED light up, they needed to swing a certain way to get the momentum to gather at the club head. This alone was super helpful, as many golf instructors here have agreed over the years.

My advice to beginners on this subject had been to imagine throwing a cup of water to splash on the ground past my left foot on the downswing and not before. Needless to say, these images are quite hard to fathom for those who never swung a club. But with Power3, the golfer intuitively began toadapt to the needed swing to light up the LED. Once they were successful in getting the light and sound, it was a matter of time before getting that light to shine near the intended impact point. Voila.

Power3 trainer is a small, sleek device that clips onto your own clubs

Another aspect of Power3 that impressed me was the setting for the shorter wedge shots. In my opinion, full swings are easy compared to the delicate pitch shots that require a shorter swing AND to accelerate through impact. In the past, try as I might, it was super hard to convey this concept to a newbie who either duffed a pitch shot or skulled it across the green. Not so with the Power3. At setting 1, the device teaches the user to accelerate through the impact even with a shorter swing. Instead of trying to put into words that elusive feeling, I just let them do their thing with the device and use their intuition. What. a. time. saver.

Despite the obvious benefits of Power3, however, I initially had mixed feelings. For one, I probably didn’t want to admit that a golfer of 30-plus years needed such a gadget. Plus, I hate practicing, so I wasn’t too excited about the inventor saying 100 practice swings a day would increase my distance by 20-30 meters. So back in 2020, I recall blandly saying to Kim that it would be so much better if I could hit actual balls with it, instead of practice swings. And this is my small contribution to the evolution of the Power3 IMPACT trainer, a device that I think can disrupt the swing trainer industry.

Power3 Impact Trainer

If the original Power3 can help you through effective practice swings with your own clubs, the new Power3 Impact device will now let you HIT the golf balls with your club while bringing all the wonderful intuitive aspects mentioned above.

Impact trainer clips onto the grip and shaft, just below the hands

The only visible difference between the two Power3 devices is that the ‘impact’ model clips to the club at the base of the grip below the hands. The specialized clip bites onto the rubber grip to hold it firmly in place and emits a light and a click at the pre-set optimum club speed settings. It is highly portable and allows you to use it at the practice range or on the actual course (night golf with this gadget is super cool!).The video below is self-explanatory. If the device lights up at the correct place (near the left foot for drivers), it means the impact has taken place correctly at the right speed. If the LED lights up elsewhere or not at all, it indicates that the swing was not optimal and one can check easily to make the needed corrections. And through repeated practice or play, a powerful and repeatable swing can be ingrained, according to Kim.

The two Power3 models, Distance and Impact, are the result of over 15 years of research and testing, says Kim. Now at age 62, he took up the game relatively late in 2004. He became hooked immediately and began to obsess about how to get better quickly. Later that year, using his background in engineering, he devised a simple working model of the original device using some magnets, metal ball bearings, a battery, and an umbrella stem. What started as an idea to visualize the low point of his swing became his lifelong passion. In 2022, he refined his invention to release his fourth and latest versions. According to Kim, the days when golfers use clubs other than their own to practice are over.

So far, the Power3 swing trainers have been a resounding success in Korea. But surprisingly, the Power3 swing trainer is just the tip of the iceberg. Kim is currently working on a 5th-generation device that will connect to your mobile device via Bluetooth. In addition, the next model will not be limited to the current 3-speed settings but allow the golfer to choose their own speeds at which the LED will light up. In other words, it means I can set my swing speed goals slightly higher than my current one and strive toward reaching that speed. Think Superspeed golf, except with visual and digital aspects that can track your swing speed trends and show you how you can improve through its proprietary app. I think it is going to be the next big deal in swing training aids, and I’m not alone.

Kim’s idea and patented technology of increasing swing speed has already been turning heads.

Various brands in other sports that require swinging a bat, racquet, or stick have expressed interest in knowing how the technology can be modified to improve performance in their respective sports.

For example, a modified version of the Power3 device is being tested in baseball, where it can help players swing the bat faster. The same principle can apply to a tennis racquet for power serves, a hockey stick for powerful slap shots, and whatever other sports that can benefit from speed training.

Right now, however, Kim’s focus is on helping golfers of all swing speeds reach the next level. He is an accomplished 4-handicap golfer and averages 260 yards with a driver, which is quite impressive for his age here. But the true testament to his invention comes from his wife, who only took up the game a little over a year ago. I had the pleasure of playing a round with the Kims recently, and her 190-yard tee shots from the reds were continually ahead of me in the fairway. I was impressed (embarrassed at the same time), and had to admit that her nightly routine of swinging 50 times must’ve indeed paid off. She said she hated it at first but was quick to get the feel for the rhythm to light up the device at the correct place – all without additional explanations and pointers from her husband.

In particular, the device has proven to be highly effective for teaching professionals here, who say it gets the students to feel the correct swing tempo and the feeling of proper weight shift right away.

Once they figure out how to light up the device, they intuitively figure out how to wait on the downswing to concentrate the bulk of their power at the point of impact. Imagine the amount of explaining an instructor can save if beginners can realize this alien concept for themselves!

Whether its swing speed or impact power, these two models have you covered for men & women

So if you’re tired of swinging a training aid that’s not your own club, take a close look at the two Power3 models. Both are now available on Amazon. Remember that the Distance trainer is for practice swings only, and the Impact trainer allows you to hit actual balls. I recommend the former for beginners and the latter for non-beginners.

What do you think? Is it a winner? I’d love to hear from all the WRXers here on what you think, and if there are other similar devices out there.