Hey Bartender, Gimme an Orange Whip....

No it's not a cocktail...or a "cover band" from Ohio....Instead it's a unique new golf training aid that I have been using for the last couple of months. It's really called an "Orange Whip", and was invented by Jim Hackenberg, a PGA pro.. It's popular on the PGA tour too - currently used by Vijay, Justin Rose, Pat Perez, Scott McCarron, Matt Kuchar, and many others. (see below for info on how you can win an Orange Whip Trainer courtesy of Bushwood CC and the fine folks who make the Orange Whip)

According to Jim, " The Orange Whip is the ultimate golf swing trainer and fitness tool for today's golfer and athlete. It is versatile, dynamic and the most effective swing aid on the market. Consistent use of the Orange Whip will improve your golf swing and provide an essential core-muscle workout. The elegant design combines a counter-weighting system and flexible shaft that work together to promote the natural golf swing motion unique to each individual. The Orange Whip will help you find your ideal swing plane, create "tour pro" lag, achieve perfect sequence of motion, and promote balance that's supported from the ground up. Your strength, flexibility, and swing speed will increase, and your shot-making will become more accurate and consistent."
Now that you have heard the marketing pitch, and seen the "street cred" offered by the PGA players, I'm going to offer you Bushwood's take on the Orange Whip. I came across this device at my local golf emporium - the proprietor watched me take a couple of swings with my 6 iron, and suggested I give the Orange Whip a try. He handed it to me with a set of three simple instructions:

1. Take a golf grip, and swing so as to move the orange ball (located at the business end of the trainer) as slowly as possible.
2. Keep your belt buckle in front of the white ball (located at the base of the handle)
3. Keep said white ball ahead of the orange ball throughout the swing.

Pretty simple,huh ? Well, I took about ten swings with the whip, until I had perfected the three components above. Then I took my 6 iron, stepped up to the launch monitor/video setup and took a few swings. The difference was staggering - instead of my old jalopy of a swing - I was now on plane with good tempo and a swing which my lower body lead my upper body into. Needless to say, I bought the Orange Whip (retail is $109, I think...). I've been using this training tool regularly since then, and the changes in my golf swing are nothing short of amazing. Here are just a couple of the more obvious developments which I attribute solely to the Orange Whip:

• 20-25 yards longer off the tee (no shizz here,folks -I mean it)
• An extra club to club-and-a-half on all of my irons - for example,I've picked up 20 yards on my PW (I've gone from hitting a club more than my longer hitting buddies to hitting a club less than them most of the time).
• My swing actually now looks like something you would recognize as a golf swing, rather than a meth head really nervous person trying to kill a rattlesnake with a 9 iron.
• After watching a million hours of golf on TV, and listening to the announcers talk about "LAG" in the same glowing terms as one would describe Scarlett Johanssen's, um, torso, I finally understand what "lag" is and can create it in my swing.

Seriously, the Orange Whip is an amazing tool - simple to use and understand and one which will cure a myriad of ills for most hackers like me. Thanks to the folks at Orange Whip for creating a really great training aid.

Oh, and to show you how cool they are at Orange Whip, Jim has agreed to give away one of their amazing devices to a lucky reader of Bushwood. To enter the contest, just drop us an email at bushwoodcountryclub@gmail.com with your name,address, and a couple of sentences about why YOU should be the winner of an Orange Whip !