This funky hunk of metal is no substitute for personal lessons from a PGA professional. If you are confused as to whether to listen to your pro or to Leadbetter’s device, go with the pro.

Also, if you ran out and purchased this based on the cheesy commercials, videos, and plaid-pants-used-car-salesman of a website, then I expect you also have closets full of Ginsu knives, pet rocks, and the Downswing Fat Rubber-Band Club Accelerator.

But it’s not all bad.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Swing Setter Pro at first seemed complicated, then again far too simple to be of any use whatsoever. The advertising copy on the box was very long and said, in essence, that it cured a multiple amount of swing ills and improved your golf swing, distance, and scores. How could a golf club with a ball-thing stuck on the shaft live up to all the claims on the box?

This is the second version of this golf training tool. The first, the Swing Setter, had no hittable club head; instead, it clicked at the bottom of your swing to tell you when you released the club. A nice feature.

The Swing Setter Pro, however, has no click at the bottom, you just hit the ball and let the flight tell you about your swing. I mention this because some of you might be mislead by certain ad copy or photos such as the one on the Swing Setter Pro’s website: http://www.swingsetterpro.com/. There is no diagnostic click at the bottom. As you can see in the website stop-action photo, the ball on the shaft has split toward the club head on the backswing, and it stays there throughout the entire swing—no click, just a ball strike. Yes, the ball strike could make a “click” sound, but I think the photo is misleading.

FEATURES

Pointer: One of the first things I noticed was the pointer that slides out of the end of the handle, like a dagger in the walking stick of an eccentric criminal. In, out, in out. It seemed silly. But the Plane Pointer proved to be one of the Swing Setter Pro’s most useful features.

Grip: I’d seen these kind of grip guides before, but I had trouble fitting my hands to this one. When I finally figured it out, I took a moment to think about what I was feeling, because my hands felt good and comfortable. It was a slightly strong grip and not my usual one, but my hands felt connected. The Form Molded Grip was promising.

The Ball-Thing: The ball stuck on the shaft can be split apart in two, with the bottom half sliding down toward the club head. The two halves stay together with a magnet, whose strength can be increased by dialing to a higher number on the dial around the ball. The stronger the magnetic pull that holds the ball together, the harder you must cock your wrists to break it apart.

This is supposed to improve your wrist-cock this way: as you begin your backswing and your arms reach parallel to the ground, your wrists should cock with enough force to break apart the ball. You’ll hear a loud “click” when this happens. There are no other clicks, except when clubface meets the ball. So, what keeps your swing correct after the wrist-cock?  We shall see.

The Club: You can hit balls with this club. It looks to be about a six-iron. In fact, it makes good contact. But with that grip thing wedged between my fingers, I got blisters —a sign that I move my grip as I swing. The Swing Setter Pro punishes you for that error. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.

READING BETWEEN THE LINES

This is a backswing device. According to the box, it improves Grip, Plane, Set, and Tempo of the backswing. The philosophy must be that if you take the club back with the correct grip on the correct plane, the downswing will take care of itself. If you want to ensure a good downswing, the only tool you have is the Plane Pointer, if you have eyes fast enough to view it and make any immediate adjustments necessary. If you boil down the copy on the box, it tells you that via grip, backswing click, and noticing where the Plane Pointer is, you are preparing yourself to make a good swing.

Box copy:
“Loading the club on the backswing and coming down on the correct shallow plane, which you can observe by pulling out the built in Plane Pointer and checking the angle, makes for a powerful, consistent golf swing.”
 

And…
“The Swing Setter Pro will teach you to properly set your wrists for greater power and accuracy!”

In fact, David Leadbetter guarantees it….
"I guarantee that the Swing Setter Pro will have you hitting the ball longer, straighter and more consistently the very first time you use it." –David Leadbetter

Wow. Them’s strong words. Then again, the box says that it is “The most complete practice tool for great golf.” And “More power, straighter shots, greater consistency, improved swing, lower scores.” I took him up on the challenge.

MY EXPERIENCE

I hid the Swing Setter Pro in my golf bag when I went to the range. Sorry, it’s embarrassing. I set up my station in the last range box. I warmed up with various clubs. Soon, the moment came when I with drew the Swing Setter Pro from my bag.

I wrapped my hands and fingers around and between the grip’s flanges and put my fingers within the white outlines. I had played around with the ball-click in my living room, so I knew how to cock my wrists. I pulled out the Plane Pointer.

I took a few faux backswings, checking the Pointer for the correct plane. When I felt I had it right, I addressed the ball and took a swing. The club swung back easily—it is balanced quite well. I knew to quickly (more quickly than I’d ever done) cock my wrists and was rewarded by a loud "click" halfway through my backswing. I continued the backswing to the top.

Now I had a split-second choice: stop my swing and check the Pointer, or continue my swing. I swung. I came down smoothly, hit the ball rather solidly, and pulled it left drastically. I busted the guarantee, but I wanted to make this gizmo work. So, I kept at it, pausing at the top to check my Pointer, swinging down at varying speeds, following-through as usual. After a while I began to hit the ball quite a bit straighter (as I would do on any normal practice session), without a hint of my usual fade (probably, I thought, due to the stronger gripping of the club). I did, as I said, get blisters…as well as some attention from the chops-busters practicing to my left.

RESULTS

Guarantee: busted.

I did like how the Swing Setter Pro arranged my grip on the club, and I will continue to work on it. I also liked the quick wrist-cock, but I could make the ball-thing separate and click with the most horrific backswing planes on Earth….which makes the Plane Pointer the most valuable feature. I was extremely attentive to where the Pointer was pointing, and it helped me understand a correct backswing plane and how a proper wrist-cock could get me there. (A tee stuck in the end of a club handle might be just as effective, and substantially cheaper.)

This, however, did not help my swing flaws after two sessions. I still came over-the-top occasionally. I was also not hitting the ball longer, etc., as advertised.  I didn’t expect a miracle. Two sessions are nothing, I know.  I’m very patient and focused when I practice. But this device made me promises, darn it.

This is a teach-yourself tool, a trainer that you trust to partner with you in developing a better golf swing. But the truth is, I felt abandoned after taking the backswing. I felt like the club helped to put me in a decent position, then it promptly abandoned me, leaving me to flail away and figure out the downswing, hips, shoulders, speed, and pronation all by myself. 

I must say that I am astonished by the garish, exaggerated claims of the hard-sell banter on the website and the product box. I’m not sure why that was the advertising language chosen to market a device endorsed by arguably the #1 teacher in the world.

Again, here’s the website: http://www.swingsetterpro.com There, you can read about the Swing Setter Pro for yourself, and even watch an advertorial video. You can also see a clearer photo of the product than I was able to take.

I am interested in hearing your experiences with the Swing Setter Pro, either here or in the forums.