Many new golf swing aids are released by golf companies every year. Some of them are even endorsed by famous golf pros. But how many of these golf swing aids actually give you any golf swing improvement? I would think that many weekend golfers like you and me have bought at least one of these contraptions, making a big dent in our wallets. Yet they sooner or later gather dust in the attic or garage.

By far, my favorite golf aid is the video camera. Just capture all your practise sessions on film, then replay and analyze your golf swing on video. Next to a session with your local golf pro, this is the fastest way to develop the perfect golf swing. You can buy a cheap video camera for under $100, and unlike true golf swing aids, you can use it for other things, like video taping your grandchild's first steps.

Other good cheap golf swing aids are a good golf mat and cup and plenty of golf balls. These are ideal for practicing your putting. If you have a good-sized yard, you can even practice your chipping. Add a golf net and you can even practice your drive. A good quality mat might cost you $100 to $200, but can last for years. Ditto for the net. Secondhand golf balls in good condition can be bought cheap - about $1 per ball. Face it, the secret to good golf is to get plenty of practise.

You can also get golf swing aids to help you learn how to grip your golf clubs correctly. There are three main grips taught by golf trainers today - the overlapping (Vardon) grip, the baseball bat grip and the interlocking grip. You can buy training grips for any of these three grips cheap. Many players with bad slices or hooks find that these problems are a result of not gripping their golf clubs correctly. Once they learn the proper grip, they have no problem driving the ball straight.

Unless you exhaust the limits of these cheap tools, there is little use in buying the fancy golf swing aids. For example, the Medicus trainer is an excellent device... once you have a decent swing. It will raise you from the "3 good hits out of every 4" stage to the "9 good hits out of every 10" stage.

The Momentus golf trainer is another good tool after you master your golf swing technique. It is a weighted club which will help you develop more power in your drives. Unfortunately, without a good swing, more power only means more out-of-control balls.

Another much hyped device is the laser putter. This usually takes the form of a laser pointing device clipped to your putter. It is supposed to help you see where you are actually aiming the ball. Unfortunately, you need to set it up correctly, which takes a lot of time and effort. Since you cannot play regulation golf with it, you need two identical putters - one for training, one more for real games.

Golf swing aids can give you good golf swing improvements. For high-handicap weekend golfers, the cheaper tools are more useful. Once you reach a certain level of competence, the more advanced golf training aids can take you to the next level.