Many golfers struggle with their swing path. One of the most common challenges is an out-to-in path that means the club head is traveling from outside the golf ball toward the golfer on impact. This is commonly accompanied by a steep, over-the-top swing plane. I have suffered from both, and still fight a steep swing plane. I bought the EyeLine Golf Speed Trap to help promote a more in-to-out path. Despite a clever design, it was a purchase I regret and do not recommend you spend your money on it.

Here is the description of the product from the manufacturer:

The speed Trap was developed to help you do two things, hit it longer and hit it straighter! This is accomplished by doing two things: 1. Trap The ball- catch the ball and then the turf. Create a nice crisp divot, hit it Solid with great trajectory and phenomenal spin. The polycarbonate base tells you instantly If you are scooping The ball or hitting it Fat. 2. Swing on-plane- when you learn to swing the Club between the speed rods, your Club will be on plane and on path. Great for eliminating a slice or hook and ultimately leading to straighter longer shots. Also, an incredible tool for chip and pitch shots. This is a fun challenge that you simple have to try! Works for right and left handed players (rotate the rods). includes the base, 4 speed rods, and a carry bag.

The promise certainly spoke to me, and I was excited to try it. A few months later, the product is laying on my back deck somewhere in the golf graveyard.

I tried it a few times and found the rods were somewhat useful, but generally left me thinking about them instead of clearing my mind and swinging.

The rods can be removed or placed farther apart to start with to make it more forgiving. You can then theoretically advance and add more rods and make the path narrower.

You can hit the base as hard as you want and it won't break. The actual design is very clever and well made.

There are different lines on the base to indicate the type of shot you are working on, from full swing, to pitching or chipping.

The problem with a product like this is it completely focuses on one aspect of the result without any regard for how you get there. It is not hard to start swinging in-to-out if you make a super exaggerated takeaway inside your swing plane, but that leads to a variety of other problems.

I also don't like feeling encumbered when I am swinging, and this product is designed to trap the ball. That's the whole idea. It's in the name!

I probably will keep it around for when I get my swing more dialed in to reinforce my repeatability, and I might give it a shot with my recent work on my short game, but I doubt it will ever be a commonly used product for me.