Head games: Pro-Head 2 Trainer developed by frustrated amateur, now endorsed by pros

Sometimes simplicity is the most effective teaching tool. That’s the thinking behind the Pro-Head 2 Trainer, a training aid that attacks the golf swing’s linked bugaboos of head movement and posture.

The Pro-Head 2 Trainer features an adjustable arm and a stand that also adjusts for height. A player can either rest his or her head lightly on the padded support at the end of the arm to feel the way the head moves and experience ideal posture. The padded support also can be rotated to rest against the side of the head to combat any swaying on the backswing or downswing.

The Pro-Head 2 Trainer is the brainchild of Bob Doyle, a retired businessman and long-time frustrated golfer. He and some regular golf pals tried early versions of the device and saw genuine improvement in their games, and Doyle says he broke 80 for the first time at age 69. Doyle said the idea came from a story he heard about Jack Nicklaus learning the game from his long-time mentor Jack Grout.

“The story of Jack Grout grabbing Nicklaus’s hair to keep his head in the right position really stuck with me,” Doyle said. “I wanted to build something that would let me experience the same thing without having to have a teacher standing there with me all the time.”

The Pro-Head 2 Trainer allows golfers to practice the swing both outdoors hitting balls and indoors making practice moves without a club. Its adjustability means it can fit juniors as easily as NBA players. The training aid already has been endorsed by several teaching pros, including Golf Digest 50 Best teacher Martin Hall (10). Doyle is especially proud of the simplicity of setting up the device, which includes a 48-inch arm and a 54-inch high stand and base. Setup involves only four bolts and a single tool, which is included in the shipment.

The Pro-Head 2 Trainer is available for $200 (which includes shipping and a bag that can be filled with sand and used to weight down the device).