Golf training aid apparatus and method

A method of training a golfer how to properly swing a golf club comprising the steps of:

• a. providing the golfer with the golf club having a golf club head;
• b. placing a sensor mat having a plurality of impact sensors under a golf mat;
• c. positioning a golf ball on the golf mat above the sensor mat;
• d. attaching a wearable module to the golfer that is able to monitor its rotational acceleration about an axis passing through the golfer having a sound sensor;
• e. zeroing the wearable module when the golfer is in his/her initial position;
• f. having the golfer swing the golf club to impact the golf ball and impact sensors 210;
• g. monitoring the impact sensors and the wearable module to determine where the impact sensors sense an impact;
• h. monitoring the sound sensor to determine when the golf club head impacts the golf ball;
• i. determining the rotational angle of the wearable module when the sound sensor indicates that the golf ball was impacted;
• j. activating indicators to show at least one of the angle of the swing, the rotation of the golfer's hips, an indication of a good swing, ‘thin impact swing’ or ‘fat shot’ impact swing, color coding an indicator with a color to indicate if the impact location was ‘good’, ‘fair’ or ‘poor’, and color coding an indicator with a color to indicate if the golfer's hip rotation was ‘good’, ‘fair’ or ‘poor’.

A golf training system that monitors a swing of a golfer and the swing impact locations of comprising:

• a. sensor mat 105 having a plurality of impact sensors in an array in the sensor mat 105 each able to sense an impact of the golf club head, capable of monitoring impact information and creating a signal indicative of the impact information wherein impact information is at least one of the locations of the impacts, strength of the impacts, and timing of the impacts;
• b. a sensor mat transmitter coupled to the sensors adapted to receive the signals from the sensors, and wirelessly transmit the impact information;
• c. wearable module, attached to the golfer, adapted to sense, measure, and transmit rotation information being angular acceleration approximating rotation of the hips of the golfer;
• d. a base module comprising:
• i. a base transceiver adapted to:
• receive the angular acceleration approximating hip rotation from the wearable module and,
• receive the signal with the impact information from the sensors;
• ii. a plurality of impact indicators,
• iii. a plurality of hip rotation indicators;
• iv. a base controller coupled to the base transceiver, adapted to receive the impact information and the rotation information from the base transceiver, the base controller also coupled to the impact indicator activating an indicator corresponding to the impact location information, and activating a rotation indicator to correspond to the rotation information received;
• wherein the base controller is adapted to:
• receive the sensors impact information;
• approximate a direction of the swing;
• and
• activate indicators showing the direction of the swing.