REVIEW: The "Rope It"
In my never-ending quest to find the perfect practice aid or golf training product, I recently had the opportunity to try out The Rope It; a new golf product aimed at allowing you to hit a real golf ball in your own backyard without the need of a driving net. When I first learned about this product, I admit that I was pretty skeptical about the effectiveness of this training tool (let alone many safety concerns associated with its proposed design). But, in the spirit of golf innovation I agreed to give it a go... and I am glad that I did.The design of The Rope It is relatively simple: an actual golf ball modified to include a heavy-duty steel loop, which attached to a long bungee cord. In reading that high-level description, I am sure you can predict the first thought that went through my head: "How in the world is this thing not going to come back and hit me in the pills head?" Well, rest assured that while the design of this product may seem crude, it is evident that a lot of trial and error went into perfecting the product to allow for the highest level of safety possible.
The Rope It, as explained above, is a real golf ball on a long bungee cord that allows for 20 yards of flight when hit. The key to the product is that the other end of the cord is attached to a dumbbell weight (or similar heavy object) that serves as an anchor. While the golfer must provide their own weight for this purpose, most people can find something lying around the house that will suffice. As long as the cord is secured to this object, the ball will fly to the limit of the cord and safely fall down to the ground. Again, the flight is roughly 20 yards total, making this product ideal for backyard use.
PROS: The positives associated with The Rope It are pretty evident. You now have an alternative home-practice golf product that allows you to make contact with a real golf ball for accurate feedback at impact. You do not need to purchase a practice net due to the restricted flight, which will save in cost for your practice sessions. In addition, hitting a real golf ball at home will further save on the cost you would otherwise accrue by going to a driving range. 20 yards of ball-flight also gives you a decent idea of how well you struck the golf ball in terms of trajectory and accuracy. At a price of approximately $20 (not including shipping), The Rope It is a perfect training tool that any golfer can take advantage of without breaking their pocketbook... or a window.
CONS: While this product does offer "real life" feedback from hitting an actual golf ball... this is still a ball attached on a string that include modifications. Admittedly, there were times when impact simply didn't "feel right" which I can attribute to the fact that a metal loop is installed on the ball. In addition, unless you set the product up correctly in your lawn (leaving enough slack in the bungee cord prior to hitting) results can vary from one swing to the next. Golfers are also only able to use mid-irons when using this product due to its design (no drivers allowed!) Finally, golfers will still need to retrieve the ball to some extent as very few swings resulted with the ball coming back to my feet.
All-in-all, The Rope It is a great training tool that any golfer can use to work on making proper contact with a real golf ball. While not perfect in design, the $20 price tag is a bargain for a product that is definitely more enjoyable and useful than hitting Whiffle balls or balls into a driving range net. I would recommend this product to any golfer who prefers to practice at home and is looking for the feel of a an actual driving range.
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