What is the GForce 7 Iron?
The GForce 7 iron is a training aid with a super flexible shaft that you can use to hit balls at the driving range. The actual club is exactly the same as a normal 7 iron, but it’s the ridiculously flexible shaft that separates this particular aid from everything else on the market.
What’s the point of this training aid?
The primary purpose of the GForce 7 Iron is to teach you the physical sensation of releasing a golf club efficiently, in the right kinematic sequence (ie hips, torso, arms, club). If that sounds confusing, the image below should make things a bit easier to understand (image sourced from GForce Golf)
“Side note – There’s a reason Rory’s swing looks so powerful and yet so natural. It’s because he’s been honing the correct sequencing of his body from the age of 3.”
Crucially, it might take you a few sessions at the range before you truly start to feel the mechanical principles that the GForce is designed to unlock.
Does it suit every level of golfer?
In my opinion, high handicappers might be better served by the GForce wedge, mainly because it’s a bit easier to hit and it can improve your short game. However, if you’re a mid to low handicapper hoping to improve your ball striking, the GForce 7 iron is probably the better bet.
Can it actually help you get better?
And are you sure it isn’t just another snake oil training aid?
I’ve bought a lot of swing trainers in my time. The Matzie Swing Trainer, SKLZ Gold Flex and the Golf Swing Shirt all reside in my garage. In my opinion, the GForce 7 iron is the best of the bunch.
It basically forces you to learn how to release the club using proper mechanics. Being able to release the club with confidence, consistently, makes the game of golf a whole lot easier. It’s not a miracle cure, but it will reinvent your understanding of how to accelerate the club at the bottom of your follow through, rather than the top of your backswing (in other words, it might just be the best cure for ‘coming over the top’ that has ever been created)
What major weaknesses can it help you fix?
- It can reduce your tendency to overload the shaft (ie putting the shaft into an awkward position on the backswing that makes it difficult to release on the downswing)
- It can help you get comfortable with the transition between the top of the backswing and the beginning of the downswing
- It can dramatically improve your timing and rhythm
- It can help you learn how to pivot around your left hip (rather than shifting laterally and getting stuck)
- You will probably see an improvement in your ability to release the golf club efficiently (and with confidence)
- It might be the best cure for ‘coming over the top’ that has ever been made
Are there any catches that you should be aware of?
The main risk with the GForce 7 Iron is that you might find it too difficult to hit, and then give up on the product before you unlock the benefits that it can generate. Furthermore, it’s not a silver bullet that will magically transform your swing overnight. You have to put reps in before you reap the rewards from this product.
Then the other big risk is that you don’t buy into the physical principles that the GForce is built around. For instance, I gave up on the SKLZ Gold Flex, because I didn’t fully appreciate the concepts and feelings that it’s designed to create. The Gold Flex and the GForce are pretty much synonymous in the feeling that they generate. The GForce is better, because you can use it to actually hit balls (real swings) rather than just practice swings.
It’s only after I started researching centripetal force that it it dawned on me that there are a whole bunch of training aids designed to promote the feeling of proper release. The GForce is one option, the SKLZ Gold Flex is another, and the Orange Whip also promotes the same overall concept.
Should you choose the GForce 7 Iron or the GForce Wedge?
I decided to go for the 7 Iron for the following reasons:
- My primary concern is improving my full swing and my release
- I think it’s a good middle ground between the GForce Driver and the GForce Wedge
- I’ve been struggling to release the club under pressure, especially when faced with a left to right wind
- Everyone loves hitting balls with a 7 iron
However, I also strongly considered the GForce wedge, mainly because:
- It’s better for chips, pitches and half swings
- It can help you get over the chipping yips
- It’s easier to hit
- It can help you improve your short game
- You can also practice full swings with the wedge
In time, I will probably buy the wedge as well. For now though, I’m pretty happy with my choice.
Sidenote – Another strong argument for the 7 iron is that most people hit about 35-50 full swings during a typical round, but may only chip 3-15 times in a round. So it’s statistically valid to say that your full swing has a greater impact on the score that you are likely to shoot on any given day, and the 7 iron is the better option for improving your full swing!
Quick summary of my first session at the range:
First off, I was expecting it to be more difficult to hit. In fact, I was a bit worried that only guys like Chuck Quinton are talented enough to hit the ball straight with this badboy. Thankfully I was wrong.
I think the main reason I transitioned nicely into this aid is because I’ve been practicing with the SKLZ Gold flex recently, which reinforces a lot of the same feelings. I’ve also become obsessed with the importance of centripetal force in the golf swing, and both products teach you how to leverage centripetal force during the downswing (whether you realise it or not).
So in some respects, I was expecting to be blown away with a mind altering practice session that would forever alter my understanding of the golf swing.
In reality, my first range session merely confirmed everything that I have started to suspect about the golf swing, namely: when you move an object along a circular bath, you have to leverage centripetal force, and the GForce 7 iron can help you understand exactly how to do that.
Can you get the feeling that the GForce promotes, without buying a training aid?
To an extent, you can. Here’s how:
- Take a look at Tony Finau’s swing
- Appreciate how short his backswing is
- The only way to generate the kind of distance that Finau generates (with such a short swing) is by releasing the club efficiently
Jon Rahm is another pro who generates huge amount of power with an absurdly short backswing.
In other words, all you need to do is take super short backswings, and then lead into an overpowered follow through. This feeling is about as close as you can get to what the GForce promotes, without actually investing in the product.
Something to note: It’s definitely worth mentioning that Tony Finau is actually a brand ambassador for the SKLZ Gold Flex, which encourages a very similar feeling to the GForce 7 Iron.
The main difference is that the weight of the GForce 7 is much more similar to a normal club, and you can actually hit balls with it. Unless you’re Vijay Sing of course. He has been known to hit balls with the SKLZ Gold Flex.
I wonder if Vijay knows about the GForce Driver 🤔
Is the Science behind this product legit?
Oh yes.
I’m not a physics major, but I can say this. To move an object in a circular path, you have to apply centripetal (centre seeking) force to that object, in order to accelerate the object along the intended path.
Centripetal acceleration is what generates clubhead speed, and it’s also what prevents the club from continuing along a straight path after it has gathered momentum. The whole point of all the GForce Training Aids is to teach you how to generate centripetal force efficiently, using your hands, wrists, hips and torso.
In other words, the GForce 7 iron can help teach you the most important concept in golf, that very few PGA instructors have the vocabulary to describe. The great thing is that you don’t need words to reap the benefits of this training aid. It literally works by generating overwhelming physical sensations that will change your understanding of how to release a golf club. That much is guaranteed.
Is it backed by any tour pros or tour coaches?
It is indeed.
Here’s a quick list of coaches/players who endorse the product:
- Danny Willet
- Pete Cowen
- Chuck Quinton
- Stuart Small
GForce 7 Iron Review – Final Thoughts:
I have an unhealthy obsession with golf. This leads to huge amounts of time in my garage and the kitchen, engaging in borderline dangerous practice swings (ask me how many cupboards I’ve smashed. I dare you!)
The big issue with all these practice swings is that they aren’t particularly good at making me a better golfer.
Until now…
For the first time in my life, all those home based practice swings can be used to harness the feeling that promotes better ball striking.
Better yet, I can take those practice swings to the driving range, and literally hit balls with the same training aid that I’m using to rebuild the confidence in my release.
I appreciate that I might be overoptimistic, but for me, the GForce is literally the best full swing training aid that money can buy.
Apologies for my over-enthusiasm, but in my opinion, the GForce can help you unlock one of the most important secrets of the golf swing. If that doesn’t get you excited, maybe someone should check your pulse, cause the golfer in you might just be dead.
Update 1 – After owning the product for 2 weeks:
Looking back on my initial review, it’s pretty clear that I was a bit too optimistic about this product.After a few more sessions at the range (and plenty more practice swings at home), I can say this:
I’m still very happy with my decision to invest in the GForce 7 iron and I still believe that it can help you understand some of the most important concepts in golf, without using words or relying on a PGA instructor. So it’s still a very good investment for people that are patient enough to practice with it.
However, it’s not a miracle cure and you aren’t going to take 10 shots off your next round just by hitting a few balls with a club that has a super flexible shaft. You still need to put the hard yards in, and it won’t magically solve all your technical problems overnight.
PS – My plan is to post another update after 30 days and 90 days respectively. That will allow enough time to truly integrate the concepts promoted by the GForce into my default swing.
