Even though he spent hours on the teaching tee as a PGA professional, it wasn’t until he caddied on the PGA Tour that Jim Hackenberg got the idea for his Orange Whip training aid.
“I watched the best players in the world swing from a very good vantage, and one thing I noticed most is how relaxed they were, with their hands and also their bodies,” recalls Hackenberg. “They weren’t trying to hit a golf ball, they were swinging the club, and in a rhythmic, balanced way. And that got me thinking about creating a training tool to help average golfers do that same thing by concentrating on motion and not position and hitting action, as it also reminded tour pros of how they needed to keep swinging that way, too.”
The result was the development of the Orange Whip, a training and fitness aid Hackenberg says is currently being used by some 200 golf professionals on various tours, as well as recreational golfers all over the world.
One look at the Orange Whip reveals how it got its name, for it features an orange-colored ball the same size and shape of the fruit at the end of a flexible shaft with a normal golf grip at the end. According to Hackenberg, the trainer is available in three sizes. One is 47½ inches in length, simulates driver motion and is recommended for men and taller women.
Another is 44 inches long, designed to simulate iron motion and geared more for seniors and women. Then, there is the short-game version, only 38 inches in size and ideal for younger juniors and those who want to replicate their wedge swings.
Hackenberg says Orange Whip will help golfers find their “perfect athletic swings,” enabling them to synchronize their arms and body so that a natural rhythm takes over, and they develop their own tempo.
“The weight on each end of the flexible shaft is also good for low-impact stretching,” Hackenberg says. “And Orange Whip provides a core muscle workout when used during repetitive motion drills.”
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