Tour Winners Swear by the Orange Whip. Does It Live Up to the Hype for Amateur Golfers?

The Orange Whip is one of the hottest training aids on the market, and not just among amateur golfers. It’s among the most popular warm-up aids on professional tours, too.

With a deceptively simple design that slides easily into a golf bag, the Orange Whip travels effortlessly, demands minimal time for maximum results, and promises to improve swing tempo, flexibility, and coordination.

But how well does it actually perform? What kind of impact can you realistically expect it to make on your golf game? And is it right for a golfer like you?

We took a close look at this training aid so we could answer all those questions and more.

Let’s start with the wide-angle view.

What is the Orange Whip?

The Orange Whip is a golf swing training aid consisting of a whippy, flexible shaft, a weighted orange ball on one end (a stand-in for a clubhead), and a smaller counterweight on the other.

To practice with the Orange Whip, you swing it just like you would a golf club. Only, in this case, you don’t hit a ball or worry about what your clubface is doing.

The Orange Whip aims to help you find a natural, balanced swing motion. The orange ball and counterweight also give you immediate feedback to help you stay on plane and keep your arms and body synchronized.

Who Created the Orange Whip?

Golf instructor Jim Hackenberg originally developed the Orange Whip to help his students improve their rhythm and tempo. 

He saw that their focus on swing positions was causing them to produce a jerky swing. This device was meant to release them from that mindset and help them find a more fluid, athletic swing motion.

In the beginning, the Orange Whip was merely a homemade training aid intended for private lessons. But as more and more students asked where they could buy one, Hackenberg realized he had stumbled upon something that had the power to serve a wider audience.

What Problem Does the Orange Whip Solve?

Golf instruction often gets us focused on individual positions within our swing. We worry about face control and obsess over hitting the ball with as much power as we can muster.

In other words, we’re not thinking about the swing. We’re thinking about its many individual parts.

This makes us less likely to produce a smooth, long golf swing that’s balanced, in tempo, and truly athletic.

The Orange Whip takes the ball and clubface out of the picture. It gives you a whippy shaft and weighting that makes it easier to find your rhythm. As a bonus, it also loosens your muscles, builds strength, and gives you immediate feedback warning you if you’re off plane or out of balance.

What are the Key Features and Benefits of the Orange Whip?

The design of the Orange Whip really couldn’t be simpler. It includes:

• A whippy, flexible shaft
• A weighted orange ball to stand in for your clubhead
• A smaller counterweight on the opposite end of the shaft

And what is this design supposed to mean for your swing?

You Find Better Tempo and Balance

Between the weight of the orange ball and the fact that you don’t have to think about contact, it’s much easier to find a fluid swing motion with the Orange Whip.

That’s why even the pros love it as a warm-up tool for improving their timing and finding their rhythm.

You Get Better at Staying on Plane

The weight of the orange ball naturally falls to the inside. This means the more you practice with the Orange Whip, the faster you develop a habit of staying on plane…

…and kill the habit of going over the top. This is a huge win if you tend to slice it.

You Master a More Coordinated Swing

Because of the weighting on the Orange Whip, you’ll feel wobbly when your body and arms fall out of sync. You’re forced to correct your swing immediately just to stay in balance.

You Increase Flexibility and Swing Length

The Orange Whip is such a popular warm-up tool because it loosens your muscles with just a few swings. This leads to more flexibility and helps you increase your swing length.

And that means more yards in your next golf game.

You Build Strength

The Orange Whip is significantly heavier than a golf club. That’s why it’s so effective at stretching your muscles, promoting a fluid motion, and signaling when something is off in your swing.

But there’s an added perk here: that weight helps you gradually build strength in your swing.

Our Review of the Orange Whip

We’ve tried the Orange Whip ourselves, and honestly? We love it.

It’s easy and fun to use. It slips right into your golf bag, and you can even use it indoors to keep your swing sharp during the winter months. (That’s a huge win for us here in South Dakota.)

We also love that we can invest minimal time in practicing with the Orange Whip and still see big wins.

And we have seen those wins. We felt our muscles loosen and relax after a few swings. It gave us clear, undeniable feedback on off-balance swings and actually made it difficult to go over the top.

Take a few swings with your driver before and after a quick Orange Whip warm-up, and you’ll probably experience what we did: a noticably smoother swing, better contact, and more distance after using the Orange Whip.

In fact, our Director of Instruction, Todd Kolb, is a long-time fan of the Orange Whip. He’s used it in lessons with countless students and refers to it as one of his favorite training aids on the market. 

And we’re not the only ones who love the Orange Whip. It’s been named among the Best Full Swing Training Aids for Golf by Golf Digest, was voted #1 Teaching and Training Aid by PGA & LPGA Professionals by GRAA, and has been endorsed by multiple PGA Tour Winners.

Who Should Buy an Orange Whip?

It’s harder to say who couldn’t benefit from this training aid. You’ll definitely want to try it if you:

• Struggle with tempo
• Want to lengthen your swing
• Have trouble staying on plane
• Would like to improve strength and flexibility in your golf swing

But even professional golfers who have their game dialed in enjoy having their Orange Whip close at hand for an easy and effective warm-up.

How Do I Practice With the Orange Whip?

The beauty of the Orange Whip is that you only have to use it 5-10 minutes a day to see real progress. You can incorporate it into your practice routine and take a few swings to warm up before a round.

Using this device can be as simple as making some practice swings. You can also use drills recommended on the Orange Whip website.

Todd often has his students use the Orange Whip for the Right, Left Drill. It’s a super easy drill; just make a continuous swing motion from right to left, right to left, right to left, without pausing between swings. (Of course, if you’re left-handed, you’d change this to the Left, Right Drill.) 

It doesn’t have to be a fast or aggressive motion. It just has to be continuous. This is already an excellent drill for finding your rhythm with a regular golf club. Using the Orange Whip makes it twice as effective.

Where Can I Buy an Orange Whip?

If you’d like to give the Orange Whip a whirl, you can purchase it here.

It comes with a two-year warranty and is available in different models for height, skill level, and other considerations.

So What Do You Think?

Does the Orange Whip sound like something that could seriously benefit your game? Have you already tried it? If so, what are your thoughts?

Join us in the comments and let your fellow golfers know what you think!