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Best Golf Impact Bags

Updated March 2023
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Pros
Cons
Best of the Best
Impact Bags Dr. Gary Wiren Impact Bag Golf Impact Training Aid
Impact Bags
Dr. Gary Wiren Impact Bag Golf Impact Training Aid
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Expert Designed
Bottom Line

Nothing can stop you from developing your swing – not rain, snow, cold, or darkness – thanks to this impact bag from golf hall-of-famer Dr. Gary Wiren.

Pros

Helps to teach the correct position and feel for the moment of impact in the golf swing. Arrives empty; you fill with old towels, linens, clothes or any kind of fabric that will give you the right feel. A great trainer for those who swing from the top. Great for indoor practice when conditions are bad outdoors.

Cons

Hitting the bag can make a loud, alarming noise. Try to be gentle with the zipper; it may be a weak point on the bag.

Best Bang for the Buck
Amazingli Golf Impact Power Smash Bag
Amazingli
Golf Impact Power Smash Bag
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Simple Yet Solid
Bottom Line

Practicing with this bag helps you build muscle memory for good swings. Using it can help eliminate fat and thin shots, as well as wrist flipping problems.

Pros

Helps you master the correct feeling when swinging the club and hitting the ball. Waterproof. Made of nylon. Gives you indoor practice when the range isn't accessible. Arrives empty; you fill with linens, newspapers or other material.

Cons

Seams can rip, so be sure you practice controlled strokes rather than swinging as hard as possible. Do not fill with sand.

Intech Golf Swing Impact Bag
Intech
Golf Swing Impact Bag
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Best for Small Spaces
Bottom Line

This sturdy impact bag is outfitted with an anchor clip, so you can clip it down if you're concerned it might take flight in your practice space.

Pros

Allows you to develop better endurance, technique, rhythm, consistency and distance. Builds muscle memory. Fill with towels, clothes, sheets or any cloth-type material. Use to practice for return to golf after injury. Has a clip to secure it to something sturdy if you don't want it to move far when you hit it.

Cons

Very loud. Consider using outdoors or using ear protection indoors.

SKLZ Smash Bag
SKLZ
Smash Bag
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Customer Favorite
Bottom Line

The target map on this bag gives you visual feedback on your accuracy – specifically on your lag and forward shaft lean.

Pros

Made of heavy-duty, high-impact PVC and nylon. Helps you learn correct clubface impact. Target map provides visual feedback on the quality and accuracy of the impact. Easy-to-read target. Fill with old textiles. Use with slower, smoother swings to practice technique. Grommet near bottom lets you anchor bag.

Cons

Seams split relatively easily.

ProActive Sports Contact Bag Golf Swing Impact Trainer
ProActive Sports
Contact Bag Golf Swing Impact Trainer
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Feature-packed
Bottom Line

This bag helps you improve your core mechanics and practice more active striking, as well as helping you eliminate slices and hooks.

Pros

Heavy-duty material. Includes loops for staking to the ground. Fill with linens or old clothes. Helps to strengthen your swing. Useful to determine impact.

Cons

Stakes for attaching to ground not included.

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.About BestReviews 
HOW WE TESTED

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

32
Models
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117
Consumers
Consulted
8
Hours
Researched
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Buying guide for best golf impact bags

If you're a golfer, you're always looking for an edge, whether it’s a tweak to your swing to gain accuracy or a new driver to pick up a few yards of distance. Ultimately, though, practice may be the best way to improve your performance on the course.

A great way to gain strength and distance in your golf swing is by practicing with a golf impact bag. As the club head connects with the impact bag, you’ll be able to feel any imbalance in your swing path that you might not feel when connecting with a golf ball. You’ll also be able to feel when your hands are trailing the club head as you strike the bag.

Conveniently, a golf impact bag is portable — you can use it to work on your game anywhere. Use it on the course as you warm up before a round. Use it at home, in the garage, or in the yard, to build your swing strength. You could even take it with you on a business trip to work on your swing in the hotel room.

golf impact bag1
Some golfers struggle because they slow their swing speed as they impact the ball. An impact bag can teach you to hit through the ball, carrying your swing speed through the impact point and beyond.

Key considerations

Material

Your primary consideration when purchasing a golf impact bag should be the quality of the material. Because you will be repeatedly striking the bag, it must stand up to rough treatment. As such, many golf impact bags are made of heavy waterproof vinyl. If you’ll be using the bag outdoors in wet grass, this material is ideal. However, even an impact bag that is waterproof should not be left outside, as the elements could shorten its lifespan.

Some impact bags have a canvas exterior that is not waterproof. Canvas won’t last as long as vinyl, but some golfers like the feel of canvas better than the feel of vinyl when they strike. Canvas has quite a bit more give than thick vinyl.

Size

The average impact bag measures 15 to 18 inches in diameter and 10 to 12 inches in height. Most have a cylindrical shape, although a few have a boxy shape.

If you choose a bag on the smaller side, note it may not give you the resistance you want when striking it. However, a larger-than-average bag could be too heavy, which means it could damage your club.

If you are going to store the impact bag for a few weeks or longer, remove the fill and flatten the bag to minimize the storage area required.

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Features

Method of fill

Nearly all impact bags require that you fill them yourself. You may occasionally find one with fill included, but this is uncommon.

The bag may have a zippered seam around the circumference of the top of the cylinder where you can add fill material. More commonly, a zipper seam or Velcro strip seam runs across the diameter of the top segment of the bag. Many people prefer the latter design over the former because, with the seam around the circumference of the top layer of the bag, you could inadvertently strike it with your club and damage the club.

Handle

If you want an impact bag that’s easy to carry, look for one with a sturdy handle sewn into the material across the top. A golf impact bag without a handle can be awkward to carry.

Printing

Many golf impact bags have a design or target printed on the side. Some have several targets spread around the circumference of the bag. The target provides an aiming point, which many golfers appreciate. However, another good practice is to rotate the bag every few swings so you do not contact the same point on the bag repeatedly. If you do this, the target will change positions, so it won’t be as valuable to have on the bag.

golf impact bag2
DID YOU KNOW?
Learning to repeat a consistent swing with a golf impact bag will hopefully translate into muscle memory that you can use on the course.
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Accessories

Putting mat: Putt-A-Bout Grassroots Putting Green
A putting mat gives you the opportunity to work on your putting game anywhere and any time. This model’s putting surface is built to withstand regular use, giving you a practice green that does a good job mimicking the actual greens on a golf course.

Putt trainer: Putting Arc MS-3D
A putting trainer can help you learn to keep your putter on line. The MS-3D differs from other trainers in that you can see how your putting stroke moves in three dimensions rather than just two.

Golf swing trainer: SKLZ Gold Flex Golf Swing Trainer
A swing trainer gives you the opportunity to work on your swing and to build strength anywhere. This SKLZ trainer has a weighted head on a fiberglass shaft, which maximizes muscle-building when practicing.

Golf practice net: Rukket Sports Haack Golf Net
For those times when you just need to hit a ball with a full swing at home, this practice net can catch the ball for you. The Rukket net dimensions of 10 x 7 feet are perfect for large indoor spaces as well as outdoor use.

Golf impact bag prices

Unlike the many other types of golf equipment, golf impact bags do not have a significant cost difference from low to high.

Low-cost: Low-cost golf impact bags are priced from $15 to $25.

High-cost: For a bag with waterproof materials and a more durable outer fabric, you could pay $25 to $50.

Average cost: The majority of golf impact bags cost between $20 and $40. Some bags that cost more than $40 may include more than one type of swing training aid.

If the impact bag slides a foot or more each time you strike, it probably needs more fill. It should slide a few inches each time.

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Tips

Here are some tips for making use of a golf impact bag in your practice time.

  • Position the bag by placing it opposite the front foot of your stance.
  • At the time of impact, the majority of your weight should be shifted to your front leg.
  • Your hands should be a little bit farther forward than the club head when you strike the bag. At impact, they should not be behind the club head.
  • The left arm should remain straight at impact. A bent left arm indicates a swing flaw.
  • If the heel or toe of your club strikes the bag first, your club face is not square to the target. This could mean you are rotating your wrists and forearms.
golf impact bag3
Ultimately, working out with an impact bag regularly should help you generate more power in your swing, resulting in more distance on the ball.

FAQ

Q. Can I use a golf impact bag outdoors?

A. Yes. It should hold up well outdoors. Even if it is waterproof, though, avoid using it in rain or snow, as persistent moisture could create problems over time. You can also use it indoors if you have enough free space to accommodate the backswing of your club, such as in the garage.

Q. Is using an impact bag better than going to the driving range to practice?

A. It depends on what you’re trying to accomplish with your practice time. An impact bag helps you build strength in your swinging muscles. It also helps you learn how the club should feel at the point of impact. Some people prefer the feel of hitting golf balls at the range because they need to see the results of each shot to figure out what works and what doesn’t. If there are times when it’s easier to stay home and practice, however, an impact bag is a convenient (and affordable) piece of equipment to have on hand.

Q. What is best filling for a golf impact bag?

A. You can fill an impact bag with almost any kind of item that has some give to it. Old T-shirts, towels, and pillows are commonly used. You could also buy fill material, such as chunks of foam. Take care not to use extra-firm material like sand and gravel. The bag should have quite a bit of give. A bag filled with firm sand or gravel could potentially damage your club.

 

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