Golf pros don’t always speak openly about equipment, but Michael S. Kim has never been afraid to share his opinions. Back in April, after Rory McIlroy‘s solo practice session at Augusta, Kim spoke out about how professionals are often judged for working with too many coaches. Now, he has found something else to talk about, and this time, his focus is on golf gadgets.
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On Saturday, Kim followed up with a verdict that left little room for debate:
“Training aids that try to help with “connection” are mostly useless. All it does is it restricts you. You want WIDTH in your swing. My guy Sean Foley’s widener much better for you, especially around the greens Most boards you stand on I think is on the useless spectrum.”
He is not the first golf voice to bristle at the technology around the sport. Brandel Chamblee has long been skeptical of lesson-tee tools, and GolfWRX noted back in 2017 that he was vocal about TrackMan. But Kim’s critique cuts a different way. He is pro-coach, pro-data, and anti-gimmick.
Connection vs. Width: What Kim Is Really Arguing
Kim’s post is about two different swing ideas: connection and width. Connection aids, such as arm bands, training balls, and jackets, help keep a golfer’s arms close to the body during the swing. Width training does the opposite. It teaches players to keep their arms extended and create more space during the swing.
Kim believes connection tools can “restrict” a swing by limiting how freely the arms move. He feels golfers need more room to make a natural swing. However, not every instructor agrees, as many still teach the importance of keeping the arms connected to the body. The difference in these approaches explains why Kim has a clear opinion about which training gadgets are worth using.
The Short List Kim Actually Trusts
In an earlier post, Kim spelled out what he does use: “These are the only training aids that I’ve used consistently over my career: Pelz putting tutor, Stack system, alignment rods, Stabila level (for aimpoint users) Trackman too if you want to count it.”
There is a clear pattern in the products Kim mentions. The Pelz Putting Tutor, a nine-inch plastic training aid, helps golfers check their putter-face alignment. It is also a favourite of Phil Mickelson. Kim does not name a specific Stack product, but the Stack System is best known for its swing-speed training program. It was developed by biomechanist Sasho MacKenzie and Marty Jertson.
What makes these products different is that none of them tries to control a golfer’s body during the swing. Instead, they help players improve their aim, measure their progress or build more swing speed. This suggests that Kim prefers training tools that give golfers useful feedback rather than force them into certain positions.
The Pro
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Michael S. Kim played college golf at California before turning professional. He made a big name for himself in 2018 when he won the John Deere Classic by eight shots. But success did not come easily after that. Kim struggled for several years and had to return to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2021. That was also when he started working with swing coach Sean Foley, who helped him understand that he had moved away from his natural swing.
The hard work eventually paid off. In 2025, Kim earned more than $4 million and picked up his second professional win. He made headlines again in July 2026 when he shot a tournament-record 59 at the 3M Open.
Those experiences have shaped how Kim looks at golf. In a Golf Digest Q&A, he explained that amateur golfers often get “really caught up with looks” when working on their swings. Now, he is sharing the same message about golf equipment. For Kim, finding what works matters more than getting caught up in how something looks.
The Alternative Has a Name and a Creator
The ProSENDR Widener, built by Foley and David Woods, straps to the lead forearm and rests under the trail armpit, forcing the trail arm to extend away from the body. Calling Foley “my guy” is transparent, but it is still a student praising his coach’s product.
Foley has said he avoided aid deals until the original ProSENDR: “I didn’t want to do it until I found one I actually believed in.”
There is a wrinkle. Foley and Woods also sell the ProSENDR Connection Sphere, and one retail listing names Kim among the tour pros who use it. Kim’s post doesn’t mention that product, and the listing is marketing copy, so treat it as unverified.
Tour ranges are labs, and not every pro agrees with Kim. McIlroy was spotted using the original ProSENDR before his T-2 finish at the 2023 U.S. Open. Golf Digest reported in April that the Widener was popping up on tour driving ranges.
For amateurs scrolling through gadget ads, Kim’s lesson isn’t “buy nothing.” It’s to ask whether a tool measures something or merely forces a position.
Kim isn’t against help. His April defense of coaches proves that. He is against the idea that a strap, a ball or a board can stand in for understanding your own swing. In a sport where the next big aid arrives every season, a tour pro listing what he has actually used for a career may be the most useful gear advice of the week.