Kyoshin's Impact Zone Trainer Wins 2026 Good Design Award

A Precision Manufacturer in Nagano, a Pro Golfer, and GOLFavo Develop an Innovative Training Aid.

Kyoshin Co., Ltd. (Suwa, Nagano, Japan; President: Takeshi Gomi) has received the 2026 Good Design Award for its Impact Zone Trainer. Developed in collaboration with JLPGA Tour professional Kaori Aoyama and GOLFavo, the training aid attaches to a golfer's own club and provides physical feedback on wrist movements and club path during the swing.

The award jury recognized the product's ease of use and the manufacturing expertise behind its design.

Understanding Swing Movements Through Physical Feedback

Wrist movements and club path around impact can be difficult to monitor when practicing alone, even after a lesson or instructional video. The Impact Zone Trainer helps golfers understand these movements through physical feedback. A dedicated stick attaches to the grip end of a golf club using a locking mechanism that combines injection-molded plastic parts with a metal connector. Feeling the stick move helps users become more aware of their swing. The attachment also allows golfers to maintain their normal grip, without having to hold an alignment stick alongside the club.

Impact Zone Trainer attached to a golf club

The trainer in use during a swing

From Golf Lessons to Product Development

The project began when a Kyoshin employee took golf lessons with professional golfer Kaori Aoyama and learned about an idea she had been exploring with GOLFavo.

She and GOLFavo, operated by Tokyo-based Digital Athlete Co., Ltd., had long wanted to make professional training techniques more accessible to everyday golfers.

The challenge was to create an attachment that would fit a wide range of golf clubs while remaining secure throughout the swing. These technical challenges had prevented the idea from becoming a product for years.

The employee's connection with Aoyama brought Kyoshin into the project, bringing the manufacturing expertise needed to move the project forward.

Kyoshin contributed its design and precision metalworking capabilities, Aoyama provided golf training expertise, and GOLFavo brought product development know-how and now handles sales and marketing.

Together, the three partners overcame the technical challenges involved in developing the attachment and brought the Impact Zone Trainer to market.

Locking mechanism and aluminum socket

Manufacturing the Impact Zone Trainer at Kyoshin

Bringing Manufacturing Expertise to Consumer Products

Founded in 1962, Kyoshin has more than 60 years of experience machining metal components for industries including automotive, motorcycles, construction machinery, and medical devices. Much of its work has involved mass-producing components to customer specifications.

The Impact Zone Trainer represents a new direction for Kyoshin: taking an active role in developing a consumer product in collaboration with specialized partners. The project combines Kyoshin's precision engineering with practical insights from golf instruction and product development.

 

Recognition for Ease of Use and Design

The Good Design Award jury recognized how the trainer helps golfers of different skill levels understand, reproduce, and correct swing movements that can be difficult to grasp through instruction alone. It also highlighted the fastening mechanism, lightweight construction, and product geometry as examples of Kyoshin's manufacturing expertise. The recognition reflects the company's efforts to apply its capabilities to its own products and enter new markets.

Impact Zone Trainer product details and the 2026 Good Design Award logo

Video Guidance to Support Regular Practice

The trainer comes with an instructional video course featuring Kaori Aoyama and produced by GOLFavo. It covers basic use and practice drills for different club types. Golfers can watch the videos on their smartphones and revisit key techniques at home or at the driving range. Swing analysis is also available through the app.

Kaori Aoyama demonstrates the Impact Zone Trainer in an instructional video

Developing New Ideas Through Manufacturing

The project shows how an everyday connection can lead to a new product when practical expertise comes together.

Guided by its corporate philosophy, "Contribute to society through our work and be a company that society needs," Kyoshin will continue to draw on ideas from within and beyond the company to develop products and services that build on its precision manufacturing expertise.

 

Product Information

Product Name: Impact Zone Trainer

Price: Contact the retailer for current pricing

Release Date: June 8, 2024

Specifications:

　Length: 650 mm Weight: 150 g Materials: Aluminum, resin (POM), and fiberglass 

Technical Supervision: Kaori Aoyama (JLPGA Tour professional)

Manufacturer: Kyoshin Co., Ltd.

Distributor: GOLFavo / Digital Athlete Co., Ltd.

Included Video Content:

　Instructional videos explaining how to use     the product Practice drills tailored to different 

　golf club types 

Product Details and Online Store:

　https://shop.pro-golfacademy.com/products/izt

Good Design Award 2026:

　https://www.g-mark.org/gallery/winners/39073?years=2026

 

About Kyoshin Co., Ltd.

Founded in May 1962 in Suwa, Nagano, Japan, Kyoshin Co., Ltd. manufactures precision metal components for the automotive, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, industrial equipment, and medical device industries.

In addition to its precision machining and grinding, the company has developed its unique joining technology, known as Kashime Joining. This technology mechanically joins dissimilar materials through the plastic deformation of metal without heat treatment or adhesives. This technique delivers precise, safe, and reliable joining solutions across a wide range of applications while improving cost efficiency and environmental performance.

 

Kyoshin Co., Ltd.

Representative: Takeshi Gomi

Founded: May 1, 1962

Capital: JPY 30 million

Head Office: 4650 Nakasu, Suwa City, Nagano 392-0015, Japan

Business: Manufacturing and sales of precision metal components

Website: https://www.kyoshin-h.com/

Customer Support
GOLFavo (Digital Athlete Co., Ltd.)
　[e-mail]

Good Design Award Gallery
　https://www.g-mark.org/gallery/winners/39073?years=2026