Right on! You can use all the dowels and sticks but it just isn't the same feel as monitoring the sweetspot (#3) with a real club in your hands.
Understood, mb, and I agree. But, first . . .
You must learn to Swing the Hands! Only then should you add the Club "to develop its TOTAL equivalent in Lag Pressure Point Feel" (Homer Kelley / 5-0).
Fortunately, a wide variety of training aids exists to bridge the gap between Swinging the Hands and Swinging the Club. And that is exactly the way we attacked the problem with all the 'Left Wrist Benders' at The Barclays.