Compression Board

[Todd Dugan]

I know that a lot of people love the Tour Striker as a training aid for the ideal Attack Angle and Dynamic Loft. But if you haven't seen it, I got to tell you that this Compression Board works really well for this, also. Sure, you could build one yourself. And I've been using a raw piece of plexiglass for a while now, but I just "bit the bullet" and bought the "Compression Board", getting it for the "pro" wholesale price. I had been placing my plexiglass 4" behind the back of the ball as a good test, with a sand wedge, for ideal Attack Angle with my students. 3" was my "trap"/"stinger" setting. Now, as the clubs get longer, obviously the radius of the clubhead arc changes, as well as the ideal Attack Angle, so I'm not sure of the exact ideal location of the board thoughout the bag. I'm working that out. Interestingly, I had a TrackMan demo from the rep last week. I was interested to know what Attack Angle I was producing with the Sand Wedge to make a sweet spot impact without hitting the baord at 4" behind, as I knew that this was near ideal. The number was around -5* AA. So 4" is pretty close to where you want to be. Low and behold, the Compresion Board has several lines/settings, with the "1" setting at 4" and the "pro" setting at 3.5". I'll be getting A LOT of use of this board in my lessons. Highly recomended.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

I don't get it, is this just supposed to be a "fat check" sort of thing? Also obviously you'll have to aim that thing at different angles based on the path you intend to swing on.

 

[Erik_K]

Why not strive for tour caliber impact from the get go? Get in the bunker and draw a line or maybe place an object on the ground next to the ball (as reference) and work on making ball-turf contact? In my experience hitting just a fraction of an inch behind the ball seriously reduces power.

 

[Todd Dugan]

I don't get it, is this just supposed to be a "fat check" sort of thing? Also obviously you'll have to aim that thing at different angles based on the path you intend to swing on.

Seriously? It essentially measures your Attack Angle. And I find the line on it it to be a useful aid in directing my horizontal Plane Line.

 

[willgolfer]

Assuming you are hitting balls off grass, don't you have to move it every time you hit the ball? Kind of an inconvenience.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Seriously? It essentially measures your Attack Angle. And I find the line on it it to be a useful aid in directing my horizontal Plane Line.

Yes seriously; i don't get it. Are you saying that the numbers on the board correlate to attack angle? If that's the case than i

1) feel very dumb lol
2) understand your "seriously"

 

[hp12c]

Nice and modern,
I use an old fashion regular wood board appx. 1 1/2 in thick. 10 inch by wide by 14 inches long
Art

 

[Tom Losinger]

This looks decent for hitting balls off a mat. For turf...I think I would probably still prefer painting a line to use as a reference for where the club is striking the ground.

 

[natep]

I understand the concept, but it looks really thin to me. If you had a ball at the "6" line you could miss the board and still hit the ground 8 inches behind the ball.

 

[Todd Dugan]

Yes seriously; i don't get it. Are you saying that the numbers on the board correlate to attack angle? If that's the case than i

1) feel very dumb lol
2) understand your "seriously"

No, I'm not saying that the numbers on the board correlate EXACTLY to Attack Angle. I'm saying that in order to make a sweet spot impact, as the edge of the board is placed closer to the back of the ball, then the Attack Angle must become more descending. As I said, TrackMan verified that I needed at least a -5* Attack Angle to make a sweet spot impact with my sand wedge, at the 4" setting. As soon as I dipped to -4*, I nicked the board. The board quickly exposes someone who doesn't know how to "hit down" on the ball. I'm sure if you fooled around with it, you would discover its merit pretty quickly.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Ok I get it now, thanks todd.

 

[natep]

No, I'm not saying that the numbers on the board correlate EXACTLY to Attack Angle. I'm saying that in order to make a sweet spot impact, as the edge of the board is placed closer to the back of the ball, then the Attack Angle must become more descending. As I said, TrackMan verified that I needed at least a -5* Attack Angle to make a sweet spot impact with my sand wedge, at the 4" setting. As soon as I dipped to -4*, I nicked the board. The board quickly exposes someone who doesn't know how to "hit down" on the ball. I'm sure if you fooled around with it, you would discover its merit pretty quickly.

It's pretty sweet that you "calibrated" it with a Trackman. I can definitely see the value in that. It's probably less valuable if you dont have a clue about what AoA corresponds with what number, etc.

 

[faux_maestro]

It's pretty sweet that you "calibrated" it with a Trackman. I can definitely see the value in that. It's probably less valuable if you dont have a clue about what AoA corresponds with what number, etc.

Todd-Did you calibrate this with trackman yourself? Thanks.

 

[alfcallowhill]

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to add to the discussion - I'm a Co-founder for the Compression Board Training Aid so feel free to ask any questions. We based the levels on AoA numbers from average tour pros. I have guys that hit a 4-iron from the pro level beautifully, and other solid players who have to hit from level 1 with the 4-iron. But it does help people learn to hit down on the golf ball with their irons, and for the majority of golfers that's a serious problem.

The aiming line works great as a reference line for HSP as Todd mentioned in an earlier post. If I want to hit a draw I can still adjust my body lines if needed to start it right and draw it in. The lines are best used as Reference lines. Not everyone is the same and there are only a few clubs that I actually set up square for (7,8) for a straight shot.

Thanks Todd for your kind words and if you find out any cool numbers please share.

Alf Callowhill

 

[Shot Limit]

So what if your AoA is like -7,-8,-9 or -10* now and you want to get closer to tour average? What kind of feedback will the compression board provide in that case?

 

[faux_maestro]

So what if your AoA is like -7,-8,-9 or -10* now and you want to get closer to tour average? What kind of feedback will the compression board provide in that case?

Not the inventor but I would guess you might know that your AoA is too down by the size of your divots. Sometimes I can tell because I get some weird ball flights. Also, when I get too much down AoA I actually hit it quite a bit shorter. Food for thought.

 

[LENNON]

Brilliant for not flipping but after a while I always get ahead of it. Wouldn`t it be an idea to make a board with like a hole in the middle?,so that if you hit behind the ball or get to far in front of it you touch the board either at the front or at the back. But if your AoA is perfect you just manage to miss both sides of the board.

 

[Todd Dugan]

Todd-Did you calibrate this with trackman yourself? Thanks.

If everybody's swing radius with every club was exactly the same, then you could probably put accurate markings on the board refering to specific Attack Angles. But obviously, for a number of reasons, radii differ. For me, the SW and the 4" setting equated closely to a -5* AA, which I feel is a good, fair test of someone's ability to intentionally increase the negative AA. The classic flipper will spank the board every time. Works great in the sand, too.

 

[softconsult]

Wouldn`t it be an idea to make a board with like a hole in the middle?

Can you just picture the clubhead gathering up the device under it's leading edge, and then continuing
on it's way toward destroying your head!

 

[alfcallowhill]

So what if your AoA is like -7,-8,-9 or -10* now and you want to get closer to tour average? What kind of feedback will the compression board provide in that case?

In that case you'll be getting the feedback from your divots. You also can get feedback on the path of the club based on the divots as well, and the compression board just helps you to recognize that a little more.