Compression Board Forum Testing & Review

[DawgDaddy]

Our compression board arrived today. KellyBo and I are both excited about getting on the range with it however Georgia will be covered with rain the next two days. One thing I can say about this company is, they ship FAST! I may get some time with it on Friday but not the weekend as I will be playing. I will post my thoughts asap.

Glad to hear that OG, I ordered mine the day after you. Keep us posted.

 

[c_ault]

Our compression board arrived today. KellyBo and I are both excited about getting on the range with it however Georgia will be covered with rain the next two days. One thing I can say about this company is, they ship FAST! I may get some time with it on Friday but not the weekend as I will be playing. I will post my thoughts asap.

Nice to hear they ship fast.


Still no video, I'm going to stop worrying about it though so maybe the rain will stop. I'll happily golf/hit balls in the rain but not taking my new camera out there. Mcook's videos have been great and really show the board in use. The only thing I can think of to shoot video of is maybe the evolution of my swing but I may forget what I was doing before the compression board before the rain stops.

I moved stuff around/cleaned out the garage today after work and set up my net and mat in there to have a nice place to work on my swing (small garage so no room to shoot video in there). After a little while I was able to make a couple of adjustments to where I'm doing pretty good on level 3. I was able to hit so/so on level 2 but am not there yet. I did hit a nice shot on level 1 but won't be trying that again until I progress more. My main adjustments are still to compact the swing (still have a tendency to start off to wide), keep that flying elbow under control, get a decent shift forward on the downswing, and tonight I learned I need to hinge my wrists a bit sooner in the back swing. I'm really excited to have the net fit in the garage enough that I can hit in there so now I don't have to put up/take down the net, just have to move the lawn mower and set the mat down and swing away. This is really going to help my game especially with the compression board feedback.
The board is still in one piece just some more markings on it. A couple times tonight I got worried as I hit it a little hard and it's concrete under the mat (maybe the hits on the board just sounded louder being mostly enclosed in the garage). No problems to report with the product and am still really happy with it.

 

[DawgDaddy]

Well, the postman has run for the day and I did not receive my compression board. Maybe tomorrow. OG, yours was delivered by the USPS wasn't it?

 

[gfb107]

Mine came by Fedex, to my surprise. And they delivered on Saturday, too.

 

[c_ault]

:twist: Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding :twist: (don't see a light bulb icon so twist will have to do)

So, anyway, went to the range today after last night's practice (wanted to go to the range then play at least 9 but flooding kept that from happening) to see what was happening with my ball flight. Well, last night's practice/break through just didn't translate to the range (if it cannot translate to the range, for me, it sure as hell isn't going to translate to the course). On the range, I was just not swinging well and everything I was working on last night just didn't work. I was mostly hitting fat shots (an improvement for me since I have a problem hitting thin shots) and even the shots I hit OK were just not "there." I was carrying my PW right about 110, which before the compression board I'd been OK with but considering I have carried my 56* SW over 115 when hitting it right 110 with a PW just does not cut it.
I didn't bring the compression board with me to the range, which ends up a good thing.
I took out the driver to work with as the 7I wasn't working to good either and had a bad time hitting the driver, which isn't too unusual for me but I thought I had gotten pass the really horrible driver shots (Saturday to be excluded since I couldn't make anything work then). Got frustrated with the driver, actually just frustrated, and had a lot of balls left to hit so I pulled out the SW to mostly just burn up the balls. I was hitting the SW OK, carrying about 100 on full swings (for those that don't believe too much in swing weight making a difference I will say that you are wrong), but still not hitting/compressing it. I decided to adjust my grip a little, after burning through yet another glove in less than a month, and hit the ball a little better. I had a few balls left so got the D out again. I took the adjusted grip that I was playing with and hit a few good drives, nothing to be really proud of but pretty good overall.
The way I had adjusted the grip was to put it in the lifeline of my LH (I'm a RH golfer). I was using a grip that for the most part had the grip (handle) of my club more in the first joints of my LH. I was thinking on the range that Hogan suggested that the LH could handle the club with just the forefinger and pad of the thumb. So after hitting my last ball with the D (actually one of the best shots I've made with a D) I headed home (well actually went to the putting green for a short while but that has nothing to do with this moment) to look back into Hogan's 5 Lessons to see what it actually says.
Got home and find out that I'm wrong about the thumb pad of the LH so I grab the PW and head out to the garage. Working with the Hogan grip I find that I can really crank my hands together without gripping the club too firm and it feels better (and is less damaging to the glove).
After hitting some balls I get the compression board out and start trying to hit/compress the ball. Still stuck on level 4 but in the process I have my ding, ding, ding moment. Last night I was making a huge effort to control when my wrists hinged on the back swing and it made for a not so pleasant looking swing and a swing that didn't hold up on the range this morning. This control of the wrist hinge that I was working on also had to do with my flying elbow and trying to control it. Today I found out the right back swing for me. It feels good and looks good also.
With the right grip, Hogan's suggested grip, though mine is a little stronger since it puts the club face square at set up for me. It is a lot more like the grip that Tom Watson suggests in Lessons of a Lifetime (maybe a bit weaker). Anyway, using this grip and not trying to force anything I started to notice that when I took a proper back swing (elbow where it should be grip not too tight) that my wrists hinge naturally (as they should but this is the first day I could actually feel it). They hinge naturally at a point that I notice enough that I can just scratch the swing and start over. (My neighbors, well actually anyone on driving range, probably think I am crazy since I talk to myself. "Nope, Nope, not right, that's it let 'er rip.")
Using this, along with a suggested Hogan "secret," I have become really comfortable hitting at level 3 with the compression board and have even gotten to level 2 for the most part (about 50/50 but many of the misses are due to me not completely resetting after the "Nope, Nope, not it").

So I'm making progress. It will be interesting to see how it translates to the range and course but the changes really allow me to spaz out on the down swing with decent results since I can now actually feel when my back swing is just not there with enough time to stop the swing.

Compression Board is still in one piece and I cannot thank Compression Board and THP for the opportunity to test/review this product. I think I said it before but I'll say it again, I will buy this product. I don't think this will break for awhile (if ever) but it is something that is working for me and I believe will be something that I can always use to check myself.

 

[Ole Gray]

Well, the postman has run for the day and I did not receive my compression board. Maybe tomorrow. OG, yours was delivered by the USPS wasn't it?

Yea it was UPS and mine arrived within two or three days. Maybe yours will come tomorrow. I am really looking forward to getting out after this rain we are having and hit the range. I have a lesson Friday morning and I'm thinking about taking it and showing it to my coach. He may work it into our sessions.

 

[DawgDaddy]

Yeah, I will be on the look out, I ordered mine the day after you did because the site did not like Discover card so I tried the Visa and it worked. I hope to at least get out and hit a few tomorrw too. Let me know how the lesson goes, I really think I need to sign up for the same plan you are working right now.

 

[cbalf]

c-ault...

Glad you are enjoying the product - I think it's great that you went from thin to fat shots. It shows a change and although I'd rather hit it thin than fat any day of the week, I think for now that's a good thing and you are well on your way to better ball striking. Good luck!

Alf Callowhill

 

[c_ault]

c-ault...

Glad you are enjoying the product - I think it's great that you went from thin to fat shots. It shows a change and although I'd rather hit it thin than fat any day of the week, I think for now that's a good thing and you are well on your way to better ball striking. Good luck!

Alf Callowhill

Thank you for the encouragement and allowing us to test the product.

Nothing new to report the past couple of days. Been sick so haven't really been able to swing a club much. I did a little today and am about were I was Wed.

The grip change is going to save me a lot in gloves since I'm not seeing the wear that I was.

 

[#Cookie]

Had a quick range session this morning and was a bit rushed but got some video. I hit about 30 balls working on some tips from Andy & Dent before laying down the compression board and hitting with it. I can definitely say that I hit the ball better with the compression board there because it is forcing me to focus on proper takeaway. As you can see in the video I hit some good and a few bad. I recorded today from a different angle so a bit different perspective.

[youtube]AywqGCfbEOo[/youtube]

 

[DawgDaddy]

When I returned from Tallahassee today mine was on the front porch, hope to get to the range with it tomorrow. I have really been enjoying this thread and believe this product will help my ballstriking.

 

[c_ault]

Had a quick range session this morning and was a bit rushed but got some video. I hit about 30 balls working on some tips from Andy & Dent before laying down the compression board and hitting with it. I can definitely say that I hit the ball better with the compression board there because it is forcing me to focus on proper takeaway. As you can see in the video I hit some good and a few bad. I recorded today from a different angle so a bit different perspective.

It is really nice to have something there to help you focus. I'm really trying to develop the mental picture of it there when I go to the course or range (if I forget to bring it).

 

[jnug]

C_ault, you are absolutely right about how critical the takeaway is in this case. I for example have a really hard time maintaining a good takeaway using range mats because I worry about my elbows. So invariably if I spend too much time with a mat over concrete, it turns out to have limited benefit.

I tend to take the club back too shallow using range mats. My normal swing has me maintaining my triangle but picking up my iron on a steeper angle than I would driver just as an example. When I pick the club up smartly, I hinge my wrists at the right time and I come more from the inside on my downswing and on a steeper angle of attack as well. The result is much more solid contact and a proper divot. When I use my gutless, range mat swing, I take the club back too shallow, my wrist hinge is a bit more forced and I end up not coming as much from the inside on my downswing and my angle of attack is not as steep either. In my case it ends up having a huge impact on the quality of the shot. It actually turns out to be something I have to deal with every spring as the only winter ball striking I get is at heated bay ranges off of mats. One reason I got a compression board this spring was to help me get over my winter range-itus a little earlier this year as the compression board really tells you when your angle of attack is too shallow.

Breen had a good drill that he talked about last week I think or maybe two weeks ago on the "Golf Fix". The drill is to lay the club down with the head against the wall and the end of the grip where the club would be at address (roughly midway between your feet). Then you practice taking the club back so that it does not hit the wall on the backswing. The drill is trying to teach the same thing, not getting too long in the backswing and taking the club back on a steeper path so that your downswing is also on a steeper path. Obviously you want to be careful not to put your club head through the wall. In fact this is one of the drills he recommends for travelers so in fact you are risking the hotel wall. You could stand up your golf bag as a substitute for a wall as well.

 

[c_ault]

C_ault, you are absolutely right about how critical the takeaway is in this case. I for example have a really hard time maintaining a good takeaway using range mats because I worry about my elbows. So invariably if I spend too much time with a mat over concrete, it turns out to have limited benefit.

I tend to take the club back too shallow using range mats. My normal swing has me maintaining my triangle but picking up my iron on a steeper angle than I would driver just as an example. When I pick the club up smartly, I hinge my wrists at the right time and I come more from the inside on my downswing and on a steeper angle of attack as well. The result is much more solid contact and a proper divot. When I use my gutless, range mat swing, I take the club back too shallow, my wrist hinge is a bit more forced and I end up not coming as much from the inside on my downswing and my angle of attack is not as steep either. In my case it ends up having a huge impact on the quality of the shot. It actually turns out to be something I have to deal with every spring as the only winter ball striking I get is at heated bay ranges off of mats. One reason I got a compression board this spring was to help me get over my winter range-itus a little earlier this year as the compression board really tells you when your angle of attack is too shallow.

Breen had a good drill that he talked about last week I think or maybe two weeks ago on the "Golf Fix". The drill is to lay the club down with the head against the wall and the end of the grip where the club would be at address (roughly midway between your feet). Then you practice taking the club back so that it does not hit the wall on the backswing. The drill is trying to teach the same thing, not getting too long in the backswing and taking the club back on a steeper path so that your downswing is also on a steeper path. Obviously you want to be careful not to put your club head through the wall. In fact this is one of the drills he recommends for travelers so in fact you are risking the hotel wall. You could stand up your golf bag as a substitute for a wall as well.

Sounds like a good tip/drill from the Golf Fix, thanks. I'll give it a try. You're right about the compression board getting range sessions to be more productive too.

I hit some balls in the garage tonight. I'm still sick so didn't get a chance to hit for too long and tired out quickly. Again, correcting my grip is going to save me a lot in gloves (or the TM Burner gloves are really amazing gloves) as I'm not seeing any wear on the one I started using. Keeping with my ding ding ding moment mentioned in an earlier post I am making really good progress. Level 3 is really where I am at right now but getting pretty good at level 2. I hit a few at 1 and hit them great for the most part, but I still need to master 3 a bit more and then 2. I don't think I'm too far off on getting 2 down, maybe a good week or 2 (it's really nice being able to put the net in the garage as it gives me so much more time to practice). Really looking forward to hitting the range this week, health permitting, maybe playing but I may go check some things on a monitor after the range. I really think that this time my practice at home will translate to the range and course since I really feel when my back swing is right now. It may not be right all of the time but I feel it soon enough where I can stop the swing and regroup.
I did put some electrical tape on my PW (also known as a Jigger ) and hit a nice solid shot off a board tonight (didn't hurt at all [I admit, I was a little scared]). I need to get my clubs adjusted since they are too flat. I'm wondering if that is making some difference with the compression board as some of my really solid strikes still seem to tick the board a little so I don't know if I'm getting the best feedback I can be getting.
I've noticed some residue on my club sole the past couple of times. It is pretty clear and it is very minute. I'm not sure if it is from the board or the mat though. There could be a little greenish tint to it but green is not my strongest color eyesight wise.

 

[jnug]

I would think it is likely to be the mat.

 

[DawgDaddy]

c_a, I am anxious to hear how your epiphany on the wrist hinge translates to the course, I hope you get to feeling better and are able to try your idea out on the course soon to let us know how you are doing.

 

[c_ault]

c_a, I am anxious to hear how your epiphany on the wrist hinge translates to the course, I hope you get to feeling better and are able to try your idea out on the course soon to let us know how you are doing.

Me too and thank you.

 

[Ole Gray]

Breen had a good drill that he talked about last week I think or maybe two weeks ago on the "Golf Fix". The drill is to lay the club down with the head against the wall and the end of the grip where the club would be at address (roughly midway between your feet). Then you practice taking the club back so that it does not hit the wall on the backswing. The drill is trying to teach the same thing, not getting too long in the backswing and taking the club back on a steeper path so that your downswing is also on a steeper path. Obviously you want to be careful not to put your club head through the wall. In fact this is one of the drills he recommends for travelers so in fact you are risking the hotel wall. You could stand up your golf bag as a substitute for a wall as well.

jnug - I really like this drill as my swing coach told me the exact thing about practicing swinging with the wall behind me. It will teach us to not go so flat inside with more of a up, down, and through the ball motion. It certain is a big change for me and feels very awkard to start with. Good luck with your practice and I will get on the range this week with my compression board to work on some good wrist hinge and contact drills.

 

[Fairway2Green]

I've still been using the board daily to practice chipping/pitching. I also took it to the range Saturday. This is a great training aid to help teach better contact, but I found it can really get you thinking about way to many aspects of your swing and really getting in your own head. My last few rounds before this weekend I was thinking way to much about the backswing and really screwing myself up out on the course. For me the best way to use this would be to go to the range with it in early in the week and play later in the week so that I have time to get it out of my head. Also, I definitely won't use it to warm-up before a round. I have seen improvements from this product because it does help me practice correctly. The Compression Board is a good product to help make your practice time more efficient. Any questions, please ask away.

 

[jnug]

good post F2G. I will repeat something from earlier in the thread that might help folks because I agree with you. I tend to work with the board up to the point where I have the feeling I need in my wrists and the right amount of forward lag to be doing a "good" job of compressing the ball because I find that to be the main issue for me. I think I have done a good job of maintaining my wrist hinge and forward lag but i really have not. As soon as I have established the proper amount of hinge and forward lag on any given day, I will take the board away and use what I have learned from the board to swing without it. So in fact on a given day I might not take more than 10-15 swings with the board and I will take them after I have gotten warm enough to at least make decent swings. For those that feel like it gets into their heads a little too much, this might also be a good way for you to use it. I know it does not sound like the kind of crash course that all of us are prone to favor. But for me it is a good balanced approach to the issues at hand.

 

[c_ault]

I've still been using the board daily to practice chipping/pitching. I also took it to the range Saturday. This is a great training aid to help teach better contact, but I found it can really get you thinking about way to many aspects of your swing and really getting in your own head. My last few rounds before this weekend I was thinking way to much about the backswing and really screwing myself up out on the course. For me the best way to use this would be to go to the range with it in early in the week and play later in the week so that I have time to get it out of my head. Also, I definitely won't use it to warm-up before a round. I have seen improvements from this product because it does help me practice correctly. The Compression Board is a good product to help make your practice time more efficient. Any questions, please ask away.

good post F2G. I will repeat something from earlier in the thread that might help folks because I agree with you. I tend to work with the board up to the point where I have the feeling I need in my wrists and the right amount of forward lag to be doing a "good" job of compressing the ball because I find that to be the main issue for me. I think I have done a good job of maintaining my wrist hinge and forward lag but i really have not. As soon as I have established the proper amount of hinge and forward lag on any given day, I will take the board away and use what I have learned from the board to swing without it. So in fact on a given day I might not take more than 10-15 swings with the board and I will take them after I have gotten warm enough to at least make decent swings. For those that feel like it gets into their heads a little too much, this might also be a good way for you to use it. I know it does not sound like the kind of crash course that all of us are prone to favor. But for me it is a good balanced approach to the issues at hand.

Good advice.

I have been warming up without the board but am now also starting to end my limited practice time without it to try and feel and see more that will translate to the course (I hope).

I had my irons lies adjusted yesterday (well, my P the day before) and have seen that I am a little further along on the board (mostly at #2 with some good contact at #1 also). So, as goes around THP, make sure your clubs are properly fitted. It was a bit (well is a bit) of a learning experience as the different lies did require a bit of adjustment to my swing but the fundamentals seem to be sound (that ding ding ding moment practice session).

Tonight, I practiced some with my hybrid. Made a few swings with my P before dinner and went back out to practice some more. After dinner I just didn't feel like playing with the board or my irons yet again so I grabbed my 4H and headed out to the garage. I wanted to see if what I have been working on with my swing would translate into different clubs (remember, the compression board is not for hybrids, woods, or drivers). I have always had problems hitting the hybrids (and woods, and drivers, well OK...hitting anything :smile but know that they should be swung like irons for balls on the deck. So, I made sure I had enough room to swing I started crushing my hybrid swings after a few tentative attempts. It felt good. I am so excited to go play now. I hope I can get out on Sunday. So, the same fundamentals that the compression board helps you with when it comes to irons translates to hybrids (and I'm pretty sure that it will translate to the woods also).

 

[Lance0363]

I was just wondering if the compression board is heavy duty enough to double as a lie board?

 

[Fairway2Green]

I was just wondering if the compression board is heavy duty enough to double as a lie board?

I've hit about 20-30 balls off of it and it seems to have made no difference.


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[SquirrelHill]

Hi:

I'm not sure how this training aid is supposed to eliminate fat shots? Unless one exclusively practices on mats, one should have a reasonably good idea that one is hitting fat. Last year, I practiced only on grass and would place the ball between two tees or two other balls I laid on the ground to mark the ball position so I would know where my divots were. Well my divots were almost always behind the ball. Knowing that didn't help me improve no matter what I tried to fix it whether it be weight shift, aim point, steepness of the downswing, etc. To me, it appears this piece of plastic will tell you that you are hitting fat, but doesn't actually fix it. I'll be interested in knowing if anyone actually cures their fat shots with this aid

 

[Fairway2Green]

Hi:

I'm not sure how this training aid is supposed to eliminate fat shots? Unless one exclusively practices on mats, one should have a reasonably good idea that one is hitting fat. Last year, I practiced only on grass and would place the ball between two tees or two other balls I laid on the ground to mark the ball position so I would know where my divots were. Well my divots were almost always behind the ball. Knowing that didn't help me improve no matter what I tried to fix it whether it be weight shift, aim point, steepness of the downswing, etc. To me, it appears this piece of plastic will tell you that you are hitting fat, but doesn't actually fix it. I'll be interested in knowing if anyone actually cures their fat shots with this aid

This aid is not going to miraculously cure your swing faults, but it will help you practice more efficiently and speed up the process of fixing those faults. Without something like this behind your ball or a really sick camera setup you can still bottom your swing out before the ball and not know you're doing it. Also, this aid is about promoting better ball striking which is needed to obtain consistent yardages, trajectory, and spin. It also provides an alignment line to help with accuracy. Personally the aid has helped my short game the most. My chipping, pitching, and wedges have improved from using it. It's very light, durable, and not distracting to look at while hitting balls so I think it's a great product to have for all practice sessions.


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