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Review: DST Compressor training aid

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Pros: The DST Compressor has a significant shaft bend that places golfers in position at address and impact that encourages a delayed strike. This can help golfers improve ball compression for more distance and accuracy.

Cons: Do you really need more of a delayed strike? Golfers will need to answer that question before purchase.

Who’s it for? Golfers looking to create more of a delayed strike at impact.

What does the bent shaft accomplish?

The notion of a delayed strike is misunderstood by most golfers. Even the most talented players can have a misconception of what it feels like and whether they actually do it.

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As top instructor Adam Young says in a recent piece, the pursuit of a delayed strike or “lag” for golfers with slower club head speeds may even be quite damaging to proper ball height and trajectory.

That being said, a delayed strike has been proven to help many golfers hit better shots, and a training club such as the DST Compressor can help them do that in lieu or in addition to golf lessons. The training aid can teach golfers what a delayed strike is, how it feels and the manner in which they might adjust their swing to incorporate it into their games.

The Review

DST stands for Delayed Strike Technology. In truth, we read about the delayed strike, lag and shaft lean in nearly every golf publication in print or on the web. We hear about it in most golf telecasts we watch. And yet the majority of golfers are unwitting proponents of the early release-and-scoop method that has frustrated golfers for centuries.

dst curved training aid

By releasing early, golfers add loft to the club at impact. Hoping to help the ball into the air (help it doesn’t need, thanks to the actual loft of each club), the golfer breaks the leading wrist early, causing the ball to fly weakly. Sometimes this is desired, as in flop shots around the green, but for the majority of shots some amount of delayed strike is encouraged.

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It is incumbent upon the purchaser to visit this page and watch this video. The reason is simple: If one does not align the club grip with the front leg, the proper impact position will not be achieved. On my first attempt with the DST Compressor Warm-Up wedge and 8-iron I went out cold, put my hands/the grip in my usual position and wondered, “What’s the big deal?”

dst training aid

The second outing took place after I had wised up and watched the video. Not only were my shots with the DST clubs better (read, compressed with that sizzle you want from your swings), but my transition to my usual wedge and 8-iron was near flawless. I amazed myself by hitting baby draws with both clubs, with precisely the movement and at the trajectories I sought. The good vibes carried through the entire set; I gained confidence in my 5-iron, hybrid, 3-metal off the deck and driver. Simple, really.

I’d say that my swing speeds are at the bottom end of the chart for those in search of lag. I get to about 97 mph with my driver and 87 mph or so with my irons. I’m 50 years old and in above-average physical shape. These numbers make me the proper litmus test for a training aid of this ilk.

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GolfWRX has spotted multiple touring pros with DST Compressor irons and wedges in their bag.

To summarize, there are three points that affirm the validity of the DST Compressor as a golf training aid that delivers what it promises:

  1. You must assume the proper position at address. Any concavity of the lead wrist will negate the effects of the club.
  2. Your swing, particularly your hand action, will shift naturally to accommodate the curved shaft. Don’t do anything consciously unless your teaching pro offers a suggestion.
  3. Know that the ball will fly the proper distance for each training club (wedge or 8-iron). You can gauge trajectory as well.

DST makes another line with a less curved shaft; the CR-10 transition club. I did not test this club, but this second, straight-shafted club has only 10 degrees of shaft lean, effected in the hosel. The CR-10 clubs constitute step two in the DST training sequence and they also come with a video.

golf training aid

All of the clubs are available in RH, LH and junior models. They each retail for $100, so the financial commitment is similar to buying a new wedge.

The Takeaway

Take video of yourself from the side, slow it down and determine if you are releasing early or if you are lagging the proper amount for your swing and physique. If you are releasing early and wish to learn how to delay the hit to a proper, professional place, you can do so with DST. If you don’t know the difference, go see a pro and have her/him take on the task.

As DST says in its own video, only you or a trusted instructor can tell if this club will help your game.

[wrx_retail_links productid=”47″]

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

28 Comments

28 Comments

  1. Jon Dohnson

    Sep 2, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    No longer, will I be ashamed to have a curved shaft. Thanks DST!

  2. Stretch

    Sep 1, 2015 at 9:28 pm

    Ping had a forged iron made that had a shaft with a bend just below the grip. USGA declared them illegal. Made in 67 or 68.

  3. Just one?

    Sep 1, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    If you only got one, would you recommend the wedge or the 8-iron?

    • Andy

      Sep 1, 2015 at 2:32 pm

      8-iron. Some people aren’t a fan of the wedge because it promotes too much shaft lean for such a short club. Also, the 8-iron is more applicable to the rest of clubs in your bag.

  4. marcel

    Aug 31, 2015 at 8:54 pm

    pile of ^%#$%$ what the…!!! so instead of getting normal coach and hitting gym… an average Joey golfer gets completely ^%$%$e by bent shaft… aren’t US citizen suing car makers for not turning off their car engines too?

  5. Andy

    Aug 31, 2015 at 6:04 pm

    I bought one and am pretty happy so far (8 iron).. It really forces you to swing from the inside and keep you hands in front of the ball at impact. If you come over the top or have an early extension, you will shank or thin it with this club. It only takes a couple swings to get yourself back in the right swing pattern, and the swing transitions back to your other clubs which makes its worth it.

  6. Mark

    Aug 30, 2015 at 10:03 pm

    The DST is the real deal! Use coupon code “ruhga305” for a 10% discount at dstgolf.com. Play well!

  7. Chris

    Aug 30, 2015 at 3:30 pm

    I have hit these and they do work well. At first look, I didn’t think it was possible to hit the ball, but was surprised how it forces you to be in the correct position at impact. They work great and I would recommend them.

  8. Bo Didly

    Aug 30, 2015 at 1:01 pm

    I have a strong feeling that, club manufacturers may start making clubs with shafts like this through the entire set. If the shaft helps teach the proper swing release then why wouldn’t it work in all your clubs to play with all the time. Why wouldn’t we all want this built in advantage? How does it differ from the built in advantages of tungsten, titanium, Slots, Boron, Cavity with perimeter weighting….etc….etc…

    • Jacob Nelson

      Aug 30, 2015 at 5:19 pm

      “The shaft must be straight from the top of the grip to a point not more than 5 inches (127 mm) above the sole, measured from the point where the shaft ceases to be straight along the axis of the bent part of the shaft and/or socket.” Straight from the rules of golf.
      It is illegal to play with a bent club.

    • Dave S

      Sep 3, 2015 at 11:21 am

      Also, I’m not sure the average golfer wants their slight mis-hits to end up as s*anks or dribblers. At lease with normal irons, if you cast a little, there’s still a decent chance you’ll make OK contact and send the ball in the vicinity of the target.

  9. Jamie

    Aug 29, 2015 at 11:34 pm

    To me, this just looks like a knock off of the Tour Striker…

    • Ronald Montesano

      Aug 30, 2015 at 8:30 am

      Jamie,

      At first blush, you would be correct. The curved shaft and the full iron head are what make the physical difference. The intent may be the same, but I cannot speak to that insinuation. If one or both teach you to compress the ball, then golfers win.

      Thanks for your comment. Keep on contributing.

      RM

    • Rich

      Aug 31, 2015 at 12:43 pm

      Jamie,
      just to give you some information. The difference between the Tour Striker and the DST Compressor is that the Tour Striker only helps with the angle of attack and leaning the shaft forward at impact. The Tour Striker can be cheated by just hitting down on the ball. this does not mean that your swing is better, it just means that you chopped down on the ball (you could be hitting a big slice)The DST Compressor club helps the players create the feel for the proper impact position (hands ahead of the line of tension) and it teaches the players how to properly pivot both their body and arms through impact. The DST Compressor club cannot be cheated. You either keep your hands ahead of the line of tension and pivot properly with your arms and body, or the error in your swing gets exaggerated. Both the Tour Striker and the DST Compressor clubs are great training tools, I would just say that the DST clubs offer more feedback and feel to help your overall swing. Thank you. Rich

  10. Golfraven

    Aug 29, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    Was actually considering to order the 8-iron version in last weeks now. Think its a good training tool for years to come.

    • Ronald Montesano

      Aug 30, 2015 at 8:29 am

      I think back to Jack Nicklaus’ story of how he would go to Jack Grout every winter and say “Mr. Grout, teach me the golf swing,” returning to the basics each time. I equate this club with that notion. This club reminds you what you have to do and is an excellent tool for off-season improvement or beginning-of-season return to the basics.

  11. Clarence

    Aug 29, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    Been looking at these for a while, very popular with some euro tour players as a warm up tool.

    My pro has me hit 8 irons off the back foot as a muscle memory thing so after reading the article, definitely think it could help.

  12. Ronald Montesano

    Aug 29, 2015 at 12:00 pm

    That’s kind of you, but I can’t say that I agree. Other thoughts?

  13. Tom Duckworth

    Aug 29, 2015 at 11:24 am

    This seems to me to be a tool to teach golfers to stop an early release. If you make your focus on setting the wrists and then just dropping your arms into position and not throwing the club head you should be able to learn this. Too many times we get into a hurry to HIT!!!! that ball.
    Not saying it’s a bad tool just saying to stop and think about what makes us hit that bad shot in the first place.

    • Ronald Montesano

      Aug 29, 2015 at 11:58 am

      Tom,

      You are correct. Some folks need the physical reminder. I found that it helped me to avoid that early release. I actually pulled it out during a few fun rounds and had some laughs. My partners watched me with wedge or 8-iron and finally asked, “What the hell did you do to your shaft?” This was after I had hit the shot onto the green!!

  14. Christestrogen

    Aug 29, 2015 at 10:55 am

    Will it work with nails?!?!

    • Ronald Montesano

      Aug 29, 2015 at 11:59 am

      I don’t follow. Finger nails? Metals for hammers?

      • Nathan

        Aug 30, 2015 at 12:52 am

        Ron,

        You clearly do not read this website if you don’t get the joke…

        • Ronald Montesano

          Aug 30, 2015 at 8:27 am

          Thanks, Nathan. Clearly I don’t read all that I need to read. Could you enlighten me?

          • Nathan

            Aug 30, 2015 at 10:09 pm

            Search function of this website. Type the word ‘nail’. First 3 search results. 3 articles that were (rightfully) criticized suggested imaging driving a nail through the ball to improve ones swing.

            This training aid…’will it work with nails?!?!’

            • ooffa

              Sep 1, 2015 at 8:27 am

              ya, if ya gotta explain it then it’s not funny. BTW, it wasn’t funny, but thanks for playing.

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Accessory Reviews

Insider photos from Tiger Woods’ launch event for his new “Sun Day Red” apparel line

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On Monday evening, inside the swanky, second-story “Coach House” event center in the Palisades Village, just minutes down the road from the 2024 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, Tiger Woods and TaylorMade officially announced their new apparel/footwear/accessory line, called “Sun Day Red.”

The Sun Day Red website officially launched on Monday night during the event, and the products are set to go on sale starting May 1.

The “Sun Day Red,” or “SDR” name will be self-explanatory for most golf fans, since he’s been wearing a victory-red shirt on Sunday’s for his entire professional career, but Woods explained the meaning of Sun Day Red at the launch event:

“It started with mom. Mom thought – being a Capricorn – that my power color was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and I won some tournaments. Lo and behold, I go to a university that is red; Stanford is red. We wore red on the final day of every single tournament, and then every single tournament I’ve played as a professional I’ve worn red. It’s just become synonymous with me.”

The Sunday Red outfit has worked to perfection for his 82 PGA Tour victories, including 15 majors, so why not make an entire apparel line based on the career-long superstition?

As I learned at Monday’s launch event, the new Sun Day Red line includes much more than just clothing. To go along with a slew of different golf shirt designs and colorways, there were also windbreakers, hoodies, shoes, hats, headcovers, ball markers and gloves on display.

The upscale event was hosted by sports media personality Erin Andrews, with special guests David Abeles (CEO of TaylorMade) and Tiger Woods himself.

As explained by Abeles, the Sun Day Red brand is an independently-run business under the TaylorMade umbrella, and is based in San Clemente, California (rather than Carlsbad, where TaylorMade headquarters is located), and it’s run by a newly-formed, independent group. Brad Blackinship, formerly of Quiksilver and RVCA, is the appointed president of the new brand.

As for the logo itself, obviously, it’s made to look like a Tiger (the animal), and is comprised of 15 tiger stripes, which correspond with Woods’ 15 major championships. While the logo may need a 16th stripe if Woods adds a major trophy to his collection, it makes perfect sense for the time being.

The golf/lifestyle line is meant to combine premium precision and athletic comfort, while still having plenty of wearability and style off the course. Like Woods said on stage at the event, he wants to be able to go right from the course to dinner wearing Sun Day Red, and that was exactly the aesthetic on display at the event on Monday.

Following the official announcement from Woods and Abeles, they revealed multiple pieces of clothing, accessories and footwear for the event-goers to ogle (and photograph). Check out a selection of product/event photos below, or head over to our @GolfWRX Instagram page for video coverage…OR, head into our GolfWRX Forums for even more photos and member discussion.

Enjoy this exclusive look at Tiger Woods’ new Sun Day Red apparel lineup below.

See more photos from the Sun Day Red launch event here

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Equipment

Titleist launches new Vokey WedgeWorks 60 “A” grind wedge

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The menu of grind options just got more expansive for Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks consumers, with the addition of a “60A” wedge to the lineup.

Previously, Vokey offered seven main grind options for players with various needs:

  1. T Grind: The narrowest sole option, which is widely used by PGA Tour players, and has low bounce
  2. L Grind: The lowest bounce option, with heel, toe and trailing edge relief for maximum versatility
  3. F Grind: An all-purpose grind that’s best for full wedge shots played with a square face
  4. S Grind: A neutral grind, best for full shots played with a square face
  5. M Grind: A versatile grind that’s for players who want to open and close the face for various shots
  6. D Grind: A higher-bounce wedge that’s for players with a steep swing angle, but want to play shots from various club orientations
  7. K Grind: The highest-bounce wedge option, with heel, toe and trailing edge relief for versatility

Titleist has now added the “A” grind, which has actually already been played on the PGA Tour by golfers such as Tom Kim, who used an A-grind to win three times on the PGA Tour, Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open using an A-grind, and Max Homa, who used an A-grind at the 2023 Open Championship.

According to Titleist, the Vokey WedgeWorks 60A wedge is a low-bounce option that’s for golfers with a shallow angle of attack, and who play in firmer conditions. It has a “smoothed-out” sole for a faster feel through the turf, helping some golfers slide under the ball easier at impact.

“The most important club for me, probably in my bag, is this A grind,” Clark said, according to a Titleist press release. “I use the SM9 60-degree A grind, which is a low bounce 60 that is very versatile. I’m able to – on tight lies, rough, wet lies, firm lies, whatever it is – hit the shot I want, and with the amount of spin I want, trajectory and everything.”  

Apparently, Geoff Ogilvy played a large part in the A-grind coming to life.

“I spoke with Geoff (Ogilvy), and we got on the topic of Australian golf courses and how they compared to courses in America, and around the world,” said Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill, in a press release. “I asked him some specific questions, which resulted in an idea to design another lob wedge grind option that complemented the firm links-style conditions that players face – not just in Australia and Europe – but globally. Geoff has always been a low bounce player in his 60-degree, so I took his 60.04L wedge and removed the ribbon, resulting in a grind that moves through the turf quickly with very little resistance.” 

The new Vokey A-grind will be available on Nov. 7, selling for $225 each. Custom options include up to six toe engravings, 10-15 character stamping options, the Flight Line alignment feature option, and custom shafts/grips/ferrules are available.

Click here to read more about why the bounce/grind of your wedge actually matters

 

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Equipment

GolfWRXers put the Full Swing KIT’s accuracy to the test

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Last month, four GolfWRX forum members traveled to The Grand Golf Club at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, California, to test the Full Swing KIT launch monitor and to see how it stacks up against other launch monitors. If you’re not familiar with the Full Swing KIT, development began when Tiger Woods requested a launch monitor he could trust on the range as much as he trusted his Full Swing simulator in his own home. Later, the KIT earned Tiger’s seal of approval and has been seen with him at every tournament he’s played in since its release.

Check out the video below to see if the KIT can earn the seal of approval from our four WRXers — @zap311, @double or triple?, @hatrick11, and @SwingBlues — just like it did from Tiger Woods himself.

GolfWRX members on the KIT’s accuracy

zap311: “The Full Swing team seems obsessed with accuracy when it comes to the KIT – The team talked about how this product officially shipped about 18 months ago and they are already on firmware release #20. They said they are regularly releasing updates (overnight via WiFi) to continuously improve accuracy and performance. That is pretty awesome and it’s nice to hear that they are not a company that “ships it” and moves to the next thing. I think they are on the right track since I saw virtually no differences in the data when testing vs. GCQuad and Trackman today.”

double or triple?: “In some cases the difference was less than half a degree on launch and less than 50 rpms on spin.”

hatrick11: “The differences were statistically nonexistent. I think it’s hard to believe for a lot of people when you think about the huge price disparity, but I can’t state enough how close the Full Swing was to trackman every single time, for each of us.”

“Outside, the data is just really really accurate. I know my numbers and know this particular range very well and the KIT was spot on all day. I also had some very variable quality golf balls in the bucket I hit and there was really only one spin rate in the whole session that had me raising my eyebrows at all.”

SwingBlues: “The GolfWRX Full Swing/WRX Experience showed Full Swing KIT produce numbers the same as the GC Quad (GC4) and the Trackman4. Dollar wise, both LMs are easily north of KIT, so this is HUGE to stand up there with the bigger boys on the Podium. For me, it seems more “apples to apples” to compare KIT to GC3. My own testing validates what we saw at the Experience. It shows critical data points like spin, carry, ball speeds are dead on or almost dead on for 40 yards and up on both GC3 and KIT.”

More on the Full Swing KIT

zap311: “The versatility of viewing data is impressive – Depending on usage, everyone has different preferences for viewing data. You have on-device, phone, tablet, monitor, smartwatch, or audio/headphones. I’m pleased to say that Full Swing covers all of these. You can use the app on iOS devices (they said Android is planned for the future). This includes viewing your last shot on the Apple Watch with a few options and turning on audio playback of your preferred metrics following each shot. I’ll post screenshots of this later. You can also choose between 4 data points or 1 data point on the device itself. It was easy to use the app to customize the top 4. For example, I was able to quickly change from launch angle on irons to swing path on driver.

“The KIT was very easy to use – Once you spend a few minutes learning the app and settings, it is very simple to select a club, line up the target line, and fire away. You don’t have to use a level or a laser to line up. KIT uses the built-in camera to tell you where to line up within the app or on-device screen. I was also able to boot up the KIT in less than a minute and drop it down on the tee box for our on-course trial today. Because of this simplicity, I can see it being more practical to bring to the course…

“The Full Swing team really thought through usability for the KIT. You can see up to four data points on the device’s OLED screen. You can see all 16 data points on your iPhone/iPad along with a video replay of the shot, you can view one primary metric from your Apple Watch, and you can enable audio playback for any of the 16 data points. For me, this was a dream as a full iOS user. One other feature I like is that you can star a particular shot to save it. You can also send shot data + the video recording to your coach if you want.”

double or triple?: “I was able to meet the teaching pro at the range I’m using for testing – PGA teacher/member Ryan Kolk. He and his team have 4 units amongst themselves and use them both personally and with their students during lessons. Ryan spent time dialing in his knowledge of the range balls vs proV1x (gamer) to better understand the FSK and he believes the consistency is there with the FSK and within trackman and GC/Foresight models. His preference is to use FSK while testing shafts and new product before using them in his personal playing bag which as a GolfWRX member is 100% appreciated. For his better students, he believes the information like Face to Path and Club Path that FullSwing Kit offers is great to help them understand what their swing is doing and use that information to better themselves.”

hatrick11: “It’s nice to know I can get super useful practice sessions in at my house, and can do in in ~20 min stints; with two little kids at home I can’t just go out for frequent or lengthy range sessions, so this is super valuable and I think will help me keep my game from degrading and allow me to spend my limited free time enjoying the occasional round with friends. In particular with the KIT, as opposed to the cheaper monitors or the other “mid tiers” like GC3, seeing path and face-to-path data is the key item that makes my practice sessions useful…when I am grooving it my path is almost always between 0-2* out to in, with face control being the main thing I need to work on. When my game goes sideways I start coming more in to out, and combined with face consistency being an ongoing issue, that brings the bad left miss into play. Previously I have struggled getting real use out of net practice, because the feels don’t always match reality. This data and video evidence really helps keep me honest, so it was great to see that I was eventually able to get that piece dialed in with KIT.”

SwingBlues: “One feature I am really starting to like is how easy to see the video of each shot. My buddy was not hitting it well, we went to the video and we could see the takeway was too far to the outside.”

“Using the app, it will display all 16 data points. Below is an example of one of my iron shots. Pretty impressive data captured by KIT. On KIT itself, the launch monitor display can be configured to show a single data point, or it can show a grid of 4 data points where the golfer choose which ones to display!”

Head over to the thread for more comments, reviews, and future updates as our members continue to test the Full Swing KIT. Don’t forget to become a member today for future opportunities like this, plus product member testing and giveaways!

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