Successful touring professionals don’t really have to watch their budget when it comes to the equipment and training aids they purchase. But we do. More than 100 tour pros using a tool priced less than $100 certainly deserved a bit of investigation. The DownUnder Board 2.0 training aid claims to teach you what a professional golf swing feels like.
Whether or not you will gain a tour-level golf swing for less than $100 is up for debate but some good concepts in this DownUnder Board 2.0 are worth checking out.
What Is The DownUnder Board 2.0?
At first glance, the DownUnder Board looks like an adjustable tabletop or computer workspace but it’s a golf training aid designed to work on things like stance, posture, transition, impact and even finish. The DownUnder Board 2.0 works with everything from your pitching wedge to the driver. It is used by more than 100 touring professionals including Brendon Todd, Harold Varner II, Robert Allenby, Luke Donald and Christina Kim.
PGA TOUR coach Bradley Hughes designed the concept and that certainly helped him to get some tour presence early on in the process. He still offers videos with each DownUnder Board 2.0 purchase so that you can learn his tricks of the trade.
The board’s purpose is to help golfers learn about ground forces in their swing from setup to backswing, transition and, ultimately, the finish. We know that weight needs to be transferred but where is that weight in your golf swing and how are you directing the forces?
The original DownUnder Board came out in 2020 and the new 2.0 is adjustable from 14 to 18 inches long. The adjustable length has made the DUB a tool you can use from the wedge to the driver. This is a portable golf training aid as it collapses down to 10″ x 10.5″ to fit in your golf bag. Footwork in the golf swing can be tricky and, if you are looking for a solution and the “feel” of what proper footwork is, DownUnder Board 2.0 is a tool that could work for you.
How Do You Use A Golf DownUnder Board?
At first glance, I thought the DownUnder Board was something you stood on while you took a shot. It looks a bit like a balance board but that’s not the concept here. With the DownUnder Board 2.0, you stand with the board between your feet. The side of your left foot touches the white side of the board and the side of your right foot touches the black side of the board (for a right-handed golfer).
You adjust the size of the DownUnder Board 2.0 so that it fits tightly between your feet. With a driver stance obviously being wider than the pitching wedge stance, you will have to play around with the settings to get it to work for each club. Adjustments are made by hand—no tools are necessary.
The idea is to essentially squeeze the board between your feet as you take a golf shot. The result is that your club path, rotation and overall stability and balance will be significantly improved. At first, it feels a bit awkward and restrictive to swing with the DownUnder Board 2.0 in place but you will eventually get the hang of it. When I was a junior golfer, I essentially created the same concept using two tees in the ground but it’s a much simpler and clean-cut concept with the DUB.
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Before investing, here are the key takeaways to understand about the DownUnder Board 2.0. We have not tested the DownUnder Board 2.0 in comparison with other training aids on the market. Yet.
- Adjustable length from 14 to 18 inches
- The new 2.0 model has the option to flare out the lead foot.
- More downward and inward force should result in increased distance and power.
- Forces stability in the lower body
- Weatherproof
- Portable
- Used by more than 100 Tour professionals (many on the Korn Ferry Tour)
- It helps golfers stay down and in without focusing on the head or upper body. Everything is in the feet.
- When folded compact, the total size is 10.5″ x 10″.
Who Is This For?
Golf training aid companies like to say their products can help any golfer. We know better. Most golf tools like this tend to aim at the beginner or higher handicapper. We actually liked this more for lower-handicap players.
The claim that the tool teaches precisely what a professional golf swing feels like may be a bit of a reach. Recently, I worked on an issue in my swing where my weight was moving incorrectly to the back of my right heel. When I got it figured out, the clubface squared itself up. So when DownUnder Board 2.0 claims to improve the swing plane and path, they are on to something.
Final Thoughts
If you feel like balance and stability in the game is lacking or you have a lot of overall strength and you’re not getting the distance you should be, the DownUnder Board 2.0 could be a tool to try. It can be hard to find training aids with this much Tour presence. The fair price point only helps further improve the selling points. However, if your weight distribution in your feet or the control of your ground forces feels spot on, move on to the next training aid.
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