A SUITABLE SURFACE:
After unpacking your Boomerang, the first thing you
should do is use its 'spirit level' to choose a flat
surface. In an actual spirit level, an air bubble centers,
when the device is perfectly horizontal. Similarly,
on the Boom, when it's horizontal a ball, or marble,
will come to rest at precisely 6 o'clock. The only difference
is, the air bubble floats on the top, whereas the marble
sits on the bottom.
To prepare your Boom for catch and release, first screw
the target in, so the white sticker sits flush with
the green baize surface. Screwing your cup in upside
down, makes for a good chipping challenge, but it's
not suitable for catch and release. With your cup screwed
in correctly (not upside down), wind it down a full
turn, to create a shallow lip. Now pick your Boom up,
flip it over, and insert the smaller rectangular wire
into the guides under Level 5 (fig 1). Use
a piece of adhesive tape to keep your leg in place.
Place
your Boom down and position it at one end of your mat.
Now, carefully release a ball, or marble, on the edge
of the target, at about 4 o'clock (fig 2), letting
it roll, like a pendulum, until it comes to rest in
the target. If it rests at 6 o'clock (fig 3),
you know your Boom is on a flat surface. If the ball
comes to rest anywhere else, give the legs a tweak to
compensate for the break. Better still, find a better
place to practice.
When
your Boom is set up correctly i.e. level around the
target, any putt that curves off line is attributable
to the stroke and nothing else. Please take the time
to find a good practice area - it makes all the difference!
When
satisfied your Boom is on level ground, it's time to
test the full length of your putt. To do this, carefully
release the resting ball, or marble, from its 6 o'clock
resting position, allowing it to roll down the ramp
under its own steam. Note where it rolls to. If the
ball reaches the end of the mat, without falling off
either side, shout "Yippee!" because your
whole putt is level, from left to right. However, if
it falls off, before reaching the end of your mat, your
putt has a break. Avoid breaks if you can but, If you
have no choice, use business cards, placed strategically
under the edge of your mat, to compensate. I do it too,
occasionally, when there's nowhere perfect, and I need
to give a demo.
CHOOSING A LEVEL:
Once you've established a break free putt, it's time
to choose the length of putt you'll be practicing. While
you can start on any level, I strongly recommend
that you start your Boomerang experience on level 5.
Why L5, not L1? Short answer, the longer your stroke,
the easier to spot any errors or faults. Because L5
represents a longer putt, your stroke will also be longer.
When trying to cure faults it's definitely a case of
the bigger, the better. That's not to say you shouldn't
test your stroke on L1 and L2, occasionally. Be warned
though - L1 and L2, on a fast surface, like one of our
mats - really really tough!. Notice the guides in fig
4 opposite? They are only guides. They were NOT
designed to hold the wire leg in place. It's for that
reason I recommend a piece of adhesive tape to stop
your leg from moving.
SETTING THE TARGET DEPTH:
The target itself is a threaded disc (fig 5),
so it can be wound up or down to vary the degree of
difficulty. For beginners, you can remove the target
completely, and just practice rolling up to a simulated
hole (fig 6), if you so desire. For chipping,
reverse the target (fig 7) and make the deepest
cup you can. For catch and release, you must create
a lip that precisely matches your height setting. Optimum
target depths for catch and release are written below
(+/- 1 hour):
Level 1 - 1 full turn and 3 o'clock
Level 2 - 1 full turn and 9 o'clock
Level 3 - 2 full turns
Level 4 - 2 full turns and 2 o'clock
Level 5 - 2 full turns and 4 o'clock
Level 6 - 2 full turns and 6 o'clock
Note:
Unlike a real clock, the Boom's triangular hour
marker is located at 6 o'clock, not 12 o'clock, and
the times written above reflect this.
Finding your own target depth is easy. Just release
a ball from an inch into the target (fig 8),
and it should catch on the lip. Any more than an inch,
and the ball should release down the ramp. Sound hard?
Well, yes it is. But that's the point. Of course you
can make it deeper, and therefore easier. But, remember
my golden rule - the easier it is to catch, the harder
it is to release. The opposite is also true - harder
to catch, easier to release.
When
a ball, released from about an inch into the target,
just catches on the lip (fig 3), you have the
optimum target depth, ensuring a perfect lag putt will
stick, AND a good matchplay putt can easily release
it. It's a happy medium.
Well that's it! Your Boom is now set up to provide many
years of quality, battery free feedback, fun and frustration.
So what are you waiting for? Hook in and belt out a
few thousand putts before dinner - you know you want
to, and you won't believe the results, if you do.
SUMMARY
