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Rick: But then not every golf shot is going to be perfect, so an important
tip is to get a good caddy that can give you the right club to get out of a
mess.
You're never too old to improve your game, so we're at the PGA
Village Training Center, the Mayo Clinic of golf instruction.
David Donatucci: This is more of a diagnostic and
training room. So really what happens here, individuals will come in here
and we'll evaluate them physically. I'm going to take them through
various movement patterns, doing things such as squatting, pelvic rotation,
or torso rotation. Seeing how far their body can move, what the separation
is, in there. And then telling them how that relates to the golf swing.
Rick: There's no way Sandy's going to be able to do this.
David: Then working backwards from there is to say, OK, here's what
we're going to do, we're going to fix those problems from the physical
standpoint, teaching you control and movement patterns, and how that can
benefit your golf game and improve your overall golf performance.
Eric Hogue: Basically we have a number of technology
partners at work in this room, including behind me, you'll see
a TrackMan screen, which is a doppler radar launch monitor. They actually
use it on the PGA tour, measuring a number of different aspects about
your swings: Spin rations, launch angles, speeds. I can use it as a truly
instructional piece, where it's telling me that your outside in five
degrees, you're hitting down, you're angle of attack is too sharp. It's
also a fitting instrument as well. I can get spin rates and launch angles
to fit you with the exact clubs you need.
Behind us, you'll see the Sam Putting Lab. It measures about 21
different things about your putting stroke. From swing sizing and
amplitudes to cortrase face rotations to where you struck it on the face,
how consistant you are, what your rhythm was.
In the room next to me, we also have a couple other machines. We have
a simulator which can get us some ball numbers. Similar to the TrackMan
numbers, maybe not quite as extensive as TrackMan. Also, a force plate
balance board. Force plate technology is pretty interesting, it can show us
where your center of gravity is moving throughout the golf swing, see if we
can make that movement a little more efficient.
A number of different technology pieces at work at the same time,
that really work in concert together very well.
Rick: After your first nine holes of play, your caddy should have a pretty
good idea about your style. That's a good time to sit down and ask for some
tips that might help improve your game.
Sandi: After reviewing your style, my number one recommendation is
change that outfit.
Joe Hallet: Our goal here is, with all the technology
that you all have seen so far, including what the body does.
Looking at some of the technology inside and understanding what a
Hi-Tec can do. We're going to come out here and hit some golf balls. The
real truth is out there, to see what the ball does. We will use a very high
speed slow motion camera to look at this.
We're going to video tape both of you, go in, look at it. What that
does, is it gives us confirmation of some of the feels and some of the
things that we see in your swing. Once we get that, we'll make some
adjustments, maybe work on an exercise or a drill, something that will make
the club and body do what we want it to do. Then, we'll come back out here
and try and make you hit the ball a little bit straighter.
Rick: Whether you're a pro getting ready for the tour, a beginner just
learning the game, or you just like to wear cool golf clothes, the PGA
Village Golf Center is just what the doctor ordered.
Sandi: How awesome is this?