This past week was the FootJoy National Sales Meeting in Newport, R.I., which featured an impressive display of new products, industry updates and, of course, networking with colleagues and friends – a great group of people who couldn’t be more passionate about the products they produce and represent.  

Throughout the week, we had the opportunity to see the latest shoes, gloves and apparel from FootJoy, as well as what the company has coming down the pipeline.  Along with their standard sales meetings, presentations and breakout sessions, FootJoy Product Development/R&D Department, based out of Brockton, Mass., wanted to show what has been working in the “Shoe Box,” a state-of-the-art research and development testing facility.

FootJoy’s Shoe Box Testing Facility Brockton, Mass.

Within the Shoe Box facility are some if the industry’s greatest technologies, including an aboutGolf PGA TOUR Widescreen Simulator, complete with weight-transfer analysis technology, 3D modelling, aG Flix video capture, and much more. Utilizing aboutGolf’s technology, FootJoy is conducting extensive research on future golf shoes and capturing detailed information on how the golf shoe plays an enormous roll on the score card, as observed through the golf swing.

With their facility tucked into the FootJoy R&D Center, many of their sales representatives throughout the world aren’t able to see what the organization is working on or how  research affects the product development. So, FootJoy decided to bring its research to Newport – including our PGA TOUR Simulators.

Some results comparing spike-less and spiked golf shoes

aboutGolf and my company, EverGreens Golf, were happy to work with FootJoy to install two aboutGolf PGA TOUR Simulators and allow the company to demonstrate current research first-hand, as well as allow the sales force to compare different shoes within the FootJoy line. One specific aspect of research that was highlighted was a comparison between the new spikeless and traditional spiked golf shoe. It was great to see the sales agents in the aboutGolf PGA TOUR Simulators hitting a couple shots wearing each of the shoe types, experiencing for themselves  the results as related to stability, control and distances. It was also a nice way to break up the meetings and have the people who represent the FootJoy line actually hits balls to see the results through their golf swings, rather than just look at stats.

FootJoy Team testing out different FJ Shoes in the aboutGolf PGA TOUR Simulators

It has been a pleasure working with the team at FootJoy R&D for the past year and look forward to the future and seeing what they come up with next. I also want to thank them for their hospitality this week in Newport, a perfect setting with great weather.

EverGreens Golf is located in Queensbury, NY, and represents aboutGolf throughout the Northeast Region of the United States. For additional information, please visit www.evergreensgolf.com.

The following interview was produced by LINKS Magazine for the new publication “Fazio Premier Clubs.”

What is a Tom Fazio golf course?
It’s a special environment. I want people to feel that they’ve had a great experience. That they had a fun, enjoyable time and played in a great golf environment, as good as any place they’ve ever been. I want them to be able to compare it to another Fazio golf course and say, “I like this one just as much as the other.” I don’t want it to be difficult. If they felt that, my first thought is, I wonder what tee they played? Or whether the course was set up for low-handicap players that day.

You have more courses on the top 100 lists than any other designer. Does that please you?
It’s been great. It’s made me a lot of money. I remember one year we won all three new courses of the year—private,
public, and resort—and the industry went nuts. “How can that happen? He must be buying it.” Well, they just happened to be the best courses. I shake my head when I start thinking about the courses I’ve done, but that’s where the golf
industry was for so long. Talk about an era. The Golden Age of golf is referred to as the decade of the ‘20s. But in 50 years
from now, they’ll be saying that about the ‘90s and 2000s.

How did you get interested in golf course design?
I never wanted to do anything else. I grew up in a golfing family in the Philadelphia area. My dad worked in a locomotive
plant during the early Depression years, but was also a clarinet player in a band and loved to play golf. He was a single-digit player. All the brothers were, but George casino real money was the best. He lost to Hogan in a playoff at the 1950 U.S Open, and I always thought, “What would have happened had my uncle won the Open?” He probably would have continued to
play golf. Maybe he wouldn’t have gotten into golf course design, then what would I have done?

Is there anything in particular about design that he taught you?
He didn’t believe in making it difficult. He’s always believed you should have a bailout and another option you can play. That stuck with me.

Is it necessary to be a good golf to be a good architect?
It helps to understand the game, but you don’t need to be a low-handicap golfer. If that were the case, then the best players should be the best architects. We have certainly seen great players’ names attached to courses that aren’t that special.

What do you think about the minimalist movement and return to ruggedness?
It’s distinctive. Variety is good, but I think minimalism got carried away as a theme. Just because it didn’t take that much
to create, I don’t think that makes it any better or worse, and I don’t think because you moved a lot of earth that makes it better or worse. The only thing that counts is the end result. No one cares or wonders how much earth was moved at
Cypress Point or Pebble Beach.

Is it true that Steve Wynn was able to get an airplane flight delayed to give you a $3.5 million check for Shadow Creek that you forgot?
Well, the check was for $1 million. He gave me the check in an envelope and I was so stunned, I put it down on his desk
and just forgot it. We left his office to go to lunch and I got a call at the airport that I left the check. I told him I was just about to board the plane and to mail it. He said, “I want you to have it before you leave town.” I said, “But the plane’s boarding.” He said, “It won’t leave. Just wait for my guy to bring it to you.” The next thing you know, the sign went up on the board, “Delayed.”

Why don’t you have a website?
My sons keep bugging me to get one, calling me old fashioned, but people know where we are. If they want us to
design a golf course, they’ll call us. I just stared doing e-mail. I got one of those new iPhones you can talk to so I can just send e-mails by speaking. But I don’t respond to e-mails. My secretary does all of that. The reason I didn’t want e-mail is that you get too many of them and everybody wants an immediate answer. I’m going to Seminole this afternoon to hit balls. I don’t have time to return e-mails.

For many of you, you used to be able to hop out of the car, go straight to the first tee and rip a drive down the middle of the fairway.  Now, by skipping a warm up before a round of golf may mean four or five holes before you are loosened up and can regain your form – and, by that time your score may already be ruined.

The point of a warm up is to elevate your heart rate, to get blood flowing and warm muscles so they are loose and supple, so it is easier to swing. Most people mistakenly think that static stretching is the correct warm up before a round of golf, and stretching is advisable, but only after the body is warm and prepared to stretch.

You should incorporate an active warm up before you stretch specifically for golf. An active warm up incorporates large muscles of the upper and lower body and requires you to move at a brisk pace for 5 – 10 minutes, so to elevate your heart rate.  There are many ways to warm up, such as jogging, jumping jacks or even taking practice swings. 

Here is a quick and easy pre-round warm-up routine to help you avoid those big numbers on the scorecard. I have chosen exercises that target golf-specific muscles.

Using a club for balance:

• Hip Swings: Simply swing your knee back and forth for 30 seconds per leg. This movement will help loosen up your muscles and joints and elevate your heart rate. These muscles are typically tight especially if you sit all day.

• Squats: Squat up and down for 60 seconds. This is an excellent overall exercise to build strength, but it will also get your heart rate up to warm up muscles and make them more elastic so they will move easier.

• Cross-Crawl: Hold the club parallel to the ground and raise your knee to the opposite elbow for 60 seconds.  The simple motion of crossing your elbow to the opposite knee activates the core muscles for better rotation. You should feel your heart rate getting faster.

• Core Warm Up: Put the club behind your back and loop your arms around it. Practice shifting your weight back and forth for 60 seconds. This is to practice the motion that you are going to be doing for the day. Shift your weight to the back leg and then to the forward leg.  This exercise will active core muscles used in the golf swing.

• Shoulder Warm Up: Put the club behind your shoulders and practice making a good shoulder turn for 60 seconds. Try to get your shoulder under your chin on the backswing and practice finishing in balance.

At this point, you should feel warmed up and even winded, younger athletes may even break a sweat. Your muscles are loose, your joints are lubricated and now you can hit a few practice shots without feeling tight, or head to first tee knowing you can swing freely for a good tee shot.

For more information, please visit Karen’s website at  www.kpjgolf.com.

Hip Swings:

 Squats:

Cross-Crawl:

 Core Warm Up:

 Shoulder Warm Up:

I’ve been with aboutGolf for more than eight years and have been part of many golf events that have utilized PGA TOUR Simulators for marketing, entertainment and teaching. Most of the time, these events take play at golf tournaments, tradeshows or hotel banquet rooms, and the setup is usually straight forward – usually!

Only weeks ago, the most unique place I had installed a simulator was Military Island in Times Square. While unique, the space was perfect the weather was perfect and the installation went smoothly.  I definitely thought that would be the most memorable place I would have ever set up an aboutGolf simulator.

However, one of our clients, The Clubhouse in Bettendorf, Iowa, recently presented me a new challenge in Miami. Just two weeks ago I had the privilege of installing a golf simulator slots on the legendary Stargazer/Golf Yacht (http://www.elitetravelgolfcoaches.com/Stargazer—Golf-Yacht.html). Did I mention that we set it up on the helipad?

When guests of the yacht climbed the stairs to the top, their reactions were fantastic. We had two nights of closest-to-the-pin contests (mostly with 17^th at TPC Sawgrass) and Chris Larson from the Clubhouse entertained guests with lessons utilizing aboutGolf’s Performance Products – aG Flix and aG Balance Pro.  Many lessons were given on the helipad and, despite the many attempts, no one lost any balls!

Unique opportunities like this are one of the reasons I love working with aboutGolf. Regardless of the space or location, we are committed to finding ways to make installations happen. Only a company with customized products can make that claim!

If you are reasonably familiar with aboutGolf, you know we are committed to staying at the forefront of technology and offering the best experience to our customers. Essentially, our biggest investment each year is committed to the development of new technologies and enhancement of existing ones. Most recently, we launched some exciting new products and features for our PGA TOUR Simulators and Techcentric, our European Tour Performance Institute branded Performance Suite.

Simulator features

aG SimSurround Curve – A dramatic enhancement to the immersive experience available on aboutGolf simulators, the SimSurround Curve takes the aboutGolf-invented, triple-screen, wrap-around original version of the SimSurround to an entirely new level. A single-piece curved screen that makes use of image-blending software to seamlessly integrate the output of three projectors and create a panoramic effect, the SimSurround Curve spans 22 feet and provides 160 degrees of image. This new product results in an enhanced life-like experience that has been dubbed “the IMAX simulator.”

aG View  – Another revolutionary first from aboutGolf, the patent-pending aG View allows golfers in PGA TOUR Simulators to change the view of the simulator in conjunction with the golfer’s view – allowing the golfer to bend down to read putts, look around trees, jump up to look over the lip of deep bunkers, and so on. aboutGolf Board of Innovation member, David Leadbetter, was very impressed by the ability to read greens with this feature and indicated that he will now be able to utilize aboutGolf’s Simulators to teach students to read greens more effectively. Additionally, golfers can use aG View to control the simulator with hand gestures, allowing the golfer, for example, to advance to the green from his/her location on a hole to inspect the pin position and determine where to place the approach shot. Many other aspects of the simulator can also be controlled with simple hand gestures.

Performance Products

aG Mobile – A unique and versatile addition to the aboutGolf family of products, aG Mobile is the heart of the ETPI-branded Techcentric Product Suite and provides the renowned accuracy of 3Trak in a mobile device that can be used both indoors and outdoors. Essentially, aG Mobile is situated on the ground facing the golfer and is capable of providing a full spectrum of ball and club data. The device can also be easily placed in its cradle to accommodate right- or left-handed golfers. aG Mobile operates on direct power or for up to four hours on rechargeable batteries and connects to a laptop device via wireless or Ethernet cable. Built for portability and rugged use, aG Mobile is constructed of cast aluminum and can withstand variable weather conditions, as well as errant golf balls and other rough handling typical on driving ranges. aG Mobile comes standard with aboutGolf’s Perform Pro software, which provides extensive shot recording capabilities, as well as the ability to compare performance over time and set performance gauges for training and result measurements.

aG Balance Pro Tour – Another important element of the ETPI suite, the aG Balance Pro Tour provides the same extensive bio-mechanical measurements available in our indoor balance system, but with light-weight portability to be used in conjunction with aG Mobile. The Balance Pro Tour provides very accurate data on balance, center of gravity and weight shift throughout the swing – including from heals to toes and from foot to foot, allowing the timing of the swing to be understood in great detail. It is built to operate effectively indoors and outdoors through use of direct power or for more than eight hours on rechargeable batteries, and connects to a laptop via wireless or Ethernet cable.

Logo Spin – A significant new advancement that enhances the ease of use of aboutGolf’s 3Trak technology, this new firmware feature enables use of standard range balls and balls with standard markings, rather than the special patterned golf balls required in the past. This enables aboutGolf technology to be used on outdoor ranges and environments where using specially marked golf balls are inconvenient. As a result of this new functionality, the use of aboutGolf’s industry renowned 3Trak technology is eminently portable and effectively supports the engagement of European Tour and other partners who seek to use technology both indoors and outdoors.

We are proud of these new additions and trust you will be pleased with them, as well.  And, one thing you can count on, aboutGolf will continue to lead the way in golf performance and simulation technology.

Five years ago, I visited Top Ten Instructor Mike Malaska. Throughout the visit, I intended to show Mike the launch monitor and balance plate technologies aboutGolf was distributing. I was newly-versed in the capabilities of force plate and was confident the launch monitor would work well – and it did.

Upon my arrival, Mike introduced me to one of Arizona State University’s top-seeded players – “I’m already warmed up”, the young Slate announced with driver-in-hand.

As I stood with Mike, I witnessed Slate pound drives.

“271 yard carry, with an ever-so-slight fade,” I announced after the first shot landed.

“That went straight,” Slate said.

“Straight toward the target, but from the apex, it fell with a slight fade,” I said. “Check the wind – it’s hardly detectable, but if it affected that shot, it would have caused the look of a draw.”

After I had collected data for 10 shots, I told Mike I was ready to show him the data.

“There is a pattern. For every shot, the direction of the club head was on path from the outside or heading left,” I said. “This would indicate that just before he strikes the ball he is unconsciously making an adjustment with his hands to affect the angle of the face, which makes the ball appear to go straight.”

We proceeded to work on the balance plate, where Slate learned to move his body from right to left, first without the club then with the club, and finally making full swings at an imaginary ball. After he confirmed he was moving differently and felt comfortable, I suggested we move back to the range.

I placed a ball on a tee and asked him to use the same motions we just practiced while imagining the ball was simply getting in the way of the club.

Using these new methods, Slate’s first ball sailed 12 yards further than his best shot from our first session, and his second shot was even longer yet. Before long we witnessed a shot with 18 yards more than any throughout the original session. Additionally, the fade had disappeared and was replaced with a straight ball fighting to draw. The club head direction had changed to an inside path and so had the ball.

Upon seeing these results, Mike wanted to talk a bit. After stating that what he saw was impressive, he turned the discussion to the technology.

“But, all that data, what will we do with it?” Mike asked.

I owe Mike a lot for asking that question, as I was still green behind the ears – new to technology, computers, software development, intellectual properties, patents, and product specs. Terms I now work with on a daily basis. I frequently allow those words to ‘echo’ a start to my day and have allowed them to shape how I share our technology with others.

In fact, those words have been shared with aboutGolf’s Board of Innovation, which is comprised of golf instructors, club fitters, scientists, retired professional players, current professional players and others who have a passion to share their expertise.

We at aboutGolf will benefit from their direction as we develop new technologies and products so you can hit a ball longer after just a ten minute session. And, you can expect aboutGolf, in turn, to help provide you answer to “what do we do with it?”

No question about it, newer technology has not only helped women’s golf, but golf in general.

When I first arrived on the LPGA Tour 1964, there were not many choices for women – female golfers played with whatever the golf manufacturer sent them (what a terrible thought, now).  There were very few golf companies that ever brought equipment to an LPGA event. If they did, from my personal experience, the shafts were way too stiff and grips were huge – especially for a shorter gal of only 5’2”.

My world opened up when I met Randy Henry, founder of Henry-Griffitts. Most clubs were too upright for me (much like casino online portugal today when you players select their equipment off the shelf). On tour I played with standard lie clubs. After my career was essentially over, Randy fit me with clubs “6 down,” or 6 degrees flatter than the irons I used on tour. Please bear in mind that I am 5’2”, and shorter people tend to have flatter swings.

When metal woods started making their mark, they definitely improved ball striking overall.  But they didn”t help me as much because of how upright they were – which is true even today.  It appears the mentality of one-size-fits-all has always been the trade standard. But, Randy made me Henry-Griffitts metal woods that fit my game. It makes such a difference when you can make a natural swing and hit the ball with the center of the club face.

I’m thrilled with my equipment now. It gives me the confidence to know that when I swing the club properly, I can make the right contact and hit the best possible shots.

I”m a huge fan of Henry-Griffitts, and would recommend them to anyone.  They don”t make women”s clubs or men”s clubs – they simply make clubs.  They fit your swing and your game, regardless of whether you”re male or female, 5″ 2” or 7″ 2”.  It”s amazing how the right fit can enhance your enjoyment of the game!

Job Description

A highly-customized PGA TOUR Compact Surround Simulator designed to enhance a trade show booth with a home-like feel, as well as highlight the audio-visual capabilities of a PGA TOUR Simulator. This design incorporated a curved raised floor, ISU technology, aG Balance Pro, aG Flix, and three 10’ 8” wide x 8’ tall aboutGolf images.

What Makes This Design Unique?

Aside from the from the fact that we built the booth to feel and look like a high-end home complete with a seating area, a bar, a bookcase, can lighting and decorative ceiling, the space needed to be capable of being reconstructed in only two days time. Additionally, the PGA TOUR Compact Surround Simulator utilized a new design whereby the side screens where at a 45 degree angle to the center screen. With this new screen design we were also able to position all three projectors relatively close each other, near the center line of the bay – which was a completely new concept for aboutGolf.

Product Description

Four highly-customized Widescreen PGA TOUR Simulators with center-strike two-camera configuration, uni-strut ceiling structure, retractable side curtains and ceiling.

What Makes This Design Unique?

One the features that truly delineates aboutGolf PGA TOUR Simulators is the company’s ability to customize and integrate systems into predefined client spaces, making our final products truly unique. In fact, customization of simulators is standard for every job.

Last week I discussed a home installation that brought new opportunities to think outside the box, and now I will share a commercial installation that was equally challenging.

The client was building a brand new club house and had plans for a mixed-use golf simulator lounge/banquet hall, which was to have four simulators – one in each corner of the large rectangular room. The simulator enclosures needed to be seasonally retractable, allowing the room to be fully utilized as a meeting and banquet hall during the outdoor season and to serve as a golf simulator lounge throughout the indoor season. Furthermore, one of the four simulators had to be fashioned so that the screen system was completely removable to allow a beautiful view of the course.

Retractable sides are common design requests, but the retractable ceiling needed for this job was a new request. Further, it’s one thing to make something retractable; however, it is another to make something easily retractable, safe, robust enough to handle high speed / spin golf shots, and durable enough to last a long time with minimal maintenance.

To compound the challenge, the ceiling height of the room was 13’ 0” tall and the client had plans for a drop ceiling at 11’ 0” tall.  The simulator ceiling was to be placed at 10’ 4” tall, and aboutGolf needed to design and install a structure that would make up the difference between 10’ 4” and 13’ 0”, while helping support the entire drop ceiling suspension system.

I designed and personally installed an elaborate uni-strut framing system that lagged into the building lid at 13’ tall and suspended an extremely ridged framing system down to 10’ 4” tall, to which the aluminum framing system was installed.

Rigidity was the key to success for the framing system, as I designed the entire ceiling system to retract with the manual pull of only one rope fashioned onto a crossed-over pulley system – to accommodate the client’s decision to go with the manual pull version and keep equipment costs low (however, we designed the ceiling system so that either version would have worked well). The key to successfully installing this ceiling system was to ensure the framing system did not have any flex to it, to ensure the entire frame would stay in place.

In the end, the system worked exactly as planned and the client has been overly pleased with the performance and functionality of this truly unique golf simulator lounge.

John Anderson is Senior Project Manager for aboutGolf.

About the Design

My most memorable simulator design job to date was a highly-customized PGA TOUR Classic Simulator with a full raised floor, retractable side curtains and curved ceiling.

 What Made This Job So Unique

While I enjoy a good challenge, there are times when I want to kick myself for saying, “If you can swing a club in your space, we can make a golf simulator work.” 

This motto – which has become a sort of anthem throughout the department – has invited all sorts of projects that have tasked me to push the limits. It’s never been the amount of time or work that made a job difficult; rather, it’s always my desire to pull off a design no matter what … my refusal to disappoint a client.

Undeniably, every designer at aboutGolf has faced his challenging jobs – but, it seems to me this particular job was the ultimate test.

The homeowner really wanted an aboutGolf PGA TOUR Simulator and had a very limiting space to work with – to say the least. What was my answer to him? “OK – it’s go time, then!”

The room was on the second floor of the client’s home and was currently being used as a home office. The vaulted ceiling was constructed with open timber framing and was low along the sides (approximately 7’ 4” above the floor) and highest point in the center was roughly 10’ 3”.  Additionally, the room had two structural decorative iron crossties running through the space, which could not be removed. 

Further, the client wanted the largest possible image, requiring the projector to be placed low enough to shine under the cross beams. This ultimately resulted in the image being taller than the elevation of the cross beams; so, we custom-mounted the projector and had to curve the ceiling! 

Along the right side wall was a fireplace that protruded into the space, which would make left-handed swing clearance extremely tight.

Needless to say … every dimension mattered, right down to the inch. 

Further customization included:

• Using the client’s desired PC cabinet, ensuring proper ventilation and wiring capabilities
• Installing retractable side curtains to allow windows along each side to remain functional
• Accommodating a staircase coming up through the floor, very near the tee area 

While this not a comprehensive list of all the details – and not nearly a complete itemization of challenges – you probably have a good idea of the planning and dedication required to pull it off.

No matter how many designs I complete, this particular job always stands out as my favorite. It was thrilling for both me and the client when all was said and done!