Centre's Virtual Courses Let Golfers Study Swings
December 13th, 2010 11:54 AM
Walking into the Greenroom Golf Centre I felt like I was walking onto a Gene Roddenberry Star Trek set.
People were playing virtual rounds on Jasper Park Lodge while computer monitors showed others what their mechanics look like.
To make the stars fly by even faster there were machines that wiggled clubs around to see if the heads were mounted as they should be and checked to see if putters were fitted properly while monitors showed us hacks what our launch angels, spin rates and smash factors are.
As well, they have a club fitting, club making, and club repair shop to rival anything you can find in B.C., making the Green Room a one-stop learning centre.
I was feeling overwhelmed at all that I was seeing and hearing. I mean it’s one thing to hear a pro tell you what you are doing, but it is different to watch your swing and actually see what you are doing and to then see the improvements as they come along.
Moe Norman tip: “Practice something that makes you better… Don't do something that ingrains habits that make you worse.”
With the staff and the technology at the Green Room practicing to perfection has just become a lot easier.
Club assessment is the first thing director of instruction Matt Carrothers will suggest to you and here you are passed off to Andrew Jeffers, the Green Room’s director of club fitting.
Although they can custom build a high quality component club set to your personal characteristics, they don’t strip you naked and push you to buy anything. In fact other then my Ping offset Driver being 40 degrees open, my relatively cheap and old fairway woods and irons got the thumbs up. No pressure to buy or change here.
Once your clubs have been fitted or adjusted to maximize their performance -- and let’s face it golf is tough enough without your equipment working against you -- it’s time to pick a lesson program.
Matt tells me they have programs that can run from four weeks to 52 weeks depending on what you want to get out of your game. And you will be asked about your goals both long and short term, which make sense. If you do not know where you are going or what you want to accomplish how you can know what road will take you there?
From here the options of what you practice, how you practice and how often you practice are almost unlimited. You can go the old fashioned route and have a pro stand there and watch you hit balls, indoors where winter can’t get to you, or watch yourself on monitors that show you your center of gravity and really highlight your swing flaws and eventual golf swing improvements.
You can play virtual golf on courses like Pebble Beach or Nicklaus North, then take time to have your putting swing recorded and analyzed.
I am old school when it comes to practicing. For me it is hours spent on the range beating balls and hoping something clicks. However that something is usually fleeting.
In the comfort of the Green Room you can actually chart your swing improvements and have the information e-mailed to you at home so you can watch and improve there as well.
Then next spring you can head outside and enjoy your new swing and new approach from day one instead of taking weeks just to regain your mediocre form of last season.
Greenroom Golf Performance Centre is at 1805 Welch St, North Vancouver. www.greenroomgolf.com 604-904-3677
Tom Cattermole is a North Shore freelance golf writer. Cattermole@telus.net
Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Dec 08 - Jan 09
People were playing virtual rounds on Jasper Park Lodge while computer monitors showed others what their mechanics look like.
To make the stars fly by even faster there were machines that wiggled clubs around to see if the heads were mounted as they should be and checked to see if putters were fitted properly while monitors showed us hacks what our launch angels, spin rates and smash factors are.
As well, they have a club fitting, club making, and club repair shop to rival anything you can find in B.C., making the Green Room a one-stop learning centre.
I was feeling overwhelmed at all that I was seeing and hearing. I mean it’s one thing to hear a pro tell you what you are doing, but it is different to watch your swing and actually see what you are doing and to then see the improvements as they come along.
Moe Norman tip: “Practice something that makes you better… Don't do something that ingrains habits that make you worse.”
With the staff and the technology at the Green Room practicing to perfection has just become a lot easier.
Club assessment is the first thing director of instruction Matt Carrothers will suggest to you and here you are passed off to Andrew Jeffers, the Green Room’s director of club fitting.
Although they can custom build a high quality component club set to your personal characteristics, they don’t strip you naked and push you to buy anything. In fact other then my Ping offset Driver being 40 degrees open, my relatively cheap and old fairway woods and irons got the thumbs up. No pressure to buy or change here.
Once your clubs have been fitted or adjusted to maximize their performance -- and let’s face it golf is tough enough without your equipment working against you -- it’s time to pick a lesson program.
Matt tells me they have programs that can run from four weeks to 52 weeks depending on what you want to get out of your game. And you will be asked about your goals both long and short term, which make sense. If you do not know where you are going or what you want to accomplish how you can know what road will take you there?
From here the options of what you practice, how you practice and how often you practice are almost unlimited. You can go the old fashioned route and have a pro stand there and watch you hit balls, indoors where winter can’t get to you, or watch yourself on monitors that show you your center of gravity and really highlight your swing flaws and eventual golf swing improvements.
You can play virtual golf on courses like Pebble Beach or Nicklaus North, then take time to have your putting swing recorded and analyzed.
I am old school when it comes to practicing. For me it is hours spent on the range beating balls and hoping something clicks. However that something is usually fleeting.
In the comfort of the Green Room you can actually chart your swing improvements and have the information e-mailed to you at home so you can watch and improve there as well.
Then next spring you can head outside and enjoy your new swing and new approach from day one instead of taking weeks just to regain your mediocre form of last season.
Greenroom Golf Performance Centre is at 1805 Welch St, North Vancouver. www.greenroomgolf.com 604-904-3677
Tom Cattermole is a North Shore freelance golf writer. Cattermole@telus.net
Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Dec 08 - Jan 09
