A Student Of The Game…With A Little Help From Golftec!

I consider myself fortunate for many reasons: I am healthy and capable of swinging a club every now and again and I have friends and family who either play or appreciate the game of golf. On the flip side, I also have friends who would prefer to take in a basketball game or go to the mall if presented with an opportunity to spend four hours playing golf.

Dan Stark is a friend of mine who I’m pleased to say falls into the former category.  I’ve known Dan for a few years now and he is a similarly aged, fit and athletic guy and is someone who has always wanted to learn how to play golf, but for whatever reason, never fulfilled his desire. He confided in me that his perception of golf mirrored that of Mark Twain when he said that “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” “I figured if you just get outside and enjoy nature, you never have to worry about having an off-game,” said Dan. Aside from a few rounds of mini-golf as a young fella Dan has yet to set foot on a golf course. He never really gave golf a chance.  Yes, Dan represents the true “newbie” to the game and the prospect of having a friend who genuinely wants to learn, is both endearing and exciting.

In fact, I’m certain there are a number of our readers in the Northwest who fit the same category; perhaps they are a little intimidated or unsure who to turn to or those who have played the game, but perhaps have not picked up a club in years. Dan is, however, eager and willing to learn the game, and that is why I’m encouraged by his desire to learn and I took it upon myself to promptly begin researching golf instruction options here in the Northwest.

The good news is there is a plethora of quality options available to golfers, but I opted to take Dan to see my friends at the Golftec Learning Center in Bellevue, WA. Why Golftec? First and foremost, I have experienced it for myself and feel that their approach to teaching using a combination of technology and hands-on instruction is a sound one. Since its inception, in 1997, GolfTEC has given over 1,000,000 golf lessons across the country in PGA-certified indoor teaching facilities. The facilities offer services catered to all levels of abilities from beginners to touring professionals. The company employs over 300 Certified Personal Coaches and offers some of the nation’s best lesson programs, practice facilities and custom club fitting services. And a positive outcome with an improved game and increased enjoyment should be the result, right? 

With Dan “chomping at the bit,” we met store manager and PGA Member and Instructor Brett Wilkinson for lesson number one or the initial swing analysis where Dan was introduced and given the Golftec tour.  After taking a few warm up swings, Dan was introduced to the “heart and soul” of the Golftec experience, the belt and shoulder harness, which is tied into the company’s proprietary software system, SEVA. SEVA combines digital video, impact analysis, bio-feedback technology and motion-analysis computers to evaluate and develop Dan’s fledgling golf swing. After donning the harness and taking a few swings in the private bay, data is collected from the sensors monitoring his key body movements such as how Dan’s body bends, tilts, and rotates at the hips and shoulders.  At this point, Brett selects a professional who matches Dan’s general physique and swing style; in Dan’s case it is Steve Stricker. Brett patiently and clearly demonstrates the fundamentals, including how Dan should hold the club, how he should “address” the ball in his stance, and at what angle his spine and head position should be when swinging the club. Again, these are all foreign terms to Dan but he is a quick learner and has the benefit of his athleticism and flexibility. After unleashing the club on a dozen or so unsuspecting golf balls, Dan’s swing is analyzed and compared to Steve Stricker using a series of measurements and angles on the computer screen. The measurements help both the student and instructor to visualize and confirm how your body reacts and either contributes or hinders the “optimal” swing plane. For example, measurements highlighted in red indicate that Dan’s approach is significantly out of the normal range; yellow values indicate there is still some work to be done, but overall not too bad; and green values indicate that the swing parameters are “on the money.” As a beginner, it was great for Dan to see that his first fledgling attempts at a golf swing generated some green on the screen. Yes, it was encouraging despite the smattering of yellow and red values on the screen that Brett’s feedback reinforced the things he did right and that he consistently solicited Dan’s feedback and observations throughout the process. This is critical to someone who is likely overwhelmed with new terms and is struggling to find confidence, let alone become familiar with terms thrown about such as ‘club head speed’, ‘smash factor’, and ‘ball spin rates’ just to name a few.

During the breakdown of Dan’s swing, Brett verbalizes and records on the computer the areas that need work and encouragement for the things Dan did right. These recorded lessons complete with a voice-over by the instructor are uploaded to the company website so Dan can access and review his session from the internet at anytime. That is the cool part. With the benefit of technology and instruction, Dan can work on drills and video lessons to improve his swing in the comfort of his own home. He can rewind and fast forward his video session at his pace and in conjunction with Brett’s voiceover analysis. Love it! At the conclusion of Dan’s 60 minute introduction session, Brett highlighted to Dan the comparison of his set up and swings from his first   timid slashes at the ball to one that was well on its way to resembling a true golf swing on a normal swing plane. 

Dan still has some work to do to get him to a point of striking the ball with purpose and consistency, but according to Golftec’s Brett Wilkinson, for a “first-timer” he was genuinely impressed with Dan’s fundamental approach to hitting a golf ball. It is not easy hitting a small white ball and expecting it to go in the desired direction each and every time we tee it up, right? If it was, we would all be rubbing shoulders with Tiger!  Over the next several months, Golf Today Magazine will profile and track Dan’s adventures as he embarks on his journey with Brett Wilkinson and his team at Golftec closely monitoring his progress.  Good job Dan, and we look forward to following your progress.

 

** For more information about Golftec and their four Washington and Oregon locations, please see their ad on page 18 of this month’s edition of Golf Today Northwest Edition.