GARY PLAYER TECH LAB

THE GARY PLAYER TECH LAB - The EXPERIENCE becomes a reality!

Before the conception of the GARY PLAYER GOLF EXPERIENCE, just over 7 years ago, the The World of Golf had "just another academy" as its teaching arm.  

When the new name was under consideration, the word "experience" was the hope of becoming more than just another academy - a holistic game improvement solution of international class, committed to uplifting teaching norms in South Africa.

With great pride, the GARY PLAYER GOLF EXPERIENCE can now announce that it has completed the circle with the launching of the THE GARY PLAYER TECHLAB.

SO, COME UP to THE LAB... The following article appears courtesy of

ABOUT THE THE GARY PLAYER TECH LAB

The state-of-the-art Gary Player TechLab at the The World of Golf could be mistaken for something out of a science-fiction movie. Specific aspects of the golf swing are measured on equipment that can be found nowhere else in South Africa. techlab technical director Adriaan Van Pletzen took us on a tour.

There are three main measurement tools used in the Techlab:

1. The Dynamic Balance System
2. The i-club Body Motion System
3. The Sam PuttLab

These might seem like complicated systems at first, but once you understand how they work, you will be amazed at the improvements they can make to your swing and your putting

1. The Dynamic Balance System

The Dynamic Balance System is a precise instructional tool providing real-time computer- assisted feedback, designed to measure the golfer’s static weight 

distribution at address – and dynamic weight transfer during the swing. This feedback allows the teaching professional to explain, and the player to ‘feel’, the 

correct weight transfer.

Your feet are placed on a piece of astroturf mat which has highly sensitive pressure sensors underneath. These in turn are linked to a computer which plots where the majority of your weight is throughout the duration of your golf swing – for example, left foot or right foot biased, heel or toe biased. The computer actually plots where the majority of your weight is at specific points in the swing, and there simply isn’t a better piece of equipment available to identify weight transfer throughout the swing.

2. The i-Club Body Motion System

This system displays a three-dimensional model of the golfer constructed from a Body Motion System vest. The vest has a number of key sensors inside which relay data to a computer that measures every vital upper-body movement during the golf swing. Specifically, it measures body motion in the following four key positions:

1. Address
2. Top of the swing
3. Impact
4. Finish

It’s amazing to see how the system picks up what the human eye and video cameras are not able to record. The sensors determine what movement your shoulders, lower torso, hips and spine are making throughout the entire swing, as well as indicating which muscles are moving at what point, so it basically shows you that if specific muscles are uncoiling in the right sequence, you optimise your ball striking.

You are able to detect if you are placing any unnecessary strain on specific parts of the body, and all your swings can be played and replayed in real time to determine where faults are occurring. For example, it can reveal that at the top of your swing you were tilted too much to the right, or that throughout the backswing you rotated your hips and shoulders together.

The BMS also has a Power Sequence Feature whereby the computer measures acceleration and deceleration in the swing – and it can even isolate shoulder speed so one is really able to get a full picture of what a golfer is doing. Another useful feature of the system is the dual modes through which you gain feedback. In Training Mode, the system stops after every shot, allowing you to analyse, and in Assessment Mode it allows you to hit a number of shots while the system gathers data.

3. The SAM PuttLab

The SAM PuttLab is an analysis and training system based on accurate ultrasound measurements and is far more precise than any other similar putting-measurement system. It analyses the 28 most important parameters of your putting stroke and displays the results in easy-to-understand graphic reports. Within seconds the system gives you individual feedback on your putting strokes. The analysis reveals even the smallest details of your movements and allows you to develop improvements and training strategies. The system measures critical aspects such as:

• Putter Path: Are you taking the putter back straight, inside or outside and the path after you've struck the ball?
• Puterhead rotation: Are you opening or closing the clubface on impact?
• Impact spot: Where on the putterface are you actually making contact with the ball?
• Timing: A measure of your putting stroke from backswing to impact to followthrough. This determines whether you are accelerating or decelerating through the putting stroke.
• Face at address and impact: Are you returning the face square?

The V1 Duel Camera System and FlightScope

In addition, there are two more hi-tech systems the Techlab uses on a regular basis. The V1 Dual Camera System uses two cameras which are interlinked, one positioned face-on and the other down the target line of the golfer. You are able to store and retrieve your digitally recorded golf swing as well as use digital effects (zoom and video overlay) to analyse your swing. The system also enables you to view split-screen ‘side-by-side’ comparisons of your swing and compare it to a professional, or previously recorded swing. As far as video analysis goes, there’s nothing else like it.

FlightScope is an innovative, radar-powered ball-flight monitor system that the Techlab has been using for some time at the Gary Player Golf Experience. It’s a ball-tracking device which has radars that read the ball on 400 000 different points during its flight compared to three or four times during its launch by camera or other side-launch monitors.

It accurately measures:

• Carry distance
• Ball launch speed
• Ball back and side spin
• Maximum height of flight
• Three-dimensional flight path
• Clubhead speed
• Elevation angle along entire trajectory
• Horizontal launch angle

The lab is used extensively by students of the Gary Player School for Champions and one thing is for sure, the more talented youngsters we have training in the Techlab, the more champion golfers we will produce. The technology in the lab is mindblowing. You need to see it to believe it, so if you are in the area, we recommend you get over to the The World of Golf and have a look for yourself.