Whether it was a small tweaking or a complete overhaul, golfers had plenty of opportunity to improve their swing this week and upgrade their clubs as the Birchbank Golf Course hosted its Demo Days.
Birchbank welcomed the biggest lines in golf with Ping reps and pros hitting the driving range Tuesday and Taylor Made, Titleist, Nike and Adams reps on Wednesday helping golfers choose the right club for their game and offering analysis and tips on how to improve your swing.
“This time of year is the time people are looking for new equipment so our concern of course it to look after the golf clubs in the area and look after the members so we can bring our new product to them,” said Greg Murtland Interior B.C. manager for Taylor Made. “At the end of the day it’s the best way for us to do it.”
New product lines, recent innovations, and on-the-spot swing diagnostics were de rigueur over the two-day demonstration, but matching a golfer’s swing to the right set of clubs was perhaps the most compelling element.
“We set up custom fit days,” said Taylor Made pro Mike Langin. “We just make sure everything is consistent, whether its driver or 3-wood, say a couple rescues and down, we try to map out their bags so everything is in position distance cap-wise and also make sure that if they put just one piece in the bag to make sure it’s the right fit, so there’s not a big gap or having two clubs going the same distance.”
While a good golf swing solves many problems, a golfer can add distance and accuracy to his game by choosing the right clubs and updating the old ones.
“Technology, especially in the golf industry, just like electronics where every six months or something, everything is better, newer, and greater out there, same thing with golf . . . A junior (golfer) today just picked up 32 yards on his 3-wood from what he’s playing right now.”
To show how much technology drives the golfing industry, Nike rep Dave Munn brought out the Flight Scope X2. It’s the next generation 3D club and ball tracking radar that allows you to measure and see swing, club, and ball data on your smart phone or tablet with no PC required.
When a golfer hits the ball, the Flight Scope unit measures everything from flight path, to club speed, launch angle to dispersion pattern, ball carry to ball rotation.
“It’s quite remarkable,” said Munn.
There is so much information, it makes diagnosing swing problems much easier and much more efficient, he added.
Adams Golf rep Craig McGlenen showed off a fresh line of clubs that offers velocity slot technology.
“It’s the new hot thing,” said McGlenen. “They are easier to use and they go farther, two very fortunate things.”
If golfers were unfortunate and missed Demo Days, the Birchbank pro shop carries all lines of clubs and golfers can get custom fitted for clubs and balls courtesy of club pro Dennis Bradley.