9 Highlights from my 2017 PGA Show

I had a great time down at the PGA show and wanted to share a few of the highlights from the trip from tech to education.

Arccos

I was blown away by what I saw at Arccos at this years show. You might have seen the video I did awhile back on my experiences playing with it for 9 holes and know that I really like the platform, but there were a few issues.

arccos course analyzerOne of the negatives is the weight the sensor adds on the end of the club so I was happy to see the change with the latest version called Arccos 360. I’m going to be looking into it further and using the system on a fun project this summer.

But to be honest there was one thing that really BLEW me away. They partnered with Microsoft to create a predictive analysis software and when I saw it I couldn’t believe how cool it was.

You play some rounds with Arccos and it gathers data like the distance you hit clubs, the dispersion patterns, and other things. That fuels some of the smart distance data and their handicap’s which allow you to see where you’re at with each skill. Now this new software takes that data as well as data from a golf course (the other rounds people have played there) and tells you what clubs to hit and the prediction on what you will score.

So should you hit driver or 3 wood?
Should you go for the par 5 or not?

The Arccos Course Analyzer layers a user’s data on top of millions of data points for more than 40,000 golf courses mapped in the Arccos system. It then harnesses Azure’s cloud-computing services and machine learning capabilities to provide personalized recommendations for optimal strategies on nearly every golf hole in the world.

Keep it up Arccos! Check it out here.

K-VEST NEXT

If you don’t know K-VEST it’s 3D motion capture tool specializing in incredible training with biofeedback. (we’ll learn more about it as they’re sponsoring our 4th season of the Golf Science Lab)

They released something at the show that’s going to take working on the golf swing to the NEXT level. It’s biofeedback that can walk you through a progression, so no longer do you just have static positions with biofeedback.

NEXT turns static positional training into a complete movement to help players learn, and more importantly, retain the desired skills.

When you see this one in real life or have an experience on it you’re mind will be opened to a new way of working on the golf swing that really makes sense.

Check out K-VEST here

K-VEST NEXT

Will Robins Coaching Workshop

You might have seen me talking about this one before the show as I was helping Will host this event. Will brought the word on group coaching and had all the coaches mapping out revenue goals, planning their first program to launch, and then TAKING ACTION.

Before everyone left the event they had picked up the phone and contacted at least one person to join in their program.

Will is 100% a transformational coach and we saw that at the workshop. If you’re a golf coach watch for this workshop again as we’re excited to launch out more of these this coming year.

Learn more about Will here

Certified Golf Coach

If you haven’t heard of Dr Rick Jensen and Henry Brunton’s Certified Golf Coach program… Where have you been? They are two fantastic guys and leading minds in the industry.

I was able to check out their Mental Mastery program on Friday morning and see how they’re equipping coaches help their students with the mental game… HINT – it has less to do with the mental game as with better training.

Learn more about Certified Golf Coach here

dr rick jensen

Cameron McCormick at Teaching and Coaching Summit

One of the most well known coaches in the game Cameron McCormick brought an incredible message to wrap up the teaching and coaching summit. He talked about the role of a coach and gave insights into his practices/rituals that help him be a better coach.

His honesty and authenticity was more than refreshing in an industry where most try to insist their always right and prove their methods. To say I’m a fan would be an understatement.

Cameron if you happen to see this. Thank you for sharing.

Open Forum

Always a great time, and definitely did not disappoint this time around. Few people you might know from the Golf Science Lab were there – Game Like Training Radio co-host Matthew Cooke, favorite guest David Orr, and most of the biomechanists we’ll be hearing from in the 4th season of the Golf Science Lab podcast coming soon.

Few of my Highlights:
Biomechanist panel with Dr Rob Neal, Dr Mike Duffey, Dr Phil Cheetham, Dr Scott Lynn, and Liam Mucklow

Performance panel with Dr Fran Pirozzolo, Dr Bhrett McCabe, Garrett Kramer, Scott Fawcett, Mark Blackburn, Grant Waite, and Brad Faxon.

David Orr bringing the word on putting and shifting paradigms in the industry.

They recorded the event and plan on releasing it in the next few months so definitely watch for that!

Open Forum

SMART 2 MOVE

We’ve seen the prominence of pressure sensors taking off over the last few years with Boditrak and Swing Catalyst but now that technology is going into shoe insoles. Haven’t had a chance to test this out yet but looks promising and can’t wait to see where this tech takes us.

SmartBalance Light is wireless, portable and easy-to-use, it measures the weight distribution between the right foot and the left foot, and the position of the center of pressure between heels and toes for each foot.

Check it out here.

Blast Motion

I can’t tell you how many coaches talked with me about this tool and picked one up to use with their students. Founded by Michael Bentley (founder at K-VEST as well) Blast Motion is a sensor you place on the grip of a putter which can give you data on tempo, speed, backswing length, and help you train your putting stroke.

The Blast Golf swing analyzer sensor captures your stroke metrics, helps you analyze your data, and provides drills to improve your timing. By improving your timing, you will make more putts.

They have some incredible ambassadors for the product, it seems to be an effective training device (don’t have personal experience with it), and it’s only $150.

Something to look into more. Check it out here.

Contributor Dinner

We got together some contributors from the podcasts for dinner and enjoyed mixing an eclectic group of golf coaches, psychologists, and biomechanists. It’s always fascinating to see what happens when you bring together folks who might not hang out on a regular basis.