GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation Review

GolfTec Swing Evaluation Review

GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation Review

I recently was invited to have my swing evaluated at the GOLFTEC store in Novi, Michigan. It was a fun and informative experience.

Currently the world’s biggest purveyor of golf lessons, GOLFTEC has more than 200 locations in the US, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea. The company has logged some 7 million lessons since its founding in 1995. Overall, GOLFTEC says its students average a seven stroke improvement, and they claim a 96% success rate.

At the core of GOLFTEC’s method are its video analysis and motion measurement. If you have taken a lesson in recent years, you likely have had your swing recorded from a variety of angles. GOLFTEC, like other lessons I have taken, uses that video to record the swing from various angles. That, in and of itself, is very useful, because what we think we are doing is often not what we actually are doing.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Golf Blogger sets up for a shot at GOLFTEC.

What sets GOLFTEC apart are the motion sensors that GOLFTEC employs to track every angle. The sensors are a harness-like device attached to a “tail” that connects to the computer. With this, the GOLFTEC instructor can measure exactly what your body is doing at different points of the swing. On each swing, I could not only see the video of what I had done, but also data.

Using the video and sensors, GOLFTEC instructor Andrew Dodson very quickly identified the swing fault from which all my other issues stem: I tend to stand up on my backswing. I start out fine, but once the club hits the midway point, I start to lift up. Watching this on video and looking at the data gathered by the harness, it was evident that I had to do a lot of mid swing corrections to get the club back to the ball. Each correction on the downswing is working against me in terms of distance and accuracy.

Once the issue was identified, Dodson helped me find a way to bring the club back without coming out of my stance. Then, he programmed the sensors in the harness to beep on my backswing when I achieved the desired angle. With this bio-feedback, I was able to understand what it felt like when I was turning correctly. Repetition of that move got me to the point to where I could get the sensor to beep every time I turned.

Today, weeks after the GOLFTEC lesson, I can still remember how the proper turn felt. The bio-feedback really sank in. With a snowy and cold Michigan preventing outdoor practice, I have nonetheless been working on the move and retaining the feel in front of a mirror. The fact that I can still remember how it feels speaks to the power of that bio-feedback.

Finally, Dodson gave me some practice drills to work on at home.

Aside from the harness-of-sensors, GOLFTEC set itself apart from my past golf lessons with an online component. Videos of my lesson were uploaded to my account, along with a collection of canned video lessons that addressed my swing faults and a page where notes from my lesson were recorded.  The notes Dodson took were succinct and to the point:

What did we work on today and why was it important?
left shoulder under in the takeaway
-left shoulder pushes the club back
setting the wrists
-left wrist stays more bowed (feel the leverage in the right wrist)
Goals for Practice.
you may see some pulls, this just means you are in the position to lean the shaft more

I am convinced that if I were to take a series of lessons at GOLFTEC, I would become one of their statistics of a 96% rate with a seven stroke improvement. With just the one lesson, I have a lot to work on.

Unfortunately for me, the lessons are outside of what I would call affordable. Most of the plans I saw were in the range of $60 to $80 for a half hour lesson. GOLFTEC offers package deals that will get the per-lesson cost down, but it frankly is still too rich for my tastes. Still, the Novi, Michigan location seemed very busy and I suppose that there are an ample number of people for whom $160 an hour seems a fair exchange for a better golf game.

Still, I was impressed enough that I may sign up for a couple of reviews appropriately spaced throughout the season. One in June, one in July and one in August might be enough to get me back on track (and on plane).

So here’s the bottom line: I believe that a series of GOLFTEC lessons would improve my game immensely. If you’ve got the money and the desire to improve, it’s worth the investment.

The GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation Review was first published on March 6, 2018 on GolfBlogger.Com

1 thought on “GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation Review”

  1. Pingback: Is GolfTec’s Swing Evaluation Worth the Investment? A Comprehensive Analysis – Women's Golf Sport

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