The sweeping links of Ayrshire will soon become home to the Turnberry Performance Academy, a centre of excellence offering a unique holistic approach to coaching the game of golf at Turnberry, a Luxury Collection Resort.
Opening in April 2013, the Turnberry Performance Academy’s aim will be to help players maximise their golfing potential by assessing their equipment, as well as physical, technical and mental aspects of their game, in order to develop and achieve individual goals.
The opening of the Performance Academy marks another major milestone in the enviable golfing history of Turnberry which began in 1906 when it created a world first by opening a hotel next to an 18-hole golf course.
The Turnberry Performance Academy will offer tuition incorporating the principles of the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI), recognised as world leader’s in studying the physical elements of golf coaching. Golfers will be able to book one-to-one and group tuition from TPI-qualified staff covering all areas of a golfer’s game, fitness level and lifestyle.
The new TPA concept will complement Turnberry’s long-standing partnership with TaylorMade Golf. Turnberry is the only place in Scotland to host TaylorMade’s world-leading Performance Lab in which players can receive a fully-customised golf club fitting experience. The Performance Lab utilises 3D motion capture technology to match a set of clubs to an individual’s swing characteristics.
Jordi Tarrida, General Manager at Turnberry Resort, commented: “It is unique advantage and a privilege for Turnberry to be able to offer a fully holistic golf academy suitable for all ages and skill levels and fitting that this should be located at the world’s first golf resort. With the Turnberry Performance Academy, players of all ages and abilities will be able to receive world-class training, coaching and facilities to improve all aspects of their game in one location.”
The TurnberryPerformanceAcademy will offer the following world-class components to both day visitors and resort guests:
Titleist Performance Institute (TPI)
TPI is the internationally-recognised qualification for coaches across all areas of golf, including medical considerations, fitness and technique. The TPI approach offers players a full golf-specific physical assessment before advising them on the best way to learn or perfect their golfing technique, as well as including comprehensive long- and short-game evaluation.
Turnberry Putting Lab
The TPA’s state-of-the-art putting studio features a Huxley all-weather putting surface (official supplier to the PGA and golf unions). HD slow-motion video cameras are also used to capture both the individual’s movement and the golf ball’s roll whilst utilising SAM technology. SAM technology uses ultrasound to provide scientifically precise feedback on all parameters of the individual’s putting stroke.
Taylor Made Performance Lab (TMPL)
TMPL utilises 3D motion capture technology to match a set of clubs to an individual’s swing characteristics. A two hour session leads to a CD of swings and club specifications. Custom built clubs can then be ordered. This is the only lab of its kind in Scotland and one of only two in the United Kingdom.
Ladies Golf
At the TurnberryPerformanceAcademy, specialist tuition for lady golfers will be offered for all levels and abilities. Absolute beginners can benefit from the unique “back to front” programme, beginning with tuition for putting and chipping before moving onto the driving range, whilst more advanced players can improve through the Ladies Clinic sessions. There will also be a range of packages available including treatments in Turnberry’s ESPA spa.
World Class Technology for coaching
The TurnberryPerformanceAcademy will make use of Golf Analysis Software for Professionals (G.A.S.P.) which allows the professional to visually record and evaluate the golfer’s technique frame by frame and from a variety of different positions; above, face on and from behind.
Alongside this, force plate technology at the TPA will present information on the golfer’s centre of balance and weight transfer during their movement, helping establish kinaesthetic movement.
Finally, Flight Scope – arguably the world’s most accurate portable launch monitor – uses a radar to track the golf ball’s entire flight and will be invaluable to the professionals at TPA in establishing club/ball impact conditions (which cannot be visually seen) for changes in technique or for custom fitting for equipment.
Junior Golf
Turnberry has partnered with Clubgolf, the national junior golf strategy for Scotland, which offers a pathway for talented young players to progress. Turnberry Performance Academy will become a platform for summer golf camps and individual coaching and will build relationships with Ayrshire Clubs for the promotion of Clubgolf and its initiatives.
Tour Master Classes (Seniors Golf)
In another first for Scotland, the Turnberry Performance Academy will host a Tour Master Class events programme. Tailored for the more mature golfer, these once-in-a-lifetime golf experiences allow access to some of Europe’s favourite golfing legends in an intimate environment. From the driving range to the Ailsa course and onwards to the bar and restaurant, these events are designed to give a true insight into the psyche of the Senior Tour player. In addition to a number of annual events, these experiences can be created as a bespoke package for a corporate client or as a celebration gift.
Turnberry www.turnberryresort.co.uk
The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts www.luxurycollection.com