1991 Masters champion, World Golf Hall of Famer and new Legends Tour ambassador Ian Woosnam OBE will represent SkyTrak when he returns to Tour golf for the 2021 season.
After signing with the brand this summer, the European golf icon will now sport a SkyTrak-branded golf bag and will wear SkyTrak-branded clothing and headgear when he plays.
With the 2021 Legends Tour (formerly Staysure Tour / European Senior Tour) set to commence in late 2020, Woosnam expects to play a busy schedule over the next year including a few months competing in the USA in early 2021 before returning to Europe for the bulk of the Legends Tour season.
Woosnam has been using a SkyTrak to keep his game sharp at home in Jersey, and cites it as having played a key part in his recovery after a recent major back operation.
“I practice controlling my ball flight and spin rates on my SkyTrak at home, and it also gives me the accurate data I need for distance control” said Woosnam. “I am absolutely confident in the numbers which SkyTrak gives me.
“I generally hit a draw, and on SkyTrak I spend a lot of time looking at the precise details of my Launch Angle degree and Side Spin rates as I work through the bag. I need to be able to hit a soft draw or a hard draw to order, and I do a lot of intensive practice in my SkyTrak swing room to achieve that.
“Amateur golfers should realise that it’s less about the actual distance you hit it, and more about whether you are hitting it squarely. SkyTrak really helps you to tune your swing and find that consistent impact, and it’s also great if you’re looking to find the right golf ball for you, which is something I also did recently on the SkyTrak.”
In 1987, four years before he won The Masters, ‘Woosie’ was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) – an arthritic condition which produces long-term inflammation of the joints of the spine.
Despite this, the Welsh star battled hard to become one of the game’s longest hitters and most prolific winners on Tour, and was in the vanguard of European golf’s rise in the late 80s and 90s alongside Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle and Bernhard Langer – European golf’s historic ‘Big Five’.
In January 2020 Woosnam had an operation on his L2 and L3 vertebrae to help correct his back condition, and subsequently lost 20lbs as he recovered his fitness and strength during lockdown by playing golf every day at his beloved La Moye Golf Club on the island of Jersey.
“Golf courses in Jersey stayed open during the COVID-19 pandemic” he said, “so I was able to play safely outdoors many times while recovering from the operation. However, I spent the majority of my pure practice time on the SkyTrak back at home.
“The AS condition I have means that I need to play golf quickly to keep my body warm. Having a SkyTrak at home enables me to keep the intensity at the right level, while I practice, and my body is more efficient because of it.
“The back operation has worked wonders and after countless hours on the SkyTrak and at La Moye I am feeling good about taking my game back out on Tour again.”
James Holmes, General Manager UK & Europe, said: “The worldwide SkyTrak team is energised by having Ian Woosnam on board. He is one of the true greats of the sport.
“This isn’t just an endorsement deal where a player simply wears the logo. Ian owns and uses a SkyTrak at home, and really puts it through its paces, week in, week out. Working with a Tour player of his calibre is helping us to develop the product for the future for golfers of all skill levels – whether or not they own a Green Jacket!”
Ian Woosnam is one of Europe’s all-time most successful golfers with 52 professional wins worldwide including several on the PGA Tour and European Senior Tour. Although his 1991 Masters victory is a career highlight, he is also the only man to top the annual Order Of Merit on both the European Tour and the European Senior Tour.
He represented Europe in eight consecutive Ryder Cups between 1983 and 1997, lifting the trophy five times, and is one of Europe’s top ten all-time Ryder Cup points-scorers. In 2006, he celebrated a sixth victory as the European team’s victorious Ryder Cup Captain at the K Club, and in 2017 he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Woosnam was recently named as one of the new ambassadors for the Legends Tour, which was launched on September 1st 2020 after being known formerly as the Staysure Tour, and as the European Senior Tour before that. Other Legends Tour ambassadors include fellow former Ryder Cup captains Darren Clarke, Mark James, Tom Lehman, Paul McGinley and Colin Montgomerie, plus 2005 U.S Open Champion Michael Campbell and 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie.
For all you need to know about SkyTrak in the UK, please see www.skytrakgolf.com, or call +44 (0)1844 296350, or email sales@skycaddiegps.co.uk
