July 30th, 2010

TaylorMade Fitting in the Center of Excellence in Herzogenaurach

In the four-week tournament break it applies to Roland Steiner to recharge his batteries and to prepare for the second half of the season, but also to use devote some time to other things for which there is very little time during the rest of the year. The new grooce-regulation of the R&A on the European Tour and the Challenge Tour resulted in developments in the club area and required a partial re-orientation in materials and technology.

As part of this and in view of the coming season, on July 28th, 2010 the Styrian went to Herzogenaurach, after mediation by Hans Woschner, to the Center of Excellence of TaylorMade, where both European Tour stars such as Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia, but also ambitious amateur golfer, can have their clubs tested. At the moment the complex is the number one address in this field in Europe, mainly because besides the fitting the new system, allows for an accurate swing analysis in 3D. The latter is very interesting for the technology coach, because only rarely is such detailed data available.

For this reason, Roland’s Pro, Ralph Hagen, accompanied the Fontana Pro to Germany, fitting guru Gerold Fiechtl was also there. All were able to establish interesting insights. It was a very informative day for all and also a good opportunity to look behind the scenes. In a two-hour fitting by Stefan Gnad, who is now one of the most experienced experts at TaylorMade and who has also designed the Center of Excellence, drivers, fairways and irons were analyzed and adjusted to Roland’s swing.

Using a high tech system with a value of 500,000 euros, a swing-image will be created and from this, it can be derived what type of club with shaft is the best for the player. The system works with 6 cameras and detects even the smallest movement in three dimensions on the screen. The virtual golfer is a reflection of the player. The data will be saved, so the supervisor can access a very large database of curves and use it for the best possible outcome. In the end a plain white A4 paper speaks a very clear language and lists precisely which club the player needs.

Because there is also a club manufacturer, it is possible, to test, whether the proposed club fits in reality too. All this makes the establishment of a true Center of Excellence. Thanks to the professional advice of Gerold Fiechtl in the recent months, in collaboration with Chris Trott and Hans Woschner, the findings coincided with what we already know, and therefore only minor adjustments are required. Now, Roland Steiner can get used to equipment and to use the next two weeks to get confident about the clubs, whether they are new or not …