Golf Gear What is Bounce?

from California Golf + Travel Nov/Dec 2020 ORANGE COUNTY

Golf Tips Dustin Johnson and Miss America

Demystifying Sole close the face however you like without hitting it thin. But what if you like to hit your 56° Grinds with the All-New with square face shots more often than not? Then the Mid’s V-shaped sole gives you the balanced performance you RTX ZipCore Wedge want, with leading edge bounce that glides over turf to avoid the chunk. And what about those players who reach for the 56° whenever they’re in a bunker or thick rough? The Full’s

Any product marketer knows: cus- tion: why all the choices? To answer rounded sole surface actually increases tomers want a frictionless purchase that, look no further than your latest bounce as you open the face, making with very few choices that are easy to round. How many different short game those tough escapes that much easier. make. Purchasing wedges, however, shots did you encounter? 10? 15? Each And all those options are available to is as far from easy as you can get, and with a unique lie, varying yardage, and you in just the 56° RTX ZipCore alone! anything but frictionless. different stance? The short game is So, no, sole grinds aren’t the easiest

Selecting the right brand and model never the same twice and a wedge has landscape to navigate. But if you take is hard enough. And then comes the to bring the versatility you’ll need to the time to make the right choices, Sole Grind—the pop quiz of wedge manage all those shots. you’ll have tools that work with your shopping. The choices are daunting Then there’s personal preference. short game, not against it. and the differences seem subtle, so Whether you like to stick it close, hit a And there’s more good news: our the question naturally arises: do sole bump and run, or anything in between, team is always hard at work developing grinds really matter? that preference is best served by a sole new tools to help you make the right

But the thing is, around the greens, grind that facilitates your play style. choices. And you’ll find those tools at the right grind can be the deciding fac- Take the RTX ZipCore, for instance. ClevelandGolf.com. Explore our grind tor between jaw-dropping success and Our 56° comes in a Low Sole, Mid Sole, descriptions, watch our product videos, embarrassing failure. The difference is and Full Sole, and the right choice and get the resources you need to make that real. And it’s why Cleveland Golf comes down to how you prefer to play. the right choices for your game. In the engineers have spent decades honing With the Low, we grind material off the end, you’ll hit the course with a set of our grind offerings to perfection. wedge’s trailing edge (that’s the back wedges perfectly tuned to your style

The good news is, we’re here to help. half of the sole). It boosts your versatil- and that’s the best recipe for confident, And we’ll start with the biggest ques- ity because it means you can open or blissful golf.

INSTRUCTION

GOLF LAB ACADEMY

A GREAT PLACE TO LEARN

Technology has come a long way since 1987 when Golf Lab Academy founder Eric Woods began teaching indoor video lessons. Back then, instructors would use VCR machines and rulers as straight edges and felt tip pens to draw lines on TV screens to explain the fundamentals.

Golf Lab Academy is now located only minutes away from Roger Dunn Superstore in Santa Ana, CA. The studio has quickly grown into one of the top teaching and training facilities in California. The instructors at this spacious indoor studio have more than sixty years of combined teaching experience and utilize cutting edge technology to create an experience that makes learning and improving quicker, easier, more effective, and enjoyable.

“The Golf Lab was built by playing and teaching professionals to create an environment that allows us to teach in a way that helps students see and understand how the fundamentals work and can affect the rhythm, motion, and trajectory of each swing,” Woods explained. “The fundamentals are simple, but can be difficult to explain, especially without the use of slow-motion video. A golf swing only takes a second,” he adds, “but there are a lot of moving parts, so not only can it be challenging to explain what students need to do to improve, it can be difficult to identify the issues.”

From the street, Golf Lab Academy might look unassuming, but once inside, students are amazed to see a 1,500 square foot studio with a spacious hitting area, full bar, and multiple flat screens. “When we moved out of the Roger Dunn store, I decided to build a teaching studio for my friends and me,” Woods said, “one that had the capacity to train touring pros but with a fun and relaxing vibe. Not only is the studio extremely private for one-on-one teaching experiences, it can comfortably accommodate groups of up to 16 people.”

A few months after the studio was completed, Woods’ good friend and talented player John Burckle asked if he knew of any places looking for an instructor. “I kind of laughed and asked him to come over to my office to see what I just built,” Wood said. “He came into the studio and has been Director of Instruction ever since.”

John’s stellar resume speaks for itself with 80 professional wins and more than 30 years teaching experience, and all his students would agree that he’s an outstanding instructor who has the ability to teach touring professionals as

"The fundamentals have never been easier to learn with access to such powerful tools as high speed video cameras and software that allows instructors to draw lines and compare each student to top PGA players today."

well as teenage beginners.

Another Golf Lab instructor is Dan Kupfer, who plays professionally and is a Master Club Fitter at Worldwide Golf Shops. As for Woods: he played professionally for ten years, winning backto-back money titles on the Canadian Tour and was the first American to win the South American Tour money title. He also held touring cards in Australia, Asia, and South Africa.

Bottom line: the Golf Lab has all the cutting-edge technology and tools to help golfers of all ages and skill levels improve, but it’s the instructors that make it truly special.

Visit golflabacademy.com for more information.