GOLF SIMULATION
MEET THE UK’S BEST NEW INDOOR GOLF CENTRE When it comes to golfing paradise, the sweet smell of Azaleas at Augusta springs to mind, or perhaps the fresh sea breeze whipping in off St Andrews Bay as the Swilcan Bridge appears beneath the fog on the Old Course. How about a musty carpet scent wafting under your nose from Wetherspoons as you climb the staircase to Kings Golf Studio in East Grinstead? Okay, maybe not, but welcome to the indoor version of golfing heaven.
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pened for business in May this year and located in the town centre, co-founders Joe Favata and European Tour pro Gary King set out with a vision to create the UK’s most comprehensive indoor golf centre. From the moment you reach the entrance, you are immediately presented with a monolithic print of a pristine driving range dwarfing the front doors and covering the surrounding walls. The mountain backdrop and clear blue skies suggests you are about to enter somewhere special. As you step into the venue, you then notice little orange boxes scattered across the turf-like flooring that every serious golfer will instantly recognise. TRACKMAN; THE HEARTBEAT OF KINGS GOLF STUDIO. The orange box that is synonymous with the world’s best players, powers
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nine simulator bays, allowing you to play some of the world’s best golf courses, whilst spitting out continuous streams of data; angle of attack, path, face angle, dynamic loft and the holy grail for Bryson DeChambeau fans... clubhead speed and ball speed. In fact, Trackman is only just the beginning. Perched just above the main floor (where seven of the bays are located) in its own amphitheatre, lies the ‘PuttView’ green where a light projection beams the exact break of any putt to hone your green reading skills. Some would say it’s cheating, others would argue it’s the ideal practice environment providing real-time feedback on start line, break and pace. Throw in a session with one of the resident professionals who will fit your putter with Capto, a high accuracy sensor to deliver immediate feedback on the iPad, and you have the complete package to optimise your stroke. Now if you want the really juicy stuff, enter the Elite Performance Studio. Situated in its own little cave off the main floor, access can only be granted with the swipe of a special key card. Golf ’s version of MI6, this secret laboratory is the Studio’s piece de resistance. The Elite Performance Studio houses hundreds of clubheads and shafts from premium manufacturers, creating its own fully stocked custom fit centre. If you class yourself as bit of a golf geek, then this is the room for you. In the private simulator bay,
Trackman joins forces with Swing Catalyst 3D Motion Plate to measure a players’ weight distribution and ground force. In addition, the bay is the only publicly-accessible facility in the UK installed with GEARS – a full body 3D motion capture system allowing for an entirely new dimension of golf analytics. You can even compare your golf swing to the likes of Dustin Johnson & Rory McIlroy, frame by frame. Powered by eight 240fps cameras, GEARS places Kings Golf Studio as the ultimate playground for serious golfers and coaches alike; who by the way, are encouraged to use the facility with their own students, which is a refreshing approach to collaborative golf tuition.
SURREY GOLF MAGAZINE
