Archerfield Links going up the '˜gears' with new facility

It's not just players, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, who have had their eyes opened to new things as a result of Nike deciding to stop manufacturing golf clubs. Take Archerfield Links, for example. Bosses at the East Lothian venue found themselves with an opportunity to come up with something different for its world-class performance fitting centre.

The Archerfield Performance Centre opens its doors on I December

Opened by Rory McIlroy a fortnight before he became Open champion in 2014, it was the first facility of its kind for Nike and now it is to be the home of a state-of-the-art coaching and fitting centre. Using the latest technology from TrackMan, V1 Video, GEARS, SAM PuttLab and SAM BalanceLab, the Archerfield Performance Centre, which opens its doors tomorrow, involves a partnership with Ping, Titleist and Callaway.

“We have one of the best coaching and fitting centres in Europe, providing the very best in-depth analysis of someone’s game,” said Archerfield Links chief executive Tom Younger.

Ross Leeds, the centre’s PGA fitting and coaching professional, will liase with golfers visiting the centre to find what works best for them while TPEGS (Tour Pro Experience Golf Schools), the bespoke coaching company led by Ryder Cup player and Sky Sports analyst Andrew Coltart and renowned European Tour coach Gary Nicol, will also be on hand to offer the “ultimate golf experience”.

An exciting new addition for the facility is GEARS 3D biomechanical analysis, fittings, screening and coaching, which is set to be by PGA professional Oliver Morton. Alongside offering GEARS, he will lead and deliver “The Endeavour Junior Coaching Programme and Camps” whilst also hosting ladies’ practice sessions and clinics on the last Wednesdays of each month.

“GEARS is a full swing, club and body tracking system, measuring and analysing every

nuance of a swing, in full 3D, from address to follow-through,” added Younger. “Imagine taking a golf lesson that removes any doubt about what your golf swing is doing. Imagine having the confidence to know exactly what to work on.

“Even picture a scenario where you can virtually see yourself on every swing. It’s now a reality with a new technology called GEARS golf. Built on the same technology used by biomechanists and filmmakers, GEARS is the most advanced motion capture solution developed specifically for golf.

“The Archerfield Performance Centre is the first facility in Europe to provide this level of GEARS technology, providing golfers with complete club and body data, live, in 3D. This helps us now truly cater for every standard of golfer from beginner to top Tour pro.”