The European Tour Performance Institute (ETPI) and aboutGolf today launched a program to reinstate golf training and physiological monitoring after last year establishing a partnership associated with ETPI’s web initiative, Tour Fit for Golf.
This year’s program will feature European Tour professionals, including Raphaël Jacquelin, Matteo Manassero and Alex Noren, who, together with their coaching teams, will undergo extensive analysis and screening with world-renowned biomechanist Jean-Jacques Rivet, ETPI head physiotherapist Rob Hillman and aboutGolf experts using the company’s proprietary golf performance technology.
Jacquelin, Manassero, and Noren underwent an initial assessment at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, utilising The European Tour’s physiotherapy analysis, the ETPI screening protocol, and aboutGolf technology, including the newly released aG Mobile portable launch monitor, aG Balance Pro Tour portable weight analysis tool and aG Flix video swing analysis system.
Based on observations and data collected during the assessment, each player received a customised golf and fitness program developed by the participating experts together with their coaches which will be tracked throughout five remaining events over the course of this season, and it’s a campaign the professionals are pleased to embrace.
Manassero, 18, said: “I think it’s going to help my game in every sense. I really find it interesting, I have worked with Jean Jacques before with the machine so I think it’s going to help improve myself, physically with Rob, and Jean Jacques with the biomechanics of my golf swing. The way they work together is really interesting and I think it will improve me 100% in every way.
“I think a lot more guys are starting to do this sort of thing and are trying to find new ways to improve themselves and biomechanics is one of them. I’m really happy to try it and I really believe in this thing.”
“What we are doing provides more detail and more feedback about my swing, about my weight, about my balance during the swing and we are trying to be a bit more precise about what I do,” Jacquelin also added.
“We also are getting feedback from the physio, trying to identify restrictions in my body. In the two years I have done this we’ve seen a big improvement, especially in the balance. So it’s great to have such precise numbers, which we didn’t have before.”
In the world of professional golf, where players are constantly striving for any opportunity to develop their games, the marriage of technology and physiological knowledge presents the ideal forum for improvement.
“Collaborating with European Tour Performance Institute is an excellent opportunity for aboutGolf to demonstrate the capabilities of our technology,” said Chuck Faust, President of aboutGolf. “Our goal is to offer performance improvement to golfers at every skill level – including professionals who have already made their mark on the game.”
Using its specific ETPIme process, ETPI strives to guide both pupil and coach, at all levels to tailored solutions for game improvement. The information utilised in such training is amassed by ETPI and supported by the accuracy and reliability of aboutGolf’s products – which allow more effective instruction and tracking of measurable results.
“We are very excited about putting the ETPIme process to the test with some of the best players in the World,” said Fredrik Lindgren, head of ETPI. “We have over 20 years of experience in the area of golf specific conditioning and have spent the last 3 years developing the ETPIme process. With the very precise performance data we get from aboutGolf’s mobile equipment we can now take this process out on to the driving range and make a real difference.”
Following the inaugural stop in Dubai this week, participants will maintain a rigorous schedule throughout events at Terre Blanche in the South of France, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club, the ALSTOM Open de France at Le Golf National, the Omega European Masters at Golf Club de Crans sur Sierre in Switzerland and the Portugal Masters at Oceanico Victoria Golf Club, Algarve .
