Honing in on the perfect swing is a breeze at the TaylorMade Performance Lab at Tiburón Golf Club.
The Perfect Fit: Swing King
 |
| The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples. |
T.J. Shelton refutes the idea that golf club customization should be reserved for professional players. As a master fitter and the manager of Tiburón Golf Club’s TaylorMade Performance Lab at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, Shelton says custom-fitted equipment can actually help the average amateur more than the tour professional, because weekend golfers have more inconsistencies in their swing and equipment.
 |
| TaylorMade Performance Lab uses high-tech methods to analyze a golf swing and customize clubs at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples. |
“Buying off the shelf is the biggest mistake that amateurs make,” Shelton says. “If you had a board with nails and a screwdriver and a hammer sitting there, which one would you pick? Obviously, you would pick the hammer, because it’s more efficient and you would get done faster. A lot of amateur golfers are playing with screwdrivers in their bag instead of hammers.”
The TaylorMade Performance Lab at Tiburón (239-593-2200), one of only 19 in the country and the only Lab on Florida’s west coast, is designed to help golfers determine the best club for the job. Clients don an avatar suit with 27 sensors that are strategically placed on the body. Then, they take practice swings with a fitted golf club (also equipped with sensors) to provide instant high-tech feedback that is displayed using 3D imaging. Shelton analyzes the data and images to measure every aspect of a client’s golf swing, from wrist angle to club-head path.
 |
| TaylorMade Performance Lab uses high-tech methods to analyze a golf swing and customize clubs at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples. |
Shelton validates the fitting by having clients stand on a launch monitor to achieve a baseline reading using their current equipment. Once complete, he begins customizing clubs with varying heads, shafts, angles and flex that match the lab-recommended results. Along with feedback from the client, Shelton goes through a process of elimination, altering the components until there’s a perfect fit. The full fitting process typically takes around two hours and costs an average of $400.
“Our goal,” Shelton says, “is to give you the best possible chance of making the most consistent golf swing every time you pick up a golf club.”
Ride in Style
For those looking to steer clear from the cart-path-only rule, Electric Motion Golf Carts of Naples and Fort Myers (239-793-7368) offers affluent clients the opportunity to take their sporting endeavors from the golf course to the streets.
With only a handful of local courses—Foxfire Golf & Country Club and Quail Creek Country Club among them—allowing personal golf carts, much of Electric Motion’s offerings are customized street-legal carts. Owners can drive along any street with speed limits of 35 mph or less in an open-air vehicle perfect for Naples’ mild and sunny climate.
Historically, off-course carts have essentially been on-course models in a splashier color with a few decals. This new generation of customized carts takes golfing to a new level of opulence. While constructed on a golf-cart frame, many of Electric Motion’s carts are customized to resemble luxury vehicles, such as the Cadillac Escalade and Hummer. Clients can personalize all aspects including wheels, detailing, and seating to accommodate up to 10 passengers. The all-electric, eco-friendly carts start at $12,000 for the luxury four-seater models and can reach $17,000 with customization and freight.
For more customized sporting gear, click here.
Facebook Comments