GolfTEC Opens First Facility In Japan, Initial Overseas Step In Major Expansion Program

Centennial, CO, and Tokyo, Japan (July 24, 2012) GolfTEC -the world leader in golf improvement-cements its world-leadership position with the opening of its first “learning studio” in Japan.

Located in the upscale Roppongi district of Tokyo, and operated by franchisee GDO (Golf Digest Online, Inc.), this is the first of dozens of GolfTEC centers planned for Japan over the next few years. Its opening follows the announcement earlier this year of a long-term expansion program that includes aggressive growth in the U.S. and Canada, as well as in Japan and South Korea, with other markets to come.

The 3,000-square-foot Roppongi studio features five hitting bays utilizing the same GolfTEC software used in the company’s more than 160 improvement centers in North America. Although some of the material had to be modified slightly for the Japanese audience, Director of Instruction and Education Creighton Aotani says the core principles are pure GolfTEC: “What we’re teaching here is the same thing GolfTEC is teaching everywhere,” he says.

Aotani, 43, was born in Hawaii but has been living and working in Japan the last 18 years. A former player on the Japan Tour, Aotani was a JGTO Rules official and an executive with Pacific Golf Management, the world’s second-largest course-management firm, before joining GolfTEC and GDO last year.

The Roppongi center-called a “learning studio” because, says Aotani, “it rings the bell better for the Japanese audience”-officially opened on May 28, 2012. In its first seven weeks the four full-time coaches gave more than 300 swing evaluations
and signed up more than 150 students to long-term instruction programs.

GolfTEC will be successful in Japan, says Aotani, because there is no such personalized and effective teaching presently offered in the country.

“The Japanese tend to be very detail-oriented and love being able to talk numbers and details about the golf swing. So GolfTEC’s fact-based teaching and reliance on data is perfect for them.

“Right now, most of the [non-GolfTEC] teaching here is very old-fashioned. They call it a school but it’s one professional watching over 12 students for an hour. Do the math and that’s less than five minutes per student! Do they really get better? No.

“I’m excited because we can actually make a difference. Golfers can really get better.”

While the GolfTEC philosophy is new to Japan, the amenities in all the new centers will be attuned to the local population.

“In Japan, the level of service is very high. We’re pampered here. So our studio has locker rooms, stretching areas, a lounge, and a pro shop where we sell apparel and other merchandise. Plus we have two female receptionists on duty almost all the time, who also free up the coaches to teach more. And we are already booked nearly 80% of the time.

“We’re already looking at our next center,” Aotani reports, “finding a location and hiring teachers. The plan is to have at least five new centers up in the next two years. We’ll be rolling out our club fitting in the Roppongi studio in July. We are blazing!”

For further information access the GolfTEC web site at www.GolfTEC.com or call (303) 779-9900.

GolfTEC Performance Secret

Making Solid Contact in the Short Game
Brian Skena, Certified Personal Coach, GolfTEC North Scottsdale

In order to develop touch around the greens you must start with consistent contact. Making solid contact with the ball first and the ground second is the first step in developing short game shots that will fly a reliable distance with a consistent trajectory.

The two most common misses in the short game are hitting fat (ground first) or hitting thin (leading edge of the club making contact high on the ball). These are in fact the same miss! Both fat and thin shots occur because the angle of attack into the ball is too shallow and the swing arc bottoms out before the ball.

If you’re experiencing these misses a good place to start would be checking your ball position. In a basic pitch you’ll want to locate the ball in the center of your stance equidistant between the ankles.	In a basic chip the ball position will be just inside your rear ankle.

Assuming appropriate ball position, if you’re still experiencing fats and thins you’ll now
need to identify the physical fault that’s causing the club to shallow out before the ball.

Our angle of attack can become shallow through one or more of these three
primary physical faults:

a. weight hanging back on the rear foot	b. casting or flipping the club with the wrists
c. a swing path that is too far inside out.

Identifying the physical faults you exhibit will allow you to zero in on the fix.

The Fixes:

1. Ensure your weight remains on the front side during short game shots, weight only transfers to the rear foot during your power swings and these are finesse swings.
2. Work with a “Punisher Club” to get the handle leading through impact. You can hold an alignment stick in line with your grip so the stick is positioned to your left side at address. If you flip your hands through impact, the “Punisher” will hit you in your rips reminding you to keep the handle leading through impact.
3. Lay a club along the target line from a ball. The club should be approx 1-2” from the ball, with the ball centered on the shaft of the club on the group. The grip end should be along your swing path. Practice taking swings without hitting the club on the ground.

What about deceleration you ask? Can’t that also be a cause of thins and fats? Deceleration is more likely linked to fear. Fear that you’ll hit your next short game shot fat or thin, fear that you’re going to hit it too far, or fear that you won’t hit it far enough. When you learn to make solid contact and develop your touch, the fear will dissipate, leaving you with nothing but confidence around the greens.

Talk to your GolfTEC Coach about working on these short game fixes in your next lesson.

Brian Skena, PGA
Certified Personal Coach with GolfTEC, N. Scottsdale