Lakewood Ranch youth golf camp relies on newest technology

Preston Severs, 13, teed off from inside a two-car garage on the backside of Country Club East’s Royal Lakes golf course, three video cameras pointing at him from different angles.

It was part of Severs' lesson at the Golf Academy Elite Summer Golf Camp held at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club. The camp is run by Jon Bullas and Nathan Bertsch.

While the video cameras might seem like overkill for kids' lessons, it is all part of today's golfing instruction world, where the instructors either purchase the newest in technology, or fall behind.

Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club decided to upgrade its camp last year, purchasing a TrackMan 4 launch monitor and radar.

The TrackMan 4 differs from its predecessors because it has added a second form of radar. It collects data on every aspect of a golfer’s swing, including club speed, launch angle, spin rate and ball speed, plus more advanced stats like “attack angle” (the direction the club head is moving at impact) and “dynamic loft” (the amount of loft on the clubface at impact). It then emails the results to users so they can study their swings at home.

TrackMan 4 uses two doppler radar systems built into the device and a built-in HD camera to track 27 data points on the club and ball, the results of which are then displayed on a TV or monitor. The two radars track the club and ball separately to get the most accurate results possible. 

Bertsch said TrackMan 4, along with the video cameras, cost $40,000. 

“It gives the students information,” Bertsch said. “They need to understand what we’re telling them, and then how the numbers match up to what we’re telling them. Without it, they may not believe you. ‘You’re swinging over the top on this’ or ‘You’re too far on the inside.’ When you put it on a piece of equipment and it's the same thing you’re telling them on the range, it’s like, ‘Oh, I guess I am doing it.’

“It helps to not only clarify, but give the student confidence when they can see changes happening.”

The instructors, in turn, need to be adept at interpreting the data. If a golfer hit a shot with a draw, for instance, Bertsch was able to tell how much of the draw was a result of the golfer’s swing and how much was due to the wind at Royal Lakes.

Bertsch said the technology is best suited for elite-level youth golfers as opposed to beginners, since consistency is key. Sometimes the technology is used to track how far golfers hit the ball with different clubs, so they can strategize for their next 18-hole outing. There’s no point in tracking that if the golfer isn’t consistent. Age, however, isn’t a factor in the tech’s effectiveness, Bertsch said. If you’re a good golfer and able to understand what the information means, it’s useful.

Severs is a testament to that. He’s been playing golf for nine years, he said, and he loves using the TrackMan.

“You go back onto the range and know what you’re doing wrong,” Severs said. “It’s easier to fix it.”

Fellow camper Cameron Curran, 13, had a more specific example. At the beginning of his session, Curran said, his clubface angle at impact was -10 degrees (which Curran said was “really bad). Curran took that information, adjusted, and by the end of the day, he got the angle up to 1.7 degrees (“really good”).

“That means I’m squaring the ball up a lot now,” Curran said.

Though not put to use during Curran and Severs’ session, the camp also has a Science and Motion PuttLab on site, which takes the same data-driven approach as the TrackMan and applies it to putting. It’s not only informative, it’s fun, the golfers said. Severs said the camp, which he was attending for the second time, is his favorite in the area.