CGA Ready to Cut the
GRAND OPENING RIBBON
Years ago, when you thought of Myrtle Beach, you thought of the world's top golf destination. That hasn't changed, but the proliferation of top-quality golf schools now has Myrtle Beach firmly entrenched as one of the best places in America to learn the game or to improve your game.
Want to play 36 holes, maybe even 54 in one day? No problem. Want to play creations of the world's top golf course architects? You can do that, too. Nicklaus, Palmer, Rees Jones, Tom Fazio, Greg Norman - they've all left their mark here. How about sampling some of the top public-access courses in America?Well, 10% of them are right in Myrtle Beach.
"For us," says Bill Golden, President and Director of Marketing of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, "the arrival of the Champions Golf Academy gives us another tool in the tool box. Most golfers know Myrtle Beach as a great golf destination with world-class dining, shopping, and any activity you could think of for a family vacation. Now, we've got the instruction element to add to the equation."
MBGH has been driving golfers to the area nearly as long as golf has been
played here. Its reach is vast, with three million avid golfers in their
data base and 650,000 email addresses at their disposal. Golden sees a
bright future for CGA - and golfers who sign up to receive instruction here.
CHAMPIONS GOLF ACADEMY HAS COME OUT FIRING AT THE FLAGSTICKS—
and the official Grand Opening is April 21st. As the facility enters the final phases of
construction and prepares for its long-anticipated ribbon cutting, there is a tangible
feeling of excitement in the air.
For starters, CGA has joined forces with Nickent Golf, the fastest-rising equipment company in America. Nickent, based in Walnut, Calif., will utilize CGA as its East Coast club-testing and club-fitting facility, which will likely bring some top-level PGA Tour players through its gates.
"Many of our tour players are based in the southeast, so this is a wonderful opportunity for us to work more closely with them," says Nicket's Director of Marketing Jason Maloney.
Nickent has been in business for 13 years now and in the past four or five has burst on the scene with a full product line to compete with all the staple names of the industry. Jeff Quinney, one of the top young Americans in the game, is proudly in the Nickent fold, and an astonishing 27 players on the Nationwide Tour use Nickent equipment, and have made the company's 4DX the No. 1 driver on that tour.
"We're just hitting our stride as a company," says Maloney, "and we're excited about our new relationship with the Champions Golf Academy, another real upstart in the industry."
CGA student Kris Blanks is also a member of the Nickent Tour staff.
WHERE FITNESS FITS IN
For as much as golfers dote over their equipment, you'd think they would pay more mind
to what really drives the golf swing: their bodies. So that our students are able to achieve
and maintain top performance, CGA has aligned with Tour Golf Fitness, the far-away
industry leader in golf-specific fitness programs.
"Ten years ago golf fitness was an oxymoron," says TGF President David Dise. "Now, it's one of the most talked about topics in the golf industry. Tiger has made it mainstream, and he's living proof of what some of us have known all along - getting bigger and stronger doesn't inhibit athleticism."
Jack Nicklaus has the stretching machine, and Tiger Woods owns one of the treadmills. Former NFL great Brett Favre, tennis legend Ivan Lendl, and 95% of NFL teams also own some of the handpicked machinery that comprises the Tour Golf Fitness program.
The company's philosophy is simple: if you improve your strength, flexibility and fitness levels, you will improve your physical efficiency. It's like carrying six extra clubs, says Dise.
"If you improve your flexibility and strength," he says. "You'll do whatever you do better. If you cut lawns, if you swing a golf club - you'll be better at it. This concept isn't new, but it is new to golf."
Founded as Butch Harmon Golf Fitness, the 10-year-old company has done extensive Research and Development with certified fitness and PGA instructors, experts in sports medicine and PGA Tour players. Key cogs in the machine have been legend Tom Kite, noted golf psychologist Bob Rotella, Dr. Gary Wiren, chief instructor for the PGA of America, and, of course, Harmon, who got Tiger started in the weight room a decade ago.
TGF partners with manufacturers Strive, Woodway, ProFlex and SCIFIT.
For an up-and-coming player, improving strength and flexibility levels is an obvious way to add yardage. For your typical country club member, it could mean the difference between maintaining your driving distance rather than seeing it decrease, like most of the aging golf population, and avoiding injury.
"Flexibility is the most important physical element for a golfer," says Dise, who estimates that at least 75% of tour players have a fitness regimen. "We've seen our average user increase their flexibility 50% in the first 30 days. That alone can add 10 miles per hour to a swing speed."
CGA not only has the equipment, it will be certified in TGF methodology. "Not only do we house the most state-of-the-art golf-specific machinery around, we've been specially trained to help you use it," says Royer. "How many golf academies can say that?"
Phone: (843) 399-1551 | Email: info@championsgolfacademylbc.com