{"id":1084,"date":"2018-12-07T20:17:08","date_gmt":"2018-12-07T20:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vpms1.humber.smartmanagedservers.com\/sweatmag\/?p=1084"},"modified":"2019-05-22T15:48:47","modified_gmt":"2019-05-22T15:48:47","slug":"going-for-the-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/sweatmag\/going-for-the-green\/","title":{"rendered":"Going for the green"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Professional Golf Management student, Alex Hughes at Humber practices at the Golf Lab. The screen shows the ball speed and how far it went. (Kateryna Horina)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kateryna Horina<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Playing the game of golf competitively takes practice, coordination, focus and \u2014 most importantly \u2014 money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Professional Golf Association of Canada (PGA), golf remains the most popular sport in the country with the play rate being one of the highest per capita in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A virtual shopping trip to an online golf shop shows items can add up. It can cost $3,000 to buy basic equipment, which can include $270 for Footjoys, more than $2,500 for a set of Titleist clubs, $64 for a package of balls, $30 for TaylorMade Gloves and $95 for the Nike golf polo shirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely not cheap,\u201d says Tyler Martin, the coach of Durham College\u2019s varsity golf team. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you want to play on a higher level, you need some of the better equipment. It\u2019s quite pricey,\u201d he says. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin played professional golf for five years, and before that he played for Durham College varsity team when he was attending school. He says, however, what makes golf stand out among other sports isn\u2019t the price. It\u2019s the kind of sport where you have to analyze every little thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a reactionary sport like hockey, or football, or baseball. You have more time to think about what you\u2019re doing, so it takes different skills to do it, \u201c Martin says. \u201cTo me it\u2019s awesome and it\u2019s like no other sport, as far as I\u2019m concerned.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucas Pichl, a golfer on the Durham varsity team trained by Martin, agrees. However, he says as a college team player he doesn\u2019t have to spend quite as much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe school is great in covering a lot of fees regarding the actual fees of playing, and even a range of balls and gear,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only thing not included in the price is golf clubs, which Pichl says doesn\u2019t bother him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTechnically, really, I don\u2019t spend that much. Playing with the golf team, I only spend maybe a bit on a new club here and there but that\u2019s not much to me. But a membership in my home course is around a grand a year [which] I pay out of my own pocket. That\u2019s quite a bit for a student.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says that a great way to spend less is to have a course membership. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI play a couple courses and have memberships, so I just pay a flat fee for the year and play as much as I can so it saves me money in the end.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pichl started playing golf since he was three and he\u2019s continuously played since. He\u2019s also been playing on Durham\u2019s team for the past three years. He says that he likes how golf is changing with the newest technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of new clubs are coming out on average every six months and technology greatly improves that,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019re electronic devices, carts, clubs obviously, even clothing.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coach Martin says today\u2019s technologies in golf have changed a lot, especially in the last 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s changing so much that it\u2019s changing golf as a whole, unfortunately,\u201d he says. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He adds that what has especially changed is the ability of players to find the clubs that are perfect for them. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt allows players so much more control,\u201d Martin says.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Global Golf Canada, the rules of golf limit the player to carry no more than 14 clubs in the golf bag, but for a good start, the baseline set only needs to include six main kinds of clubs. There are drivers, woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters. Starting with this set, an athlete can then start selecting equipment based on their level of play and personal preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many players, the investment is well worth it to help improve the game they love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also opportunities to invest in new, game-changing technologies. Some of these advancements have provided players with the edge they need to help develop their game play, strengthen on weaknesses and choose the right equipment. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what Humber\u2019s Golf Lab was created for. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Golf Lab is a new on-campus golf facility that is one-of-a-kind in Canada. According to their website, it is equipped with the best performance development technology available including a launch monitor, 3D swing analysis, video swing analysis and a putting system. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Golf Lab website also states more than $100,000 has been invested in this lab and the player development program, which prepares students to pass the PGA of Canada\u2019s Playing Ability Test (PAT). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to register as a candidate for membership, players who pass the PAT test  <\/span>will be able to join the PGA of Canada and can then work to become a PGA of Canada Class \u201cA\u201d member. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Vento, Professor and Program Coordinator of the Professional Golf Management program at Humber, works at the Humber\u2019s new Golf Lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt gives us the ability to teach, club fit, maybe some guys just want to play golf, so it gives us the ability to do a bunch of different things,\u201d Vento says. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Golf Lab has three rooms. Each featuring different technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, there\u2019s a simulation room where Vento says students can play and practice, give lessons, fit clubs, teach and coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what Humber Golf Lab looks like at this time:<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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