MAUMEE, OHIO—AboutGolf, a 19-year-old golf company that has become the world leader in indoor golf simulator technology, is playing a "major" role this summer in Royal Bank of Scotland’s RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge.
RBS purchased AboutGolf simulators and a special version of AboutGolf’s simulator software to give golf fans in key financial centers in the United States and United Kingdom a chance to celebrate this year’s major championships with the RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge. The multi-stop challenge was designed to identify the golfers who can most closely replicate three of the greatest shots hit by Jack Nicklaus—RBS’ most visible spokesman and the all-time leader in professional major-championship victories (18)—in the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship.
"Professional golf revolves around the major championships, and it’s a real feather in our cap that our golf simulators and special software are playing such a big part in the very popular RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge," says Bill Bales, AboutGolf’s CEO.
The final live RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge competition using AboutGolf’s state-of-the art golf simulator is taking place August 6-10 in Philadelphia. So far, the live U.S. Open RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge took place at Pittsburgh’s Four Gateway Plaza on June 11-15 and the British Open competition was held at London’s Broadgate Arena on July 16-20. Nicklaus appeared in person at the London event on July 19.
Golfers at the Pittsburgh event tried to duplicate Nicklaus’ shot at the par-3 17th hole in the 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, while the London competitors tried to better the Golden Bear’s drive on the 18th hole at St. Andrews in the 1970 British Open. Golfers participating at the Philadelphia event will try to top Nicklaus’ shot at the "Monster" par-5 16th hole at Firestone in the 1975 PGA Championship.
The RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge has given average golfers the unique opportunity to try and better some of Nicklaus’ greatest shots in major competition on AboutGolf’s simulators, which create graphically-unparalleled golfing experiences at more than 30 world-famous venues, including Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Caso de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog. The special software version AboutGolf created for the RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge also includes St. Andrews’ Old Course and Firestone Country Club.
Golfers participating at each of the RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge events receive three attempts on the AboutGolf simulator to replicate Nicklaus’ shot for that particular major. Each location’s winner earns the ultimate prize of a round of golf at The Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Fla.—Nicklaus’ home club and one he founded—plus a custom-fit set of Nicklaus Golf Equipment Company clubs.
Golfers unable to participate in the RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge at the live U.S. and British Open venues participated in an online version of the game, and the same will hold true during the PGA Championship, for the chance to win signed Nicklaus memorabilia and equipment.
Those over 18 years of age who can actually participate at the Philadelphia RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge—like those who competed in Pittsburgh and London—will be able to warm up by hitting balls into RBS inflatable golf nets and receive a free 10-minute lesson from a PGA professional. They will then see the Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge golf simulator recreate Nicklaus’ 16th-hole shot at Firestone in the 1975 PGA Championship, then hear a personal challenge message from the Golden Bear. Participants will be given three attempts—the average time takes about five minutes per participant—using Nicklaus Golf Equipment clubs to hit an actual golf ball down the virtual hole and land their ball closest to Nicklaus’ actual shot (marked by a Golden Bear logo) displayed on the AboutGolf simulator. The contestant most closely replicating Nicklaus’ shot wins the round of golf at The Bear’s Club and the custom-fit Nicklaus Golf Equipment clubs
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Each of the golf holes used in the RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge was photographed from numerous different angles. AboutGolf’s software developed the simulation process by focusing on re-creating every fine detail so the end result is a near-exact replica of the hole—including incredibly accurate architectural detail of buildings, such as the Rusacks Hotel, that run alongside the Old Course’s 18th fairway.
"The RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge has really stimulated a lot of interest with golf fans around the world for the first two competitions," Bales says, "and it has really exposed AboutGolf and our technology to many more avid golfers who now know what our simulators can do. That added visibility can only help us going forward."
AboutGolf released its groundbreaking indoor golf simulator in 2003, and today the company is the leading software producer for indoor golf launch monitors and swing simulators, both nationally and internationally.
Besides creating the graphically-unparalleled golf experiences at world-famous venues such as the ones featured in the RBS Jack Nicklaus Majors Challenge, the AboutGolf simulators also offer other features that help lower the handicaps of golfers and improve the bottom lines of off-course retailers and green-grass professionals.
In fact, more than 50 percent of AboutGolf’s sales are to major retail stores who use the company’s simulators for club fitting or teaching, and AboutGolf owns a majority of the current North American golf retail-store simulator market. The company’s next-generation simulator is also the ultimate game-improvement device, enabling golf instructors to perform more paid fittings and lessons per month because of multiple simulators in each location, plus the ability to perform them indoors when the weather outside is inclement.
The simulator is the ultimate location to conduct lessons—it’s very private, there’s maximum data feedback, the ability to locate cameras, see monitor displays (no sun glare), no wind, ideal temperature, humidity and no rain. And the indoor simulator allows golf professionals to earn lesson income at night, on rainy days and throughout winter.
Members or customers can use the simulators as the ultimate game-improvement tool through the ability to react to accurate shot-by-shot data. AboutGolf’s DataTrac system enables players to save the data from every shot to a personal web page for later review and comparison with past sessions. And state-of-the-art video features enable users to control up to four cameras and view up to three swing angles at once, after every shot.
The Royal Bank of Scotland, founded in 1727, is headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group consists of a number of brands worldwide, including Corporate Markets, Citizens Financial Group, RBS Insurance, Retail Banking, Retail-Direct Channels, Ulster Bank Group and Wealth Management.
AboutGolf is a 19-year-old Maumee, Ohio based company that has been dedicated to golf for its entire history. AboutGolf has produced Microsoft Golf, Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf and World Tours, which is the world’s most-widely-distributed golf simulation, and now is the world leader in indoor golf simulator technology. AboutGolf® is a registered trademark of AboutGolf Limited, Maumee, Ohio.
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Mary Beth Lacy at: 760-346-6942, email: mb@mblacy.com
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