MAUMEE, OHIO-AboutGolf, the world leader in indoor golf simulator technology, is introducing a plethora of groundbreaking technology at the 2008 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, including the launches of the SimSurround simulator model and the 3Trak(tm) 3D launch engine. Both products have patents pending.
AboutGolf-the fastest-growing private company in the golf industry, according to Inc. Magazine’s 2007 list of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the United States-kicks off its 21st year in business with a showstopping technology display at the Orange County Convention Center that shows the company isn’t resting on its laurels.
“We will certainly make our presence known in Orlando,” says AboutGolf’s CEO Billl Bales. “Our SimSurround might provide the biggest visual and experiential splash during the show itself. SimSurround is our first ‘show car.’ It will definitely be something folks will talk about, and is definitely worthy of a ‘best-of-show’ consideration. But 3Trak is the biggest technological breakthrough I’ve ever been part of.”
Meanwhile, the 3Trak-AboutGolf’s revolutionary vision-based ball and club tracking system and the newest launch engine to power its leading simulator line-is the first and only system to directly measure spin AND spin axis. The 3Trak vision system provides the world’s most advanced and accurate ball and club-tracking data. 3Trak will formally start to ship April 1.
3Trak applies very advanced three-dimensional machine vision technology. Machine vision, also known as high-speed photography, is scientifically the highest standard in ball and club tracking. The basic 3D vision system applies three ultra-powerful “smart” cameras designed by AboutGolf. Each camera contains three cutting-edge processor cores as well as an amazing proprietary technique, “frame apportionment,” to process up to nearly 2,000 frames per second virtually instantaneously.
“I have had the opportunity over the past few years to work with virtually every launch monitor on the market,” says Tony Nelson, president of Fairborn, Ohio-based Advanced Golf Solutions, LLC. Nelson was engaged by a major golf company to analyze launch monitors. “We have found some major deficiencies with each and every system. The problem is their ability to measure and calculate the backspin and side rotation of the golf ball. The new 3Trak System with its three-dimension photography has solved this problem. This system can precisely measure the true back spin, side spin and rifle spin of the ball. “The end result is amazing,” Nelson adds.
SimSurround provides a visual experience that must be seen to be believed. With patent-pending three-screen technology, the user is surrounded by the graphical display. Standing on the tee, the view of the course envelops the player, providing almost total immersion. AboutGolf’s courses are all being upgraded to enhance the graphical experience, with three times the viewing area of the standard SE system. The feeling of open space much more realistically replicates the outdoor experience, however the Sim Surround can be configured to as little as eighteen feet in width.
Train Strong, an Atlanta based fitness company, has contracted with AboutGolf to exclusively install SimSurround Simulators in its chain if indoor golf facilities. “We’re excited to partner with AboutGolf to help launch Train Strong’s Golf program in 2008,” says Tim Miller, CEO of Train Strong (trainstrong.com), which was founded in 2005 to help people experience the pleasure of being fit. Miller has made a huge commitment to SimSurround because the newest of Train Strong’s fitness programs, Train Strong Golf, utilizes advanced Personal Training techniques and indoor golf simulators to help golfers improve their games. Train Strong’s first Indoor Facility opens in Atlanta this month.
Also included among AboutGolf’s new 2008 products are four additional innovative introductions that epitomize the company’s 20 years of continual advances.
3Trak Launch: “Launch” will be 3Trak’s entry into the launch monitor market. It will formally hit the market on May 1, but it will be demonstrated at the PGA Show via AboutGolf’s simulators. The first release, referred to as “Launch A,” will be for fixed indoor use. The second release, of “Launch B”, will be for portable indoor/outdoor use. The list price for each will be $9,995, but it will be introduced in 2008 at a special “launch of Launch” price of $5,995. “I believe this will revolutionize launch monitor usage and totally shake up the market,” Bales says.
AboutGolf TurboSim: “Turbo,” which will begin shipping on May 1, will be privately demonstrated in AboutGolf’s meeting room at the Orange County Convention Center. Turbo’s configuration enables complete simulator functionality in just about any size space. If you can swing a club, you can configure Turbo, which will be powered by 3Trak. Turbo’s demo version is 10 feet wide by 16 feet long, versus the company’s normal system at 15 feet wide by 22 feet long. It will accommodate both left- and right-handed players, and has a unique design that makes it quite comfortable and robust-even at only 10 feet wide. “We feel this will double our potential residential market,” Bales says, “and be powerful for commercial applications where space is an issue-especially overseas.”
AG Balance CG Analysis System: This is the company’s new force plate. It will be totally functional as an add-on to its simulators at the show, and it will be marketed starting this summer as a standalone system with all new software.
The 2008 AboutGolf SE Simulator: The SE is the company’s 2008 standard model. AboutGolf releases a new version every year, like automobiles. The new SE shows many noteworthy refinements over the 2007 model. “The 2008 model is by far our best SE ever,” Bales says.
AboutGolf Simulators will occupy booth 4035 on the convention floor while AboutGolf Labs, occupying booth 983, will focus on the game improvement aspects of the simulators as well as present aG Balance and 3Trak Launch.
“AboutGolf is obsessed with advancing simulator technology,” Bales says, “and, as we celebrate twenty years in business in March we are advancing the science of simulation to an even higher level.”
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.
Contact:
Mary Beth Lacy at: 760-346-6942, email: mb@mblacy.com
