SANTA ANA, CA – April 7, 2009 – GolfGym and Coach Joey D offer congratulations to Ryuji Imada on his co-leader position on the Kodak Challenge Leaderboard. Imada managed to birdie the par 4 18th Kodak Challenge Hole at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando to join six others as co-leaders at 5-under par. Imada, who has played a total of 7 Kodak Challenge Holes, uses GolfGym products as part of his golf fitness program under the direction of Coach Joey D, one of the elite biomechanics, strength and conditioning coaches on the PGA Tour.
The Kodak Challenge is a first-of-its-kind competition for PGA TOUR players and fans and celebrates beautiful holes and memorable moments on the PGA TOUR. All players can compete, and all they have to do is play. Players must play at least 18 of the 24 Kodak Challenge holes to be eligible to win. A player’s lowest score relative to par on his best 18 Kodak Challenge holes will be counted. The player with the lowest cumulative score relative to par wins $1 million and the Kodak Challenge trophy.
“Ryuji has been playing well this season so I’m not surprised to see him at the top of the Kodak Challenge Leaderboard,” said Joey. “Two of my other players, Pat Perez and Jason Gore are tied at 3-under par for the challenge. There are 17 more holes to play so it wouldn’t surprise me if they moved up the leaderboard throughout the season. It’s just a matter of strong mental and physical focus and these guys all have what it takes to be at the top of their games.”
“We just started keeping track of the Kodak Challenge and are happy to see Ryuji in a co-leader position,” said Ken Pierce, President of GolfGym. “Pat and Jason aren’t too far behind, which makes it a fun event for us to follow. We wish all of Joey’s players success on this challenge.”
The most recent Kodak Challenge Hole was #18 at Bay Hill. Designed by Arnold Palmer, this finishing hole looks deceivingly simple on paper. At 441 yards, this par 4 is straight away to a wide fairway, but that’s where the simplicity ends. The large, kidney-shaped green is fronted by rocks and water, requiring a longer carry to the right half. The bunkers left of the green await errant shots of the hydrophobic. In 2008, there were zero eagles, 44 birdies, 253 pars, 50 bogeys and 19 double bogeys. The full schedule of Kodak Challenge holes is available at kodakchallenge.com.
The next Kodak Challenge Hole is the 18th hole par 4 at Harbour Town Golf Links at the Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Coach Joey D has partnered with GolfGym to bring PGA TOUR conditioning to golfers worldwide. The partnership combines the efforts and expertise of a golf fitness pioneer with one of the most elite coaches on the PGA TOUR. This union brings together the tools and the techniques that are currently being employed by the top players on the PGA TOUR and makes them available directly to golfers of all ability levels.
A new line of Joey D Signature Series of Products has been added to the existing GolfGym product line. New packaging and new Coach Joey D Instructional DVDs add to the appeal and effectiveness of the existing product line. As is standard with GolfGym, all products are easy to use, portable and affordable. Every product includes a Joey D Instructional DVD.
As a coach on the PGA Tour for over 10 years, Joey D is best known for coaching Vijay Singh during a seven year period that was highlighted when Vijay became #1 in the world. Joey D’s coaching methods with Vijay were featured on an ABC Special, Practice Like a PGA Tour Player, which showcased Vijay’s dedication and work ethic to improve his golf fitness and performance, and a CBS Special, The Science of Golf, which focused on the biomechanics of the golf swing. In addition to Pat Perez, Jason Gore and Ryuji Imada, Joey D’s current roster of players includes PGA TOUR players Charlie Wi, Tom Pernice, Jr., and Jason Dufner.
About GolfGym®
GolfGym LLC, a Santa Ana, CA based company, is the industry leader in golf fitness. The company’s flagship product, the GolfGym® PowerSwing Trainer, was introduced in 1987 and has been used by golfers, trainers, coaches and therapists around the world to improve their golf games and golf fitness levels. This year GolfGym introduces the Joey D Signature Series of products and DVDs including the new GolfGym® PowerBandz. In addition to the PowerSwing Trainer, the company’s product line includes the GolfGym® Club 38 and Club 28 Weighted Trainers, the GolfGym® Balance Ball, the GolfGym® PowerBall, the GolfGym® PowerStance Loop, and the PowerGrip Squeasy®. GolfGym offers an affiliate program to interested website owners. For more information about this program, visit http://www.golfgym.com/affiliates. For more information about the company and its products and Coach Joey D, visit www.golfgym.com or call 1-877-4-GOLFGYM (446-5349).
Follow GolfGym’s blog at http://www.golfgymblog.blogspot.com/ and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/golfgym.
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJSz5a60hcA to view a product demo video featuring Joey D.
For media inquiries about GolfGym or Joey D, please contact Tracy Nackel at 760-420-1602 / tnackel@cox.net or Vanessa Price at 714-544-6515 / readthegreens@aol.com.
Contact:
Tracy Nackel, TEN Marketing & Public Relations, tnackel@cox.net, 760-420-1602
Vanessa Price, TEN Marketing & Public Relations, readthegreens@aol.com, 714-544-6515