The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Tailor made equipment and professional coaching at Killarney Golf Club
A WELL-STOCKED Pro shop, golf lessons, and custom fitting are a major part of the service at Killarney Golf Club where PGA Fellow professional David Keating is on hand to ensure players receive the very best in terms of equipment and coaching. This is David’s tenth season at Killarney Golf Club and he maintains that the enthusiasm for the game is greater than ever in the county.
Among the range of specialist coaching services available is the ‘Trackman system’ which is a leading launch monitor used by top professional players all over the world to help improve overall performance. It does so by producing over 20,000 frames per second, which gives you an idea of just how efficient it is.
David maintains once you get these parameters of the game right it usually means only subtle changes to technique are required. He also stated that what once took five half-hour lessons to try and remedy, can now be done in just a half-hour session.
“We’ve had this for the last 5 years now and it reads everything from the ball and swing to head movement. It’s an incredible piece of equipment that has transformed golf coaching as we know it,” said David.
“It’s an evolutionary aspect of golf coaching and people are finding out more about it due to its presence on the driving ranges at PGA tours. Every player now has one of these machines behind them as the benefits are massive. The results don’t lie,” he added.
Moreover, a new addition to the coaching at Killarney Golf Club is the ‘Capto’ putting system which is proving hugely popular among students of the game. This evaluates the interaction between the ball and the player when putting. David said if a putter face is one degree open or closed on impact, you cannot hole a putt from ten feet and over.
“We can now measure this kind of data using Capto and we’re gaining massive traction from it. This level of technology has altered our knowledge to a huge degree. You will always have opinions about coaching, but it is very much facts based when using this sort of technology,” David said.
Custom fitting is another important service at Killarney Golf Club, who are one of only three Mizuno High Performance Centres in Ireland. TaylorMade woods and irons come highly recommended and David, along with fellow PGA pro Diarmaid Fraser, offer clients an exclusive service in this regard. For more information about the shop and coaching lessons, contact the Pro Shop on 064 6636603 or email killarneyprofessionalshop @gmail.com.