Stars put new Cottrell Park simulators to the test
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Family run Cottrell Park Golf Resort, in the Vale of Glamorgan, launched their latest major investment this week with stars of sport and golf present to try their skills on two recently installed GPS Surround Proshot Sports Golf Simulators.
The launch invited sporting legends like rugby’s Ieuan Evans, Welsh 400m hurdler and new head coach for Welsh Athletics Matt Elias and former boxer Nicky Piper to test their golfing skills against the simulators’ advanced based professional golfers.
Installed at a cost of £120,000, the simulators were completed in June this year making them the first complete installation of these advanced training machines in the UK.
The club removed 10 bays of their previous 21 bay driving range to make room for the state-of-the-art centre making it something that General Manager Derek Smith is hugely proud of.
At the launch Smith said, “These simulators are much more than an all weather course. It is part of our forward thinking business model where we are always looking to offer much more than just traditional rounds of golf.
“The simulators are going to benefit our members and visitors to the club immensely, as the state of the art training facilities will give professional coaching lessons more information and analysis than ever before.”
Before showing off the technology he added:”Cottrell Park can now truly offer 365 days of golf… no matter what the weather or time of year.”
The simulators offer over 100 courses from around the world, including the 2010 Ryder Cup Celtic Manor course and the club’s own two courses, the Mackintosh and Button Gwinnett, have been especially GPS mapped and available on the system library.
The training facility on these machines is a powerful tool for both professional and amateur golfers. The three screens and the high speed CCTV cameras allow video imagery to be stored, reviewed and replayed of the pupil, the golf course and ball path in front of the player and technical data of the shot played on the right hand screen.
The indoor golf academy at Cottrell Park is available for use free of charge for club members and included in professional coaching sessions. It is also open for visitors to the club to hire and corporate events.
