Imagine that. Golfers are real athletes.
There I was on the range at the magnificent Tom Fazio designed Coppinwood Golf Club northeast of Toronto and I was confronted with something I didn't expect.
First the background: I spend much of my time around a soccer pitch and have come to learn over the years that Toronto FC under strength and conditioning coach Paul Winsper use every modern technological tool available to them to monitor and improve the fitness of their players.
They even have a computer program where players wear heart monitors during a training session to determine all aspects of a players’ performance and physical condition.
Now back to Coppinwood.
Imagine my surprise to learn the Royal Canadian Golf Association uses the exact same system to track a golfer's fitness over the course of a round. Yes, golfers will burn several hundred calories over 18 holes and lose 10 or 15 pounds over a busy season. That means a loss of power that just won't do. Forget the old days. Golfers must be fit or they simply won't cut it.
That's the view of Canadian national team coach Henry Brunton.
The RCGA also employs a system called Trackman. It uses doppler radar to measure the full trajectory of a golf shot from start to finish including club speed, spin rate, attack angle, the list goes on.
It’s amazing.
All the top golf countries in the world employ these programs. And yet Brunton says that Canada is now becoming an innovator in these areas and other countries are asking us for advice.
The reason for all this at Coppinwood was to introduce the Canadian national amateur team. Here's the best part: If you've been paying attention, you know that Forest Ontario's Matt Hill recently won the NCAA title and is the world’s top ranked amateur golfer. Forest is just down the road from Bright's Grove by the way. Yes, the same Bright's Grove that produced Mike Weir.
Meanwhile, Abbotsford B.C.'s Nick Taylor has just come off a record-breaking performance at the U.S. Open and is the No. 2 ranked amateur. All Taylor did was shoot a second round 65 for the lowest round ever by an amateur at the U.S. Open. He was also the low amateur at the end of the tournament. Taylor matched that 65 at Coppinwood on Tuesday.
Yes, Canadians own the top two positions in the amateur golf world. We should be trumpeting that one loudly.
Taylor told me it felt odd playing 32 holes Friday trying to play catch up after the rain, and only four holes Saturday when the skies opened again. His unusual early morning and late evening hours on the course at Bethpage Black meant the galleries were tiny. Taylor said he likes playing in front of crowds.
He'll get the opportunity next month as both he and Hill have been awarded invitations to play in the RBC Canadian Open.
They certainly deserve it.
