StFX Research And Business Poised For Hole In One
November 21st, 2013
St. Francis Xavier University researcher and golf-tech start-up have developed a system that will enable any golfer to get their game on.
With new research and a partnership with a high-tech golf technology company, golfers will soon master the art of a powerful golf swing – just like the pros.
Dr. Sasho MacKenzie, StFX Human Kinetics professor and golf researcher has joined forces with new start-up company, NRG Sorts Metrics located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, to research and develop new cutting edge golf swing improvement technologies for golfers.
“Understanding, and subsequently improving, how a golfer interacts with the ground is very important for golf instruction. However, it was not until the Boditrak Shift System was introduced that an economical and practical solution to measuring a golfer’s interaction with the ground became available. Other products are higher priced and are not portable,” says Terry Hashimoto, serial golf entrepreneur, professional golfer and co-developer of NRG Sport Metrics representing the BodiTrak Shift System. “Dr. MacKenzie will develop software that will optimize the Boditrak Shift System’s utility for golf swing instruction by displaying the most important variables in a manner that is easily understood by the instructor and golfer,” he adds.
Smart kinetic – motion analysis software supported by huge amounts of benchmark golf swing data will be integrated into the innovative pressure mat device of NRG Sorts Metrics called the BodiTrak Shift System. This level of swing analysis has in the past been really only available through expensive instruction by select elite golf pros at high-end golf academies or university research facilities.
The BodiTrak Shift System is a highly sensitive and accurate pressure mat system that a golfer stands on while executing a golf shot. The pressure mat gathers huge amounts of data on the swing such as the golfer’s shifting weight distribution. The kinetic analysis, designed by Dr. MacKenzie and his StFX research team, will gather and display this data for the golfer, and together with ball flight trajectory, the golfer will be able to see how his stance, swing and ball strike all combine to make the perfect shot.
“We are creating the gold standard in golf swing improvement science,” says Mr. Hashimoto. “Our collaboration with Dr. MacKenzie and St. Francis Xavier University is a great example of how academic research can be used to make a healthy, outdoor sport like golf, easier to master and enjoy. Soon we hope to have the BodiTrak Shift System available to all levels of golfers,” he adds. “This partnership is great for my human kinetics students as well, who are putting their education towards solid commercial applications while learning about biomechanical principles,” adds Dr. MacKenzie.
“We are thrilled to be able to deliver a global product developed in our home city of Antigonish and it is a testament to the credibility of StFX in achieving Global Standards of Excellence in their curriculum,” says John MacIsaac, co-founder of NRG Sports.
“This type of research collaboration of a primarily undergraduate university with a small start-up company has the potential to put us all well on the map as the place to do applied research,” says Andrew Kendall, StFX Manager of Industry Liaison and Knowledge Transfers. “We also see the potential for Antigonish to capitalize on this company and research to make this area into a centre of golf and sport innovation, able to complement the burgeoning higher-end golf experiences at the many fine courses in Nova Scotia.”
For more information on this research and on the BodiTrak Shift System, contact Andrew Kendall akendall@stfx.ca or John MacIsaac at johnmacisaac@eastlink.ca or Terry Hashimoto at hashimototerry@gmail.com.