LINCOLN PARK — An all-encompassing golf training center has opened its flagship location in Lincoln Park.
Golfers will not only be able to fine-tune their swings, chips and putts at Catalyst Golf Performance's new center, but they'll even be able to join a virtual golf league.
The 7,500-square-foot Catalyst Golf Performance Lincoln Park Performance Center, 1650 N. Throop St., is a high-tech training ground. It includes 3-D biomechanics swing analysis, radar ball tracking that is accurate to one foot per 100 yards on a virtual screen, and a full gym and physical therapy on site.
The goal is "to create the end-all, be-all place for golfers to get better at golf," said Michael Napoleon, director of golf instruction and managing partner of Catalyst Golf Performance.
The company currently has a golf training center in the Buckingham Athletic Club Downtown, one at the Chicago Highlands Club in Westchester and another at the Royal Melbourne Country Club in Long Grove.
Training regimens at the new Lincoln Park space include nutrition guidance, strength and agility training, personal swing coaching and club fitting.
The 2-1/2-year-old company is trying to fill the void between traditional golf instruction and the current technology that can even map putt speed and rotation with radar precision.
"Before we even talk to somebody, we know why something is happening and we can fix it the right way," Napoleon said.
The top-level coaching program that includes fitness training comes at a price of $3,900 per three months.
For those looking to get a few swings in in the winter, the top-of-the-line virtual golf simulators can be rented for $100 per hour.
The company is in the midst of setting up a country club-style virtual winter golf league and will eventually create a tournament between the two locations.
The DePaul University men's golf team has already come by for a 3-D analysis of its players swings, Napoleon said.
"There aren't a lot of places in the country or the world, for that matter, who have facilities of this caliber," Napoleon said.
