Basketball superstar Steph Curry is hard at work, honing his game in his garage. But instead of tossing jump shots or finessing his footwork, Curry has been busy perfecting his short iron shots on his Full Swing Golf simulator.
As the NBA season winds down, Curry will soon be hitting the links in mid-season form.
“Technology’s now ingrained in proving performance and finding cutting-edge ways to take that next step, educating me on how my body works and how I can become more efficient,” says Curry, a three-time NBA champion. “It’s changed how golf’s played, what we’re capable of doing with a golf ball, and even with training.
It helps me keep my swing during basketball season, because I don’t get to play golf much throughout the year. So when summer rolls around, it’s not the first time I’m touching the club. Full Swing brings an outdoor sport inside. The experience is amazing.”
A self-proclaimed golf nerd, Curry pays keen attention to his swing data displayed on the simulator. “The most important thing to me is becoming a consistent ball striker,” he says. “If I know how far I carry each club, it’ll shave strokes off my game. So regardless of how often I’m playing, there’s not much variance in my game from round to round.”
He uses Full Swing’s flagship Pro Series simulator that includes state-of-the-art, high-speed video cameras with infrared tracking and a wide screen — allowing him to virtually play 85 of the world’s top courses. There are also Sport Series standard and wide-screen models available that pack the same technology as the Pro Series, but optimized for smaller spaces. Only Full Swing combines two specific ball-tracking technologies that work together to produce the industry’s most realistic ball flight data. You swing toward the screen, and as the ball crosses two infrared light wave tracks, the system instantly measures ball speed, launch angle and direction. So when it hits the screen, the ball genuinely appears as if it’s crossed instantaneously into the virtual world, with no lag whatsoever. That’s what makes it so realistic, and is why PGA Tour pros such as Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, Brandt Snedeker, Jim Furyk and Jason Day have the system in their own homes. It’s no toy. It’s a genuine tool they use to improve their games. Woods is even an investor, equity partner and team ambassador of the company.
In his house, Curry also has Full Swing’s new VirtualGreen — a putting green that comes to life by changing slope and undulation in seconds — so you can putt downhill, uphill or sidehill while easily setting breaks and speed. “I installed one because I heard Jason Day had one — and his putting stats are through the roof,” says Curry. “I was intrigued by having something that could help my putting, help me see the line, and adjust to different breaks. Since I’ve had it, my putting has improved. Now I trust what I’m doing over the ball with my putter. VirtualGreen builds my confidence on real greens.”
Curry has now played in two Web.com tour events. He credits his simulator for helping out. “Full Swing is the gift that keeps on giving,” says Curry. “Eventually I’ll stop playing basketball, but I can keep playing golf for a lifetime.” Can it do the same for you?
