Investment in golf dream machine
A PIONEERING Sheffield company is successfully changing the course of golf with the help of a £95,000 investment from South Yorkshire Investment Fund (SYIF).
Break 30, based at Darnall Works, off Worksop Road, Darnall, has developed the first truly scientific approach to putting that will help golfers towards their dream – par and better.
The Break 30 putting studio provides a mix of several items that integrates cutting edge technology with neuroscience and biomechanics.
Already it has won PGA accreditation and is being used in the establishment of putting clinics by the main European Professional Golfing Associations and Training Federations.
Break 30 is already used as a training tool for measuring and improving their putting technique by players of a range of abilities including high profile tour players Stuart Appleby and Jesper Parnevik.
Former Ryder Cup Vice Captain Peter Baker and Steve Webster have recently won European tours using the Zen Oracle putter. Webster in particular is known for his long driving ability but often shaky putting – until Zen.
Nick Middleton, Break 30's chief executive, said: "There are many factors that can affect a player's ability to putt, whether it be technical, mental or
neurological. Break 30 uses techniques derived from neuroscience or behavioural analysis to measure reflexes and the software identifies movements our eyes and videos can't see, giving golfers the tools to get to the root of their putting problems.
"The scoring format for golf affords a player two putting shots per each of the eighteen holes in a round. The putter is therefore the most utilised club in the bag.
Breaking thirty putts per round is the equivalent of running a four-minute mile so already you're at a major advantage.
"The concept of Break 30 is to take errors out of putting. Championships are won with the putter and rarely in the history of golf has anybody ever won a major
tournament without breaking 30. It is a significant milestone for anyone in the game with serious ambitions and one that is easily within the grasp of the average player who might not be able to compete with the long drivers of the modern game.
"It is essentially a cure for dystonia, known in golfing circles as 'the yips'. This is a condition so common in golfers that it's believed up to 70% of players suffer from it but Break 30 can analyse these yips and build remedies around it to develop a consistent putting stroke."
"The investment from SYIF's Seedcorn Fund will enable Zenjin to develop operations on an international level. It will help us better integrate the Eclipse system
with the SAM and also it gives us the opportunity to streamline the data collection hardware into a more manageable piece of equipment. It is slightly cumbersome at the moment but now we can adapt it in line with the hi-tech nature of the whole product."
Chris Fitzsimmons, SYIF's investment manager, said: "This is a wonderful enterprise that places Sheffield at the centre of innovation in a multi-million pound industry and one of the most popular sports in the world.
"It is an exciting time to be involved with Zenjin and we're absolutely thrilled to provide the support the company needs to get to the next level and take the golfing world by storm."
SYIF can provide seedcorn, loan and equity linked investments, ranging from £15k to £2.5m, specifically to help small and medium businesses meet the gaps in funding they need for growth and development.
