e-Swing for Better Golf

Invisions was a key partner in the creation of the Virtually Perfect Golf system. We developed the software, procured the hardware, shot all video components, and created the Web site www.virtuallyperfectgolf.com. The sad part is, after all that there's not one of us who can break 90! Click on the title above to read coverage of the remarkable success of this exciting venture.

e-Swing for Better Golf

In theory it was a great idea. Have people put on virtual reality glasses and let them see themselves as they match their arm and body motions to the perfect golf swing. Then, take the system and franchise it out to golf courses, domes, ranges and stores across North America .

This is one of those happy instances where theory has become reality (with a lot of complex and painstaking development) and it's working! Following is a sampling of excerpts from articles about Virtually Perfect Golf and the tremendous success it has already enjoyed in its young life as a growing enterprise.

The Globe and Mail, Toronto

Don Wilson has a problem. A good problem, even a significant opportunity, but a problem nonetheless. The former insurance executive is a lifelong golf nut who has combined his business acumen with his passion.

He's launched a golf business, a company called Virtually Perfect Inc. (http://www.virtuallyperfectgolf.com), with the aid of a sophisticated software platform and big dreams. Wilson wants to tap in to golfers' endless, and often hopeless, search for improvement.

It's a massive market. Golfers spend over $25 billion a year in the United States alone, according to the Florida-based National Golf Foundation. If a company can capture even a fraction of that, it can make a go of things, which explains why golf magazines, golf retailers and the Golf Channel are replete with advertisements for gadgets and instruction programs that promise better scores, the game's Holy Grail. Wilson and a team of investors have been working since 1999 to bring Virtually Perfect to market, and have spent $1-million to have Toronto-based Invisions Inc. develop the software.

Fairways Magazine

How come it's so difficult to improve at this infernal game? What does it take?

One fellow who knows what it takes is Jeff Hay, Director of Instruction for Virtually Perfect Golf Inc. (in northwest Greater Toronto), which mixes virtual-reality technology with sound methodology. "Get into a coaching relationship with a good golf professional," Hay asserts. "The professional will outline a plan for you, but you've got to stick with it. Struggle through the mis-hits and stay with the plan."

Hay says it's far more important for most amateurs to practice "correctly" than to hit buckets of balls. In fact, "beating balls" is often the worse thing to do. Instead, he advocates that the most important practice is done without a ball. He recommends doing drills in slow motion so the brain can comprehend what you're trying to accomplish, which is a key part of the Virtually Perfect Golf methodology.

Sunday Telegraph ( London , England )

"It's totally changing how we teach the sport," said Don Wilson, a former insurance executive and golfer from Toronto , Canada , who developed the new technology. "Once you've studied your swing using our tools, you can never look at yourself the same way again."

Robert Weisz, a 49-year-old mortgage broker from Toronto who tried the system this summer, immediately shaved 10 strokes off his game." I could see everything in a new way," he said. "A swing happens so fast-maybe a second. In a regular lesson, you can commit so many errors and not even realize it. But with this, you can visualize it perfectly."

Over 3,000 people in Canada have already used the new system. Mr. Wilson expects to introduce it to Britain by the autumn of 2003. "It's a huge market. It's the home of golf and some of the best courses in the world are there," he said.

The Gazette, Montreal

Having tried it, this writer-a golfer with a pretty good set-up-noticed a flaw in the backswing that had contributed to errant shots in the past. Making adjustments and adhering to the parameters set by the model, the difference in "feeling" what should be done was remarkable. It's also something that has been etched in my mind ever since.