UGP Is Improving Your Golf Game, Indoors
Written By: Erik Hale Orange County Golf Academy UGP
Hope is the disease that infects most golfers. It is most commonly detected in the soft tissue between their ears. Side effects include occasional warm feelings in the chest and nearly undetectable smiles on their faces. Golfers begin every round with this disease. They hope that today will be the day they figure the game out. Hope is a disease that is most often cured on the first tee box. You can see the disease leave the body as the golfer “duffs” the first fairway seeking drive of the day into the woods. Hope is almost always cured by rounds end. The dream of a round under 80 or to stop “skulling” their wedge. Even though hope is easily cured, it infects us over and over again.
I am here to tell you that all hope is not lost.
Earlier this year a golf academy/country club opened with great success in Costa Mesa, UGP. Their second location, to the LA flagship, is every weekend hacker’s, nearly scratch and 22 handicap’s dream come true. It is a facility “Lefty” or “Chi-chi,” the “Golden Bear” or “Tiger” would love to belong to. A facility that trains the UCLA golf team. Don’t believe us? We tried it out ourselves and here are our eight reasons why every golfer can benefit from UGP.
Orange County Golf Academy UGP
Country Club Vibes Without the Price
If you have ever looked into joining a private club in Orange County, or belong to one, you know that membership comes with a much larger monthly fee. UGP takes it up a level with a staff who meets you at the car, greets you like a friend, carries your bag and constantly ensures your comfort.
Privacy, Please
Even though there is a community feel to UGP, there is also time to practice self-care. Hitting ball after ball into the screen felt zen-like to me. You can hack away with private instruction or close the door and play 18. There are also four private “mini” locker rooms with showers.
Golf University
It feels like you have enrolled in GOLF U, and the instructors are your professors. You have instructors for your swing, for your workout and for your body. They are helpful, patient and result-oriented. They have an ideology that wants to improve through repetition and lack of thinking. Imagine a college that wants you to think less?
Work on Your Fitness
You can work out, take lessons and recover every day. It’s not odd to imagine a gym that allows daily workouts, but do you have a private trainer instructing you? You could hit a medium bucket at the range every day, but would there be a private instructor putting you through drills? The membership at the Costa Mesa location allows you to book three 30-minute appointments (one for each of these areas every day)
Custom-Fit Clubs
A custom suit makes you look and feel so much better, so imagine how custom-fit clubs would feel. At UGP, you can schedule an assessment for just about anything—fitness, flexibility, even your golf swing. Once all of those areas are addressed, the team moves in to fix your “sticks.” Imagine you are a 62-year-old golfer who is five-foot-seven and an 18 handicap, and you are hitting the same clubs that a 39-year-old golfer six-foot-one swings to a single digit handicap. You are different in size, flexibility and athletic ability. UGP not only determines the length, stiffness and grips you will need, but they can also build the exact club to suit you.
Come Rain or Shine
It rarely rains in Southern California, but when it does you can still play a complete round. They have over 30 Par 3 and full-length courses you can dial up on the Trackman. Trackman is like a giant game of Golden Tee that tells you how far your ball goes, swing speed and displays more angles than the chalkboard in 10th-grade Geometry class.
Bring That Score Down
In my 37 years of golfing, I have rarely practiced. Practice is usually taking two balls off the first tee after whispering “mulligan.” I say your score will go down because of all of the above. If you are fit for clubs, workout muscles, rehab muscles and hit with a coach a few times a week, I think the chances of your score going up are pretty low.
Swing for Charity
This should be the number one reason all hope isn’t lost. This company, that plans to build 30-40 of these centers across the world, UGP Investor/TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie has pledged to donate 43% of profits to the The First Tee Foundation.
UGP
3186 Airway Ave, Ste J
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
949.209.8979
Erik Hale is the visionary and publisher behind LOCALE Magazine. He launched the magazine in 2010, wanting to give the community of OC a premiere lifestyle magazine that knew all the native knowledge behind OC. “Six years ago Ashley and I sat at a table scratching the name LOCALE (among some other names) onto a sheet of paper,” says Erik, “coming up with story ideas and basically dreaming. Everything we imagined has happened and we have been blessed with so much more. I am so grateful as we start another year for my family, my two wonderful children, my health, our amazing writers, designers and photographers, our advertising partners and you.”
