A 'Mayo Clinic' For Your Game

摘要

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE a six-handicapper's idea of paradise. There are no sweeping ocean vistas, and the dominant architecture is best described as "early concrete block." Yet for those with dreams of winning a U.S. Open, or just correcting an infuriating slice, few sights are as pretty as the little-known Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, Calif., about 40 miles north of San Diego. For years, TPI was the private playground of design engineers testing the next generation of Titleist clubs and golf balls. Pro golfers with Titleist deals, including Ernie Els, also have been known to pop in to TPI for emergency club fittings or to tinker with their swings. Now the door is also open to serious golfers who have everything but the perfect backswing. For a mere 5,000 dollars, Titleist offers lavish two-day packages, complete with swing gurus, high-tech analysis, and loads of personalized goodies. And that's a caddie's tip compared with the 25,000 dollars rival Callaway Golf will be charging for its VIP Experience about seven miles away in Carlsbad, starting this summer. The companies' two-day getaways expose amateurs to every advantage that the world's best players draw on, except natural ability. At Callaway, guests will even take home a personalized bag and a fall set of custom-fit clubs. (Previously, Callaway had offered VIP club-fittings for a handful of corporate partners and celebrities partial to the company's products.)