Science and technology have long been vital to sportsmen and women; enabling data to be collected, incremental gains to be pushed for, and training regimes to be overhauled. From extra training time to reduced recovery time, innovations in tech through 2021 and into 2022 are on a steady path. To learn about what 2022 might bring let's look back on the emerging trends and movements in tech from 2021 and see where these brands, where the science, will go next.
We will look at the areas of Clothing, Course-tech and home-tech in order to see the most innovation possible and give these brands the attention they deserve.
2021 innovations in golf technology: Play harder, play longer
2021 saw the golf world shaken by injuries, travel troubles, gold club length regulation: the lot! But in amongst the complications and drama were the seeds of progress. Facing adversity has been key to personal development for many of us over the last 2 years, and technology is no different.
Golf Clothing Technology from 2021:
One way this progress manifested was golfing clothing. Golfers long have had style, and long have wanted incremental gains. It was 2020, and 2021, that saw these things begin to be so truly intertwined that it was worth it. With KYMIRA Golf growing it's ranges to include ¼ zips, full baselayers, gloves, (and KYMIRA fabric even going towards face masks!) 2021 saw a ripple of faith turn into a wave.
Faith in the science of energy conservation and the grounded belief that we should be helping out body perform its natural processes better! By incorporating technology that actively improves our bodies' ability to regulate, perform, and excel KYMIRA pushed the boundary of what golf garments can be.
Compression technology has been used in sport for many years, and countless products try and incorporate that technology. However, more important than that is what you change not what you keep the same. 2021 was a year of taking what works and finding out how to change it. From working, to school clubs, to clubbing! By taking tech that has existed before in other way and actively improving it, working new ideas into the fabric, KYMRIA made the best base layers on the market.
Golf Course Equipment technology of 2021:
Once you were out on the course kitted in cutting edge fabrics, you have to play your round. Technology has been weaved into Golf Clubs just the same as it has intertwined with clothing. The frankly slightly ridiculous Arccos Tracking developments incorporated automatic shot tracking on live course maps, swing advice based on the club data, an app for storing and monitoring all this tech form the palm of your hand, and more accuracy than a handheld rangefinder despite being GPS-based.
If you start to think there's only so far technology can go, it will always innovate. The fact that one device with a few trackers can add an entire layer of feedback to the course is a sign that incremental gains are going to me more and more reliant on the old phrase: Knowledge is Power.
Golf Home Technology of 2021:
When we weren't able to travel, or we couldn't face the weather, or we needed to be in for a Zoom call, home golfing was there for us in 2021. There have been home golf setups for decades, in fact here is a real picture of a shabby storage shelf of a putting helper I actually still own. The Club Champ Hazard ‘n Putt. A fantastic example of how "Electric Return!" used to be a noteworthy thing where now we can track the angle a ball moved precise to half a degree simply by swinging a club! Enjoy this piece of home-golf history:
My old mat pales in comparison to some 2021 advances like the particularly impressive Exputt. Exputt is adaptable which in 2021 was vital. Being able to turn your living room into a putting area was an important skill when you can't leave your living room!
The Exputt uses TV displays and a small mat to accurately display your putt. This can even account for angles, grass types, specific courses! My Club Champ has a little hill on it, but somehow I don't think that's quite up to par with being able to adjust angles on the fly and see data in real time on screen. It's easy to call things like the Exputt innovative when they don't just add to an existing product, they change the game entirely.
2022 expectations for golf technology: Work smarter, play easier
So, with the science and advancements of 2021 so last year, what comes next? Can innovation continue when you reach peaks as high as these companies? I suspect they will find a way…
2022 Golf Clothing Technology Directions:
Combining apparel with technology has been a breakthrough in the sporting world these last 4 years. With KYMIRA always expanding their range to include Pyjamas, jackets, gloves and of course refined Baselayers there is going to be a surge in incremental gains from those who have full body coverage in this technology. Being able to take the benefits away from the course is key, with recovery gear like KYMIRA being utilised in the half an hour before and after exercise not just during.
With an ongoing study into KYMIRA and sleep currently running we are excited to see those results and share how this clothing can benefit you no matter what routine you have in 2022. We have seen how clothing can be made performance enhancing and recovery enhancing while still being wearable and breathable, so the next step is to take that science into as many garments as possible, tweaking them to suit any situation.
2022 Golf Course Technology Directions:
Out on the course in 2022 we are going to be valuing our time even more than usual. With progress and performance but also social and enjoyment aspects alike. One way in which course-based gear is changing is actualy very closely related to the idea of overhauling material that lead KYMIRA to be such a powerful tool. With the process being made widespread with Tiger Woods' return to the course, Golf Club material is undergoing change.
Just like KYMIRA overhauled golf clothing, brands like TaylorMade are pushing for Carbonwood . This is what it sounds like, a Carbon Fibre alternative to the standard clunk of metal, combined with a wood element for density and weight balance. Rebuilding golf clubs from scratch in a new material is a promising insight into golf technology and a sign that we are far from done with perfecting the art.
Other advances include that ever-present growth of digital tech. Devices like the Tempo Walk are becoming more and more common, with automatic proximity tracking and soon I would expect GPS-based versions. While this tech has existed for a couple of years 2022 could see the popularity of things like AR, GPS and app-based data analysis create a boost in these technologies. GPS in particular has been discovered (By a fellow London Start-up no less) to be able to be made accurate to just 20 Centimetres! That degree of accuracy is the incremental gain many golfers are looking for. It's the younger generation of golfers that fully utilise the gains these innovations bring, and more young golfers are joining the sport than ever over the past two years, leading to an increase of up to 55% extra traffic in golf stores. Also, a larger subset of these new golfers are women , which doesn't affect technological innovation but is an awesome thing to know
2022 Golf at Home Technology Directions:
This is the big one we have all been hearing about: Metaverse. Oh yes, the metaverse is real (Well, as real as a metaverse can be) and will be finding roots in all sorts of industries. If there isn't a home AR/VR metaverse golf training facility by the end of 2025 I'll be very surprised.
With home golf incorporating screens, live tracking, motion sensing and more it is a logical step that companies would take advantage of the advancing VR/AR scene. Not only could you recreate a course on your TV, but actually see the hole in your room! With a whole new world under the surface now, we fully expect home golf to be revolutionised through innovations in this new realm.
How to reap the rewards of innovation in Golfing technology
With a year of busy schedules and triumphant returns to the course ahead of us, don't miss out on your chance to order KYMIRA innovative golfing garments. From jackets to baselayers to peripherals like gloves, KYMIRA Golf are determined to advance the medium and keep the science flowing directly to you, the avid golfer!