Perfecting golf swings
Norwegian company Swing Catalyst leads in golf instruction with its motion analysis system
Photo: Norges Idrettsforbund / Flickr
Norwegian golfer Suzann Pettersen uses Swing Catalyst to improve her game. She is shown here using that swing at the Rio Olympics.
Rasmus Falck
Oslo, Norway
The Norwegian-based Swing Catalyst is the market-leading expert in the new, rapidly emerging field of balance and pressure analysis, adding an important new dimension to golf instruction. The technology consists of more than 2,000 high-resolution pressure sensors and provides a range of crucial data including detailed foot pressure analysis, accurate pressure distribution, and real time center of pressure mapping, none of which can be seen by the best trained eye or even top speed cameras.
Almost ten years ago, the entrepreneurs behind the product started developing software and hardware with the purpose of measuring and visualizing golf swings in the best possible way. The founders, most of them associated with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, have after many years of development made what most golfers consider the best aid for training and instruction. Today the system is delivered to all parts of the world and many top golfers use it. In fact, the golfer to win the first Olympic gold medal in golf for 112 years, British Justin Rose, has used the technology for two years.
Swing Catalyst is owned by Initial Force, established in 2006 with the goal of developing an easy-to-understand and simple-to-use motion analysis system for golf instruction. Last year’s revenue was NOK 6.9 million with a loss of NOK 3.5 million before taxes. This year’s revenue is budgeted at NOK 13 million. The company expects revenue to reach NOK 30 million next year and expects over NOK 100 million over the next few years. They have seven employees and are hiring five new ones.
This summer Urban Golf Performance opened a new state-of-the-art golf training facility near Los Angeles International Airport. The new facility will also serve as the R&D center for Swing Catalyst.
Norwegian golfer Suzann Pettersen is one of the owners together with Televenture and local investors in the Lade area. Pettersen plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. Her career best world ranking is second place, and she has held that position several times, most recently from August 2011 until February 2012. After taking part in the Olympics, she said that an incredible week had come to an end and that she was extremely proud of having been part of bringing golf back to the Olympic program.
On her home page, Pettersen says that she builds her game on solid rocks, and Swing Catalyst is one of her rocks. With the product she is able to pinpoint exactly how to distribute and shift pressure during the different phases of her swing, helping her to create more speed and distance in her long game.
Rasmus Falck is a strong innovation and entrepreneurship advocate. The author of “What do the best do better” and “The board of directors as a resource in SME,” he received his masters degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He currently lives in Oslo, Norway.
This article originally appeared in the Nov. 18, 2016, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
