Coach of the month: Marco Burger

Name:
Marco Burger

Age:
30

Coaching at:
HIO Fitting in Munich (Germany)

TrackMan User since:
2010

When and why did you start playing golf?
I started at the age of 10 while being on vacation in the US. At that time I tried to prepare myself for professional tennis but needed something else to “relax”. I realized very soon that golf is nothing to relax – today I think it is one of the most advanced sports you can do.

What was your HCP when you turned Pro?
I never turned Pro because I wanted to play for the first German golf division and at that time you were not allowed to do so as a Pro. At the age of 19, I played a handicap of +1 – probably not good enough to become a playing professional ;) Furthermore I wanted to follow my passion for biomechanics and physics which helped me a lot for a better understanding of golf equipment and technology. During my studies at the technical university in Munich, I decided to perform my C and B coaching license at the German golf federation -it wasn’t my intention to work as a teaching professional but it helps to understand the complete picture of a golfer…

Which is your favorite golf course?
Definitely “The Bridges” close to Carlsbad in San Diego. Never seen such an amazing design and view on an impressive huge area.

Do you have a favorite coach you follow and why?
With our fitting company, we work very closely with a lot of coaches in Germany as this is essential to provide a master fitter experience. To name only a few of them Marco Schmuck, Oliver Heuler, Peter Wolfenstetter, Martina Eberl and many more do an amazing job and supported me and my company a lot in the last 10 years.

Who is your favorite player and why?
Like many many others, I am definitely a Tiger Woods fan as I have grown up with all his victories. He was one of the first players who improved the image of golf significantly. Hopefully, there will be many more supporting the image of golf as an athletic and emotional sport.

What is your best golf related achievement?
I never won a big amateur tournament or anything similar. With my team in Munich, I played for the German golf league which was a great experience for me. But the be honest playing golf is not my biggest passion – I prefer analyzing the motion, forces, ball flight, and club data in order to find the perfect equipment for every golfer. Started at Adidas/TaylorMade I created my own fitting business which has become the largest in Europe. Enjoy every day with passionate golfers or new ideas of product development is probably my best personal achievement.

As a golf fitter, what is the most common mistake among players you see?
In the last 10 years, I have seen thousands of golf bags and one of the most common issues is that their clubs are not fitted to each other and definitely not to their body, swing type, personal targets. Many players add single clubs year per year until they end up in a complete mixed set – really hard to get a consistent feeling through the set. Furthermore, still too many average golfers play clubs which are way to difficult to play for their skill level. The game of golf is difficult enough – try to help yourself instead of playing a nice and small Blade!

What are your greatest professional strengths?
Analyzing data and explain that to complete different levels of understanding. High-end technology doesn’t help when you are not able to interpret the outcome and take the ideal conclusion.

What’s in your bag?
Irons 4-PW: PXG GEN3 XP with Accra Tour 90 Custom painted shafts
Wedges 50°/54°/58°: PXG Sugar daddy milled wedges with Accra Tour 90 Custom painted shafts
Hybrid 2 16°: Exotics EXS220 with a lightweight UST Helix shaft
Driver: PXG GEN2 XF 7.5° with Accra 362T shaft (-2” shorter)
Putter: Hopper high MOI heel balanced putter with a heavy Gravity grip

How often do you play golf yourself?
Once or twice a month I go to the golf course to play some holes. I play just for fun to relax and avoid playing serious competitions.

What has changed since you started working with a TrackMan?
I always preferred to work on a scientific base without guessing anything. With TrackMan you can easily show facts and get immediately the full understand of the golfer. Without wasting time I can see within a few shots what are the main issues regarding the ball flight and club data. With this info, it is much easier for us to find the perfect clubhead-shaft combination.

Which is your favorite TrackMan feature, and why?
It is probably the combine test as I think it is a great tool to get a quick idea of your skill level. Furthermore, it is very motivating to see the results of tour players or compare yourself to friends and team colleagues.

How and where can golfers get in touch with you?
Just visit our website www.hio-fitting.de or send an email to marco.burger@hio-fitting.de. Every golfer (no matter what skill level) is very welcome to visit our fitting and analyzing studio in Munich.

Do you have any suggestions, how TrackMan can do better or differently?
TM can still improve on indoor measurements regarding better spin rate and spin axis measurements. More and more coaches use their monitor indoor during the winter month. In our case, we do fittings indoor the complete season to have a very constant environment. Another benefit would be a complete flexible layout of the data when using multiple screens – this would help to customize the screens 100% reasonable for every different use case.

Disclaimer: The answers in this interview have not been modified or changed, nor do they necessarily represent the views of TrackMan A/S.