The Open Championship
The Open Championship
ACCOUNT MANAGER: Matthew O’Connor
TYPE: Sports Performance
LENGTH OF PARTNERSHIP: 5 Years
The Open Championship is the final major in the golfing season and arguably the most coveted golf championship in the world. It brings together the top players from around the world and past champions to compete on some of the world most historic golf courses for The Claret Jug.
Professional golfers require elite gym equipment to meet their intense training needs. Over the last five years, we have had the pleasure of providing the players with some of the finest gym equipment available. Our industry experience working across commercial sites and at major pop-up events has allowed us to deliver year after year.
The Open is a special yearly event that everyone here at Origin looks forward to. It's a pleasure that we can look back on it knowing we played our part.
Matthew O'connor - Account Manager
Each year we’ve been excited to deliver optimal training environments for the players in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. We keep the goal simple, to install equipment that exceeds expectations while offering players all the equipment they could need to perform at the highest level throughout the week.
This includes equipment for warming up, strength training, and recovery post-round. We want players to keep their bodies and minds performing at the highest level without disruption to their regular routines.
THE CHALLENGE:
Providing world-class gym equipment to a major sporting event like The Open Championship is a massive project. Our industry experience allows us to get this right every time by ensuring the right equipment, arrives at the right time, and is installed correctly to create an incredible training facility on-site.
Working with Gym Logistics we improve the sites each year bringing the latest gym equipment and improving the facility based on feedback from coaches and the players themselves. We always aim to exceed expectations so that the athlete's needs are met.
Logistically there are a lot of moving parts but our team endeavours to get things right the first time, every time. We work with contractors who build the equipment on-site with the help of our engineers which makes the process run smoothly. To see the site build process in action watch the video below:
THE SOLUTION:
Each year, we have had to work closely with the R&A to improve the space. Our most recent project was with Royal Troon Golf Club for the 152nd Open Championship and to date, this most recent space showcased the best of what we can do.
These gyms remain at the site for the duration of the Championship, which is around two weeks so they need to have everything on-site that players could need. The result is a space that players and their personal trainers could utilise to achieve their specific training goals.
Player needs have developed and changed over the years of this contract leading to us developing and delivering solutions across a wide range of areas. Golfers at these tournaments have access to kit including free weights, gym equipment, functional fitness, storage, cardio equipment, and recovery tools.
Strength Equipment
Strength training is an essential part of modern-day golfers' workout routines helping them build power, core resistance, and strength. It's how they hit the ball so far these days. To allow players to continue their regular workout routines we stacked the gym full of elite gym equipment.
We supplied Performance Series Power Racks along with our Urethane Bumper Plates, Olympic Weightlifting Bars, Hex Trap Bars, Multi-Grip Bars and four Origin Multi Adjustable Benches. This provided multiple options for players to build endurance, control and work specific muscle groups used throughout the game.
In addition, we installed an Origin Elite Storage Rig with attachments such as Pull-up Bars and Dip Handles. This Elite Rig doubled up with a modular storage unit holding Sandbags, Mats, Gym balls, Medicine Balls, Mini Power Bands and other accessories.
Last but not least, we also added in essential free weights like the Fitbox Bench which holds our Urethane Hex Dumbbells for localised strength exercises. Golfers use free weights not necessarily to build bigger muscles, but to build arm strength for better control of the swing which is key to success.
Our UD3 Dumbbells were the best choice as these are suitable for a variety of different exercises and to keep them securely stored we supplied the Origin Premium 10-Pair Vertical Dumbbell Rack.
Functional Fitness:
While strength training provides the base level of power for golfers, the sport requires a high degree of functional fitness. The swing has many complex biomechanical aspects to it which means providing relevant equipment to allow players to properly warm up unique body parts.
We added cable machines like the Impulse Multifunctional Cable Machine and Origin Dual Adjustable Pulley so that golfers could perform golf-specific movements like standing cable rotations and cable rows.
This included adding a wide range of functional equipment like slam balls, wall balls, plyo boxes, sandbags, and air balance disc balls.
Storage Solutions:
Keeping the space organised is no mean feat in a gym this size and this busy with players constantly in and out of it throughout the day. We've used a range of options but found a modular custom storage rig that provided the best gym storage solution.
The space has everything to keep equipment protected with additional pieces like the Origin Hinged Storage Cage, Toast Racks, 9 Bar Vertical Barbell Holder, and 2-Tier Dumbbell Racks
Cardio:
Cardio equipment is important for golfers as it allows them to get the body warmed up before a round and can be used post-round for recovery. For this, we included Origin Storm Curved Treadmill, OC5 Bikes, and BikeErg's in the most recent players' gym.
Recovery:
To help players recover at the 2023 Open Championship Theraguns were included in the gym. This allowed players to actively warm up and cool down before and after their rounds.
It was also a handy addition for the on-site physios stationed here throughout the tournament. We also included traditional conditioning tools such as foam rollers, resistance bands, and yoga blocks.
THE OUTCOME:
The Open Championship is one of the biggest sporting events of the year. We’re honoured to have been a part of these events and being able to provide an elite performance facility for these players has been incredible.
Each year we have built on our relationship with the venues and the R&A which has allowed us to deliver a world-class training facility that would rival the world's best commercial sites. The sites themselves will be used by hundreds of players and coaches across the two weeks of its use.
We're proud of everyone's work during these projects and it's great to have been a part of such amazing weeks. To see these players battling it out each year and to say we contributed to creating an elite training environment where players can strive is always a great feeling for the team here.
It's been great to offer our services on each of these projects and create a trendy elite training space for the best golfing athletes from around the world to use. These spaces really highlight the best of what Origin can do for sports performance in gym design and equipment.
Matthew O'connor - Account Manager
See some of the kit installed:
Thank you for choosing Origin for this project, it was a pleasure! To see some of our previous tournaments check out our YouTube channel for the 150th and 151st Open Championship. Check out some of our other case studies while you're here.
If you're considering opening up a new training space, redesigning a gym, or organising an event requiring a pop gym, then get in touch with us today. Or if you want to speak directly to a member of our team contact us at 0131 526 3770 or email us at [email protected].
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