Mercedes-Benz launches performance center tour in Augusta

This week, Mercedes-Benz of Augusta customers can take a look at the company's latest luxury vehicles and get some advice on their golf swing.

Augusta is the first stop for the new Mercedes-Benz Performance Center, a mobile golf tour presented by the PGA of America. Two large Mercedes Sprinter vans will travel across the country this year to major golf tournaments, events and dealerships, carrying high-tech golf teaching technology to help golfers improve their putting and swing mechanics.

Two-time Masters Champion Bernhard Langer was the special guest at Mercedes-Benz of Augusta on Washington Road on Tuesday. During a news conference, Langer and PGA professionals demonstrated the performance center's technology.

"I think this is an awesome idea. When I grew up playing golf in Germany, I wish I had something like this. The opportunity to be filmed and get immediate feedback from a mobile performance center is fantastic. It's going to help a lot of people from the very beginners, to the average player, even to the pros, like myself. I want to applaud Mercedes-Benz for being so innovative," Langer said.

The Mercedes-Benz Performance Center was conceived from a golfing center that Mercedes-Benz had at the PGA Championship last year, said Lisa Holladay, the manager of brand experience marketing at Mercedes-Benz USA LLC.

"On site there, we had a 6,000-square-foot brand center, and we had over 22,000 people come through it last year," Holladay said.

Mercedes-Benz and PGA of America wanted to "take it out on the road to reach more people and support the growth of the game of golf," she said.

When customers pay a visit to their local Mercedes-Benz dealership, they can try out full swing analysis and putting analysis technology by GolfTec, which utilize GolfTec's patented motion and video analysis. The technology uses digital video, motion measurement and biofeedback to compare the person's swing data with GolfTec's proprietary database of more than 150 Tour Professional golf swings.

In addition, the performance centers have a 3-D television where visitors can play Tiger Woods' golf game on Sony Play Station 3 and a large screen TV with touch screen technology that allows customers to build their own custom Mercedes, said Adam Paige, the department manager of national brand public relations for Mercedes-Benz.

The Mercedes-Benz Performance Center will also visit local dealerships, golf championships and events over the next few months, including the Wells Fargo Championship, Senior PGA Championship, AT&T National, PGA Championship, Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Chevron World Challenge, several Mercedes-Benz Dealer Golf sectionals and PGA Play Golf America days. In Georgia, its next stop will be the PGA Championship in Atlanta in August, according to a release.

Montvale, N.J.-based Mercedes-Benz USA is introducing five new vehicles this year, including the new CLS and SLK, Paige said.

Reach LaTina Emerson at (706) 823-3227 orlatina.emerson@augustachronicle.com.