Dear DM1234,
According to GolfSpan:
Marius Filmalter
Co-invented and developed SAM, TOMI and Golfteaze
Regarded as a leading authority on putting with over 20 years experience
Advising numerous touring professionals from the PGA, LPGA, European and Asian tours
Has measured, analyzed and compared more than 43,000 different putting strokes
Has devoted attention and efforts researching Motor Strategy Disturbances (YIPS), Defining Characteristics of a Normal Putting Stroke and Parameters influencing the Putting Stroke
Hank Haney Golf
Dedicated to making the game better.
Not just for players, but for everyone.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
TEL: 972-315-5300
FAX: 972-315-7446
2791 S. STEMMONS FWY, LEWISVILLE, TX 75067
Contact Info from GolfSpan.com.
The history is that Dr Ernst Poeppel in Munich wanted to involve fellow neuroscience researcher Dr Christian Marquardt in developing a movement monitor for putting, and the two of them (not being golf teachers) turned to local pro Marius Filmalter for consulting about the tasks in putting and what to monitor in designing the system.
After the system (SAM PuttLab) was prototyped, a company was formed (2003) and some units manufactured and warehoused with the manufacturer waiting payment from sales. SAM then sent Filmalter to the US to try to make big connections, such as with David Leadbetter's organization, since Filmalter is South African. Apparently, Filmalter's representations of who owned and designed the unit was not considered accurate by the SAM company principals, and Filmalter and Marquardt had a difficult relationship that ended in Marquardt and SAM suing Filmalter in German court to have him ordered to stop representing the SAM PuttLab.
While Filmalter than started developing his own cheaper version, apparently with the help of Dr Ernst Poeppel, Marquardt came to the US to clean up spoiled relationships. Marquardt was a big success at the 2004 and 2005 PGA Merchandise Shows and succeeded in placing his unit with Leadbetter and obtaining an endorsement, and a number of other successes thereafter. In 2003 (I believe), Haney had attended the European PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit where he saw Marquardt make a presentation and he was impressed. Then, Filmmalter, ended up working at the Hank Haney Ranch in Texas. So Haney had BOTH ends of the spoiled relationship courting him. Temporarily, Marquardt and Filmalter appeared to work together again, but actually the rift is pretty permanent.
Marquardt is the science behind the PuttLab and is a genuine movement disorders neuroscientist, researcher, and clinician. Filmalter is a golf pro who is not trained in neuroscience or movement disorders.
Nonetheless, Filmalter now holds himself out as a "yips" specialist and aligns his name with Dr Poeppel. The two have done some "yips" studies together. (
Motor Strategy Disturbances in Golf
The effect of ÔyipsÕ on the movement of the putter head, Marius Filmalter, Pierre Noizet, Brian Baum, Fabian Pollo, Ernst Poeppel, B. Murthi. [Sponsored By The Edge Sports Technologies, Inc.])
This is how Filmalter describes his work on the PureMotionSports.com website:
"The inspiration for Tomi comes from Marius Filmalter. At the Hank Haney Golf Ranch in McKinney, Texas, Marius is the #1 instructor Hank turns to when a golfer is really struggling on the green. Few, if any, teaching pros have devoted more time to the scientific study of putting than Marius. (See the Putting Insights section.)
His work and published papers are THE go-to source among the pros for insights into what Marius calls the Two M's: The Mechanics of the putting stroke and the Mind that can sometimes get in the way. His understanding of how the mental and the physical aspects of putting are intertwined make Marius one of the most sought-after instructors among pros who are struggling with their short game Ð particularly those who have developed a bad case of the yips. According to Marius...
"For whatever reason, a golfer can slip into bad habits on the green. A critical, but often subtle, glitch in his stroke can creep in and all of a sudden it's as if he forgot how to putt the ball. And not knowing exactly what's causing his mis-hits, he tries to correct the problem through trial and error Ð his grip, his stance, a different putter.
"The problem is that haphazard experimentation can short-circuit other parts of his putting routine, compounding the problem and instigating a downward spiral. It's here that the mental gears can spin off track, the golfer's confidence unwinds, and a bad case of the yips can set in.
"I've learned that the best way to help the golfer get back on track is to de-program his bad habits, which, by the time I see him, are usually a combination of bad mechanics and a bad attitude. So, the process begins with the basic mechanics. I want the golfer to both understand and experience the cause-effect components of a well-stroked ball that falls in the cup.
"This is why Tomi is such a terrific aid to my students. When they see in real time (and with great precision) what they are doing right and the adjustments they can make to fix what's wrong, the fog burns away. They are back on track Ð both physically and mentally."
Website.
Hank Haney doesn't really know much about the science, but he has Filmalter on staff so he defers to him. To Haney, the big plus of the TOMI is costs and ease of use.
So who is Dr Ernst Poeppel? He is a neuroscience researcher in Munich who has these fields of study:
Research Fields:
Neuropsychology of Perception in the visual modality; Description of residual vision ("blindsight"); colour induction as a retinal phenomenon; perceptual completion as a cortical phenomenon.
Restitution of functions after brain injuries and Neuropsychological Rehabilitation.
Development of a taxonomy of mental functions, in particular thinking.
Time and timing in neural systems and behavior; Elaboration of a hierarchical model of temporal perception and an experimental description of the "subjective present".
Development of a theoretical model and technical tools to monitor the depth of anaesthesia.
Circadian rhythms; Description of a special form of internal desynchronization of bodily functions.
Statistics: Development of new algorithms for the analysis of biological rhythms.
Professor Dr. Poeppel heads the neuroscience systems research group at the IMP. (
Institue of Medical Psychology, Neuroscience Systems research, Dr Ernst Poeppel. His publications concentrate on visual and timing processes at a very technical level, not especially related to normal human movements except indirectly.
The German PGA says this about Dr Marquardt:
"Dr Christian Marquardt is a neuroscientist, specialising in the fields of medicine, sports and motor behaviour research. His work, dedicated to the development of new concepts for movement analysis, motor learning and treatment of movement disorders, is widely appreciated. Christian Marquardt earned a doctorate at the faculty of medical psychology at the Munich University on kinematic micromotion study.
Since 2001 Christian Marquardt has been involved in the golf sport. He developed a unique measuring system, the SAM PuttLab, which makes it possible for the first time to measure and analyse with great precision all aspects of putting. His lectures and seminars at the SAM Academy reflect his scientific approach and know-how so appreciated in the golfing community. A number of national and international golf federations and PGAs are now working with him.
In 2003 Christian Marquardt founded the Science&Motion GmbH to market both the SAM PuttLab and the SAM Academy. Top players and putters on the European Tour have used his system with great success, making him one of the leading putting experts. He has also made himself a name in golf with his revolutionary approach to the treatment of the much-feared ÒyipsÓ."
German PGA.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PUTTLAB AND TOMI:
The main difference is in the software. The PuttLab algorithms are quite a bit more sophisticated for data analysis and display options. I've previously talked about the differences
here.
So, there are two companies with closely related products coming from the same trio of developers. I don't really know about Filmalter's expertise as a putting instructor truly and deeply familiar with history, lore, and science about the tasks in reading, aiming, stroking and controlling distance for putts. He says he's an expert. So of the three in this trio, only one is really a golfer. But do they really know putting and can teach with these gizmos? That's a different animal entirely. That's about all I can say in this context.
Cheers!
Geoff Mangum
Putting Coach and Theorist
PuttingZone.com
Golf's most advanced and comprehensive putting instriuction.
........ Allen