CHAMPIONSGATE, Fla. -- Seeing a recognized need for sophisticated putting instruction, author, golf equipment authority, and former USGA technical director Frank Thomas opened the first of his Frankly Frog Putting Studios just outside Orlando.

The Frankly Frog Putting Studio is a state-of-the-art facility designed to help golfers with all aspects of one of the – if not the – most important parts of the game: putting.

One of the first visitors was two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer, who spent some time working on his stroke.

“I really enjoyed visiting the Frankly Frog Putting Studio and found the analysis of the putting stroke that Frank and his staff provided to be most helpful,” Langer said after his visit.

Added Thomas: “The Frankly Frog Putting Studio is designed to help golfers of all levels improve their putting. A little less than half the strokes we take during a round of golf are made on the putting green, yet we spend little or no time on proper putting instruction.”

Four-time major champion and Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd, who visited the studio, agreed: “I was very impressed with the Frankly Frog Putting Studio, a state-of-the-art facility that allows golfers to better understand and fine tune their putting stroke, which is one of the most important parts of our game.”

“Our facility is now the most sophisticated putting studio in the world,” Thomas said. “We have combined the many disciplines required to analyze and help perfect the putting stroke: from a properly fitted instrument, customized by a resident club-maker, comprehensive video assisted stroke mechanics and kinematic analysis, to an in-depth psychology session conducted by a resident sports psychologist on the importance of visualization and pre-shot routine. We now have the means to reduce all the sources of error to a minimum.”

A properly fitted, good putter, designed to eliminate mechanical sources of error, is essential prior to working on the putting stroke. The Frankly Frog putter is such an instrument. This fitting is followed by an analysis and training session, which can take up to two hours for the most advanced sessions. The instruction is detailed to the point where most students leave with a battery of information to work on, including a video highlighting relevant segments of their session – sent by e-mail or to their cell phone for their on-course convenience – as well as reminder notes and specific practice drills provided in a wallet size tri-fold.

Thomas, who hails from South Africa originally, retired in 2000 after 26 years as the technical director of the United States Golf Association. Thomas invented the graphite shaft, directed the development of the GHIN handicap system, redesigned a concept to measure green speeds (“Stimpmeter”) and introduced it to the world of golf. Thomas now directs Frankly Golf and Consulting, which includes The Frankly Frog Putting Studio. He is the chief technical advisor to Golf Digest and The Golf Channel, plays golf twice a week and has a five handicap.

Thomas recently published a book called “Just Hit It: Our Equipment and Our Game” that unlocks the secrets of club and ball technology, explains how to select equipment to improve your game and summarizes all he has learned over the years.

For more information on the Frankly Frog Putting Studio, or to book an appointment, please call (407) 396-4004 or visit www.franklygolf.com.