Every week, a convoy of tractor-trailers labeled as Performance Centers arrives on-site to offer health and wellness support for competitors on both the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions.
That equates to more than 60 tournaments, covering 24,000 miles.
Recently, the Cleveland Clinic was named the official healthcare provider for today’s top professional golfers.
Both clinicians and performance experts are being integrated into a process that has existed for over 40 years, albeit to a lesser extent than today, and is now recognized as a pioneering program that offers seamless connectivity and a range of essential medical services to help players perform at their best.
It’s often said that a player’s most valuable equipment is their body. Ten-time PGA Tour winner and two-time major champion Xander Schauffele emphasizes how seriously he takes that.
“The first person that comes to mind was JT with that little thing on his leg, and it turned out to be melanoma,” Schauffele said. “So, if players aren’t using these services out here, hopefully they are getting checked out at home.”
Tom Hospel, MD, is the PGA Tour’s Medical director and says his team consistently sees about 80% of the field through physical therapy, the chiropractic trailer, or workouts at the recovery center, and that number appears certain to grow as improved services are offered to players.
“I’m excited for the players. They have access to world-class physicians, world-class facilities, and if something does pop up and they need to have access to that level of care, plugging them into the Cleveland Clinic network is a really great opportunity,” Hospel said. “They’re going to hopefully be able to take advantage of not just the physicians, not just the facilities, but all of the other resources that come about from it.”
This is exactly what players like 10th-year touring pro Hank Lebioda need, whose father, David, is a retired doctor from Orlando.
“I did the EKG and the dermatology check-up at the Cognizant Classic,” said the former ACC Player of the Year from Florida State after making the weekend cut at the Valspar Championship. “We are outside all the time, and the normal EKG reading saved me a trip to the doctor’s office, so having access to this is really great.”
According to Hospel, the Cleveland Clinic aims to help shape the athlete of the future by enhancing performance, creating long-term health strategies, and utilizing research and data insights to support ongoing development and player health.
That includes a brand-new Global Peak Performance Center set to open next year on the banks of the Cuyahoga in Cleveland. It’s a planned 210,000-square-foot facility that will offer comprehensive care for the general public and athletes of all levels, providing access to advanced testing, high-tech training equipment, and collaborative clinical teams spanning orthopedic surgery, sports medicine, cardiology, pulmonology, neurology, nutrition, psychology, genetics, and more.
The Peak Performance Center, leveraging extensive data from partnerships like this, will use advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to better understand the factors that influence human performance and to more effectively support athletes’ physical and mental preparedness.
“Our teams will deliver integrated multi-disciplinary and performance-focused care that supports player longevity, resilience, and recovery,” said CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, M.D., holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair at Cleveland Clinic. This partnership allows us to apply leading-edge insights, elevate wellness across the TOUR, and advance our shared commitment to helping individuals perform at their highest potential on and off the course.”
Another important aspect of the partnership, according to Hospel, is instant access to medical records.
“These are international players; they travel each week, and one reason we’re excited about the Cleveland Clinic partnership is that they use an electronic medical record system called Epic, utilized by about 70% of all hospital systems,” Hospel added. “They will have access to the results of tests conducted here, the athletes will have it on their app, and the physician they visit will also have access. This ensures continuity of care and seamless service, which hopefully helps them maintain their health and address issues at home.”
