After his stint on the PGA tour, Mark Roder has brought his talents and the pro-level training he received to Mineola. His business, Neustryk Golf, cut the ribbon for its headquarters on Jericho Turnpike on Thursday, Jan. 15.
With professional expertise in the game, Roder said he wants to make professional-quality lessons affordable to Long Islanders. He plans to use new AI software to track performance and pinpoint areas for improvement for clients.
“Everything I do at Neustryk stems from everything I’ve learned in all of the places I’ve been, working with some of the best guys and at some of these facilities that are state-of-the-art and meant for performance at a really high level,” saod Roder, who is originally from Franklin Square. “Thankfully, I got a lot of experience and advice from other coaches.”
The business will focus on teaching to improve players’ skills rather than just providing entertainment, according to Roder. Neustryk has two other locations in Melville and Smithtown.
Roder said Long Island needed new ways to make golf instruction accessible, adding that most training opportunities are costly or require a country club membership.
“For me, growing up as a junior, it was very hard to find good instruction that I felt was reasonable enough for my parents to afford,” he said.
The software developed by Roder and a team of developers is the main draw for instruction Neustryk, formerly Purestryk. The business uses Trackman simulators, which Roder says are among the industry’s best.
“Even though we have all these other great things that we offer like the coaches and environment, the AI and the software are something that no one else around here has,” he said.
“Even players who have their own coaches come in to train or work on something by themselves and then they can bring their data back to their coach.”
He said there are four instructors, including himself, who hold private lessons and clinics with clients of all ages and skill levels who are trying to improve their game. All of Neustryk’s coaches competed as Division 1 athletes in college.
Roder went from Division 1 at Hofstra straight to the PGA, where he played on the tour in the Carolinas and Florida for about three years. He competed in tournaments and honed his game to the professional level.
He said he took up golf at 15 and competed at Kellenberg Memorial High School, where he became the top player in the Catholic league. He now plays at Garden City Country Club, where he is a member.
“I really fell in love with it right away. I loved playing and practicing, and that’s why I became so good at such a young age, just from dedication,” he said. “That’s why I can relate to some of these motivated younger players.”
