Cure for slow golf play cure found at equipment show: Lacrosse on a bike
ORLANDO, Fla. — The annual PGA Merchandise Show is a golf paradise: 1 million square feet of products designed to help hit the ball farther, straighter and less often. There's new clubs, new balls and booths and booths of clothes, from traditional golf duds to crazy prints.
Amid the festival of gadgets and loud pants, the overseers of the game are trying to figure out how to stop the flow of people leaving golf — about 1 million put their clubs away since 2009, according to the National Golf Foundation. Slow play — four hours, 22 minutes per round on average — has been identified as a culprit by the U.S. Golf Association.
“We need faster, easier, more affordable ways to play the game,” 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell said in an interview as he walked the show floor. “Make it more fun for kids. They're the future. We need more people playing.”
There's hope out there, Graeme.
Alex Van Alen, a former high school lacrosse player, started FlingGolf in September as a way to make the sport more appealing to newcomers. His invention allows players to use a club with a small plastic jai alai-style basket on the end to “fling” their ball around the course using swings typically seen in sports like lacrosse, baseball, or hockey.
The 46-year-old says he often runs while playing and can finish nine holes in about an hour. Typical players can “fling” the ball about 200 yards. The product also appeals to course owners seeking a way to generate additional revenue and can reduce maintenance costs because there are no divots in the grass.
His Amesbury, Massachusetts-based company recently added former Boston Celtics general manager, coach and player M.L. Carr as a partner.
“It can get very frustrating learning how to hit the ball, we all know that,” Carr, 64, said. “Anybody can fling it. This is ideal for kids. They can do this.”
On the other side, there's the Groove Caddy, voted best new product at last year's show. It's a hand-held spinning brush that's designed to dig the muck out of the grooves of clubs.
Just don't toss it in your bag and use it after you take a muddy divot. Even the company founder agrees.
“That wouldn't help out with slow play,” Groove Caddy's Jose Espin said. “Using it during play, it's not ideal for it.”
Then there's the product that combines golf with endurance sports, a category that has grown while duffers stay home.
Hop on a Golf Bike, and you could play 18 holes in less than 2 hours, said company founder Todd May.
“It's about time, speed of play, and fitness,” May said. His product retails for $995 and is in use at five U.S. courses. Colorado's Vail Golf Club will have a fleet of 10 this year. “We combined two great hobbies, golf and cycling, into one product.”
Now if everyone would put a FlingGolf club in a bag and hop on a GolfBike, the sport's problem might be solved.