Product Reviews

Practice Ball Offers Many Opportunities
By BRUCE VITTNER

We just came back from an International Network of Golf (ING) conference at Turning Stone Resort in central New York. One of the highlights of the conference is the chance to sit down one-on-one with a dozen manufacturers, travel destination representatives, and other organizations. It is fodder for good stories and possible trips.

One of the manufacturers that I wanted to see were the folks from almostGOLF. I had picked up a couple of these practice balls at the PGA Merchandise Show, and had been using them in the back yard, and to my wife’s consternation, also using them in the family room.

I love the ball and wanted to find out more about it. I sat with Teddy Durkin, COO of almostGOLF and he told me about how the company had been started by Rob Peterson in 2003 in California. Durkin, who is from New Jersey and had played professionally, got involved in the company when Peterson was looking for investors to market the product globally.

How does a little practice ball get marketed globally? “The ball is really unique,” said Durkin, who told of its solid core, foam construction, limited distance and internal pressure that makes it perform like a real golf ball with spin and trajectory but won’t even break a window.

“We knew it was a great product, but we just had to find new markets for it,” smiled Durkin. There are over 27,000 golf courses and over 300,000 schools in the United States. “We realized that courses with limited practice facilities, golf teachers, and gym classes could make excellent use of our product and we are out to show them the benefits,” he added. Currently the balls are used in over 4,000 schools.

“How great it is to let kids hit these balls without worry about breaking windows or hitting each other,” added Durkin. The ball travels about 30-40 yards, an area easily controlled in a gym class or indoor facility.

One of the coups for the company was to get noted golf instructor and short-game guru Dave Pelz involved with the balls. “There is no more excuses for not practicing,” said Pelz who recommends using them in your back yard or indoors (not family room!) where available. Pelz uses them in his school and is also a distributor of the Point3 Practice Golf Balls.

Tory Upham of Edwin Watts Golf said, “We have the almostGolf balls in all five of our Massachusetts locations. It is an innovative, fun and effective way to stay on top of your game right in your back yard.” More and more stores are carrying the product and it is available in most golf catalogs as well. The balls are also available at Golfers Warehouse in Cranston and in their other stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

With all the talk about growing the game of golf and introducing new people to the game, it seems that almostGOLF has a product that will go a long way in being a catalyst. Just think about how many school children could get introduced to golf right in their school setting. What a great after school idea, and the balls are relatively low cost and you shouldn’t lose them often.

I must admit that my chipping has gotten better with all that practice in the family room. Couldn’t have done that with real balls—at least my wife hopes not. My shag bag now has gotten a lot lighter and I don’t need a giant field to practice. Come to think of it, I never really needed a giant field, but now I don’t have to worry about windows, either. You can find out more about the balls at www.p3golf.com.

Bruce Vittner is a member of the Golf Writers Assn. of America and can be reached at bruce@oceanstategolfinc.com.