Laser Putt was developed by a group of international golfers preparing for tournaments who wanted desperately to lower their scores. Since it comprises 40-50% of the strokes of any given round of golf, putting was an obvious area for improvement. But the market offered few truly useful and effective putting aids. Thus began a long and arduous process of experimentation to develop a reliable and consistent training aid to improve the putting game.
Numerous prototypes and variations were exhaustively tested. One design, however, stood out from the rest. Two high-powered adjustable lasers—a green laser for line and a red laser for distance—housed in a small case that could be easily attached to any brand of putter and quickly mastered to provide a wealth of useful putting information to the golfer.
The Laser Putt team remains committed to producing and delivering the most accurate and advanced putting aids to the golf community worldwide.
NEGM: How long did it take to from prototype to finished product?
LP: It took about 1 year to develop an effective working prototype and close to 2 years to get the tooling and specifications correct for a retail-ready product. Part of this process was preparing a 75-page report for the FDA (the CDRH, Center for Devices and Radiological Health) to have the product approved for consumer use. Concurrently, patenting was taking place – which has recently been approved in February 2015.
NEGM: What makes your invention stand apart from all the other putter aids on the market now?
LP: Unlike every other putting aid on the market, from the moment you swing your putter with Laser Putt you can see exactly what your putter face is doing through the entire stroke. Many people, including tour professionals, are quite shocked by the striking visual of their stroke shape — something they have never seen in such a brightly highlighted way before with a Green Laser.
NEGM: What’s the most misunderstood element in putting that often confounds golfers?
LP: The putting principle that backstroke length is the single factor that affects the distance you putt the ball: “The longer the putt – the longer the stroke” — your tempo should always be the same. The only way you should vary your putt distance is through the length of your stroke. This principle is understood and used by virtually all tour professionals.
NEGM: You’ve been to various PGA Tour events showcasing the product. Who’s been using it?
LP: There are currently over 100 PGA Tour players using Laser Putt some of them religiously twice a day. The list includes FedEx Cup winner Brandt Snedeker and former world number one Luke Donald who recently spent 30 minutes collaborating together on the practice green together on the eve of a PGA Tour event.
NEGM: What’s been the reaction?
LP: Phenomenal! Here are some actual quotes from a FedEx Cup champion — “I use it every day: in the morning and at night.” – “The reason I like it so much, is that after training with it — I know my stroke is perfect, so the only way I’ll miss a putt is from a mis-read from either poor line or pace.”
NEGM: Personalized fitting is now a big time item in finalizing club purchases – do you recommend a fitting for a putter prior to using your product?
LP: Actually, some of the top club fitting pros and facilities are using Laser Putt to help in the process of fitting golfers to the most appropriate putters. Nothing gives the fitter and the customer better “Instant Feedback” than watching what both the Green laser and the Red Laser are doing during the stroke. Besides watching the dynamics of the stroke in “Real Time” as a customer swings a putter – by taking a video of a customer striking balls, then the club fitter can see exactly what is happening with the putter clubface all the way through impact. This provides powerful visuals to determine and match up which putters are best for which people.
NEGM: There’s so much clutter today in terms of various teaching aids within golf — how do you plan on breaking through with your message?
LP: The first step was to develop a truly effective product that actually works. Next, we are getting validation from PGA Tour pros – to prove that Laser Putt delivers improved performance at the highest level. Nothing like a $1.5 million pay check to convince you that something works. Lastly, we are building up consistent 5-Star reviews from average golfers on how Laser Putt improves their putting as well. These tasks are made easier when the product is, as one veteran reviewer recently commented, “This is by far the most accurate, useful, training putting aid I have ever seen!”
