Whether it comes down to loading up in the tee box or preparing for a major championship clinching putt, consistency is the name of the game for any golfer.
To improve upon that aspect of the sport, Matt Hulbert and his father Paul have developed TALON, a first-of-its-kind golf gadget that, when attached to the end of any golf club, provides the player with a real-time digital reading of four angle measurements important to any pre-swing setup.
“It just takes the guess work out of what we’re doing,” said Paul Hulbert. “You’re not guessing your positions. You’re seeing what your positions are so you can replicate them over and over and over again. It just builds up that muscle memory.”
When wearing the TALON back belt, the golfer will be able to look down at the TALON digital display piece connected to the butt-end of their club and immediately view their spine angle, club shaft angle, club shaft to spine angle, and the rotation angle of the club face all in real-time. Over time, the father and son duo believes that their product will ingrain the proper muscle memory for any player, from the first-timers to the pros.
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“I think the key word is consistency,” said Matt Hulbert. “I think you kind of expect to consistently achieve the same swing.”
So far, so good. The Hulberts have put their product to the test and given golfers across the United Kingdom a crack at using the new piece of technology.
“We’ve probably had it in about maybe 1,000 golfers’ hands and the response has been 95 percent positive,” said Matt Hulbert. “It’s just the simplicity of it. People seem to really buy into that simplicity.”
The instantaneous angle measurements are an aspect of the design that Paul Hulbert believes have the power to catch the eyes of golfers looking to improve their mechanics.
“It’s just that real time,” he said. “You can see – beginners up to professionals – recognizing the value of that information as they’re standing over the ball.”
Understanding that they have to please the golfing community, the Hulbert pairing has spent the last 12 months or so diligently working and re-working prototypes, paying close attention to the user feedback that they received every step of the way either by competitors on the course or at golf exhibitions.
“It’s just a long process of refinement of the product,” said Paul Hulbert. “It’s good because the product just gets better and better.”
Ready to test the mass market, the Hulberts will utilize Indiegogo, a crowdfunding website, to attract some buzz beginning on July 6 in order to fund the production of several of the lightweight, ergonomically designed, and immediate response TALON product. Included in their marketing strategy, the Hulberts will also give away some units to lucky winners who enter into an exclusive contest via their website.
Looking further down the road, the Hulberts have their sights set on mass producing a number of units in time for the holiday rush as well as creating a cheaper, less-dynamic alternative to their current product.
As the father-son team moves forward, they have one thing on their mind in order to please their target audience.
“Let’s get out there quick as possible for them to use it,” said Matt Hulbert.