Take the case of Accu-Length, a line of expandable junior golf clubs and accessories made by Kansas-based OnTrack Sports. Co-founder, president and COO Rick
Rutter was on the golf course one day, talking to one of his regular playing partners about how expensive it was to keep all his children outfitted with the right-sized golf clubs.
"I have two sets of twins, and you're talking to a guy who's 6-foot-8," Rutter said. "They were just growing through these things like crazy."
Rutter decided to do something about his dilemma, engaging the engineer father of a friend to help develop an idea for junior clubs that changed with the child, allowing use for several seasons.
Accu-Length clubs feature three different technologies, all which seem simple but actually incorporate a lot of thought and technology.
The first is a threaded, 1-inch spacer that can be screwed into the center of each club's shaft as a child grows.
"We made the spacers one inch for a very specific reason," Rutter said. "One inch accommodates 2-1/2 inches of height growth, which is the average amount of height a child in the U.S. grows each year. "There is a maximum of four spacers per club, so you can get four to five seasons from one set of clubs."
Second, the clubs have a straight shaft that incorporates the spacers without adding extra weight. That piece was especially challenging, as Rutter wanted to use a graphite composite shaft for better loft and control.
"With a steel shaft like True Temper, the interior of the shaft is very linear. You can cut it open and put receptacles on each side of the opening," he said. "But a graphite wall is not consistent, therefore you can't make a consistent piece to fit into it. We had to find a way so the pieces go in straight every time. The shaft is actually made in two separate pieces."
Those two pieces connect with the help of the third piece of the clubs' technology -- a system that allows the club to be locked together and unlocked again as needed, to add spacers or remove spacers. Again, the system took time and planning to develop.
"We found that the threading would start to unwind on you," Rutter said. "A right-handed player -- which is 90 percent of our market -- would actually unloosen the threads over time. We thought reverse threading would help. But heel hits and so forth could still affect it. So we have a hardened steel pin designed to prevent the spacers from moving. Once you thread them together, you take this little pin and it goes into the spacer. It's simple and removable."
Parents who buy the clubs can determine the right clubs for their children by using a chart on the packaging. The clubs are sold to be used right out of the box by kids who do not need the spacers; over time, the spacers can be added as the child grows. Professionals or clubfitters may assist with determining how many spacers are needed.
Besides a cost savings -- use of the clubs over the four to five seasons recommended will save from $400 to $700 over the life of the set -- the Accu-Length system ensures children are using clubs that are fitted to their size and are not too heavy. This means more consistency and increased comfort because the clubs always work optimally.
"With our clubs, once you develop the correct swing motion, it stays with you," Rutter said. "Most adults can sympathize with how tough it would be to get your game going when your clubs shrink three inches every year, or just as you get comfortable with a set of clubs you have to switch."
And it is not just youth players who are adopting the clubs. Rutter said that Accu-Length's overseas sales may exceed those of the U.S. market by next year, based heavily on sales to smaller adults.
"In other countries adults are using our clubs," Rutter said. "You have a shorter Asian woman, and the professional can fit the clubs to her exactly and then they don't change. We hadn't anticipated that market when we started."
The downside to the clubs? They don't conform to U.S. Golf Association standards. For most youth players, this will never be a problem unless they begin to play USGA-sanctioned events. But even that could change.
Rutter said he had spoken to a USGA official about future rules changes that could change the status of Accu-Length,
"But we don't get asked that very much," he admitted. "A tournament official could make a local rule (to allow use) if it is not a USGA-sanctioned event. Tournament play is such a small part -- the majority of what we do is sell clubs that fit kids so they can go play with their buddies."
Accu-Length currently makes four models of clubs for kids of different heights.
- The 500 series, which is color-coded purple, is for children from 39 to 47 inches tall.
- The 1000 series, which is yellow, is for golfers 45 to 55 inches.
- The 2000 series, which is red, is for golfers 51 to 59 inches and has a stiffer shaft for maximum trajectory.
- The 3000 series, which is gray, is for golfers 55 to 62 inches and is closest to an adult set, but easier to use.
Each series includes a 17-degree fairway wood, 7-iron, pitching wedge, putter - all made of high-quality stainless steel -- and golf bag. As well, buyers get a CD that includes assembly instructions, sizing chart and a lesson from Rudy Duran, Tiger Woods' childhood coach.
Rutter says a few changes are planned for the Accu-Length models. First, the way the clubs are sold will change to take advantage of customer feedback and make spacers available outside of the series kits.
According to Rutter, the company will also introduce new hybrid clubs at upcoming PGA Fall Expo in Las Vegas.
"As simple as things look, there's a lot behind it," said Rutter of Accu-Length clubs. "People are finding that this really works and it's not a gimmick."
