RadarGolf claims breakthrough with RFID golf balls
Andrew Penner, 01.25.05

SAN JOSE, Calif. — RadarGolf Inc. on Tuesday (Jan. 25) claimed that its "radar" golf balls performed equal to or better than competitive balls from Titleist, Callaway, Nike and Maxfli.

The tests measured both distance and spin, according to RadarGolf (Roseville, Calif.). The ball also conforms to U.S. Golf Association standards.

Launched in October 2003, RadarGolf has developed a U.S. Golf Association-conforming golf ball that contains a radio-frequency tag. The company's Ball Positioning System (BPS) technology enables a golfer to find a "lost" golf ball via a RadarGolf Handheld device. The handheld device "beeps" when pointed toward the ball. Detection range is 30-100 feet.

BPS combines proprietary radio-frequency and golf ball manufacturing technologies to create the RadarGolf System. The system allows communication between a handheld device and a tiny chip implanted in the core of a golf ball.

The RadarGolf Handheld transmits a specific radio frequency signal that is received and reflected back by the RadarGolf microchip. The handheld provides a visual LCD signal strength display and pulsed audio tone feedback to the golfer looking for their ball.

RadarGolf hopes to bring the technology into the mainstream and has aligned itself with several partners. The company announced that it has selected Philippine manufacturer Integrated Microelectronics Inc. (IMI) to produce the RadarGolf Handheld unit.

As announced in March 2004, Fantom Co. Ltd. is now manufacturing the RadarGolf Ball at their factory in Qingdao, China. Under the RadarGolf agreement, golf balls manufactured by Fantom can be sold worldwide using the brand name of any golf-industry or sports-equipment supplier that purchases a license from RadarGolf.

"Golfers of all handicaps continue to reserve systems and tell us that they would like to minimize lost ball penalties and spend less time looking for balls," said Steve Harari, CEO of RadarGolf, in a statement. "We anticipate that by this fall, one or more leading ball manufacturers will elect to include our BPS technology in their golf ball line to gain a competitive edge."

The RadarGolf System will sell for $249, including a dozen golf balls. A dozen balls only will sell for $39. First shipments are scheduled for June 2005.