'Radar' Golf Ball Developed

BizJournals.com
October 14, 2003

The sins of the slice, the horrors of the hook and the mysterious depths of the rough where few ever tread will cause golfers less angst soon with development of a golf ball that can be located from the comfort of the golf cart.

Los Altos-based RadarGolf Inc. on Tuesday revealed its new system for finding golf balls that it says will enable players to locate shots within seconds, enabling duffers to avoid many two-stroke "lost ball" penalties and enjoy a faster pace of play.

The system consists of a U.S. Golf Association-conforming golf ball that contains the company's radio-frequency "tag" plus a compact ball finder unit that attaches to a golf bag.

The handheld ball finder "beeps" when pointed at the ball and is effective at a distance of 40 to 100 feet, says Steve Harari, CEO of RadarGolf.

Mr. Harari says the electronic tag is included in the ball when it's made and can be included in any standard construction commercial golf ball. The company has been meeting with major manufacturers to license the technology and resell the handheld units, he says.