Silly Little Country

Golf and the Speed of Play

I am an enthusiastic and consistently pretty incompetent golfer (my best rounds are high 80s, low 90s, and they are punctuated by numerous much larger scores). I am also a fairly fast-moving golfer.

The Golf Channel is running a fascinating infomercial for something called the SkyCaddie, which seems to me to involve some rather odd marketing angles.

Now the product itself is right up my alley - it uses GPS to provde the golfer with an analysis of distances and options. A geek will love the idea of applying high technology to the knotty problem of bad golf scores.

The ad features appealing spokesfolk - Peter Jacobsen is always a delight and Natalie Gulbis is a very pleasant feature.

The product's features sound great - basically it will improve your play. Like all golf devices. But the ad also features the claim that it will speed your play! This I find remarkable. I have never met a golfer who thought his play should be faster. It is the group in front that needs to play faster. Is the idea then that we shoul buy four SkyCaddies and give them to the group ahead of us? I remain puzzled.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 5:30 PM