My brother actually baked this idea, so I don't know if it officially counts. Basically, take a pitching wedge and attach a fishing reel to it just below the grip (he wrapped electrical tape around the flange of the reel, which is designed to be attached to a narrow pole anyway). In theory, you could use any club, but in practice, the long irons and woods cause some issues with the size of the fishing line needed, the follow through of the swing, as well as the aerodynamics of a tethered ball, and besides who wants to reel in a 300-yard drive?

Next, you'll need to add the little eye-holes that run down the length of a fishing rod (any outdoors-y types out there wanna help out this city kid with some proper terminology here?), about 2 or 3 down the shaft of the club should suffice.

Lastly, drill a hole through the center of the golf ball, and run the fishing line through it, and knotting it back to the fishing line, an inch or two up from the ball.

Swing away! Like I mentioned, my brother did fully bake a prototype of this (great gag at tournaments), and if you hit a shot just past the hole, you can use the flagstick as pulley and reel the ball back into the hole.

For a production model, this would need a better method for attaching the ball to the line, probably a bar going through the ball, to which a line could be attached to both ends (in a way to allow free spinning on that axis). These two lines would then attach to a spinning mechanism in the fishing line (I believe tackle shops already sell something that would allow a hook to spin freely without tangling the line). The two spinning mechanisms would let the ball spin easier (at least on 2 axes).

One final note, if you do decide to make one of these: When you get ready to swing, make damn sure the reel isn't locked, you and your dentist will be glad you double-checked.
-- latka, May 15 2003

Nice. As golfers don't like that much expenditure of effort (the only sport which uses little electric carts to travel around in between brief bursts of activity), the 'de luxe' version will have a power rewind
-- hippo, May 15 2003


eye-holes = eyes
Nice - certainly beats trying to put a wicked backspin on the ball.
-- thumbwax, May 15 2003


Great idea, except that the dentist would probably love to have a few thousand dollars worth of work to do on you.
-- goober, May 15 2003


The problem with this is all of the practice you get will be done with the weight and off-balance of a pitching wedge with a reel hanging off it. That's not going to be very useful when you have a normally balanced PW on the course.
-- waugsqueke, May 15 2003


...and it was not a challenge to drill a hole through the golf ball? Or thread the fishing line through afterward? I don't believe you.
-- lintkeeper2, May 15 2003


//My brother actually baked this idea, so I don't know if it officially counts.// Erm, so Baked then?
-- PeterSilly, May 15 2003


[lintkeeper2] Drilling a golf ball is pretty easy, stick it in a clamp and drill. If you have a drill press at work, all the easier to get it on center. I've seen quarters drilled the long way, although I'm too much of a baffoon to accomplish something like that. Some golf balls have liquid cores, more like a "goo" core, which you'll never get off the drill bit, so I'd suggest a solid core ball.

Speaking of drilled quarters, I used to keep quarters on my keychain (drilled the short way), in case I ever needed to use a payphone, not sure if that would be worth a write up, since: a) everybody over the age 6 has a cell phone these days, and b) I never actually used it, so I don't know if the coins would pass whatever "slug detection" scheme payphones use, and c) I think you need a pocketful of change to use payphone nowadays.
-- latka, May 15 2003


I shall withhold my disbelief then.
-- lintkeeper2, May 15 2003


Hey, what fer you do that? Everybody knows golf balls have a radioactive core which will explode upon tampering.
-- thumbwax, May 15 2003


Baked for putters. I seed 'em me elf.
-- galukalock, May 15 2003


//Hey, what fer you do that? Everybody knows golf balls have a radioactive core which will explode upon tampering.//

As a kid, I sliced a good chunk of flesh out of my hand skinning a golf ball with a scalpel. Hit a joint too.

//Practice a pitch or chip and then reel the ball back in.//

Perhaps an electronic practice club could be made that tells you the shot you would have hit. A dial in the grip/shaft would let you enter the conditions.

Practice shots are legal in golf, and the intention is to groove the swing and get a feel for the hit, but I'm sure they didn't mean for players to have this detailed a feedback.
-- FloridaManatee, May 15 2003


My cousin did that with a putter for a science fair project.
-- Nemmy, Dec 29 2004



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