What exactly is Hole More Putts, and how can it help you to do just that… hole more putts?

Well, in short, Hole More Putts is a tool that measures a golfer’s face angle, impact point, speed, path, and angle of attack with the putter and provides recommendations on how to improve his/her stroke.

We spoke with Robert Slade-Baker, Product and Marketing Director for the company.

GolfWRX: Where does Hole More Putts fit in the ecosystem of existing putt analysis tools and software?

Slade-Baker: I would like to start off by pointing out that I will never try and discredit another product. There are a lot of great products out in the market with some fantastic data.

When we started with HMP (Hole More Putts) we were purely focused at the “golfer.” We wanted to provide the golfer with a meaningful tool, that would provide all the relevant feedback that a golfer needs in a manner which is usable. A lot of tools out there focus on data, data, data and forget that everybody that uses the equipment is not necessarily a highly qualified golf professional.

We also wanted to create a “complete-solution” that was not just providing data, but also providing a meaningful diagnosis and analysis of that data, followed by practical video tips and drills to focus on the areas identified through the analysis. Through many years of research, looking at lots of systems out there, we looked at all systems, asked hundreds of people what the perceived faults were with systems and then tried to improve on those. The reality is from a “golfer” perspective, Quintic and SAM Puttlab don’t even come in to the equation, they start at $5k+. So consequently consumers have never really had access to good/relevant putting data at a reasonable price.

GolfWRX: Who is the product aimed at?

Slade-Baker: We believe we have four key markets.

Golfer: The ‘Active Improver’ this is at all handicap levels, whether you are a beginner trying to just understand the dynamics of putting or looking for some marginal gains as an elite player, this product will work well at all levels. Each type of player can take out from the system what they need to improve, whether they want to identify faults in the putting stroke or use it as an effective putting practice tool.

Teaching Professionals: After our first visit to the PGA Show in 2017 and then subsequently in 2018, we were absolutely astonished with the feedback and interest received from golf professionals towards our product(s), the ‘Putting Lesson’ market is desperate for access to relevant putting data at an affordable price, which we provide at a fraction compared to the more expensive systems out there. What’s more when designing our product we listened to both golfers and professionals and asked what they wanted from a system. Hence our unit is completely portable and wireless, usable indoors and out, requires no shaft attachments and takes mere seconds to switch on and start putting.

Colleges/Universities: This is a combo of one and two. Our product is currently being used by a number of colleges/universities and the coaches of a number of international amateur golf teams. The ‘Coaching Subscription’ allows a coach / team manager to manage multiple student profiles, with that their individual diagnosis & analysis. Each student player can be monitored by the college/university or national coach but therein also lies the ability for the player to share the data with his or her own personal golf coach back home, so hence a fairly flexible system when it comes to sharing data around with the necessary people.

Putter Fitting: This is our most recent venture. Ever since we first launched HMP, we were constantly asked as to whether HMP could be used for putter fitting. We went away and took a huge amount of feedback from golf professionals and retailers all over the world, not just whether they would be interested in the product, but what the product needs to do. Many professionals/retailers have tried to create a ‘Fitting Process’ from the tools that are out there, but the same concurring theme appeared time and time again: Current options are to complex, for both fitter and customer. The process takes too long, from pre-setup, calibration and then the process of the actual fitting itself. Finally, return on investment, the overwhelming majority of fitters cannot justify the equipment cost as well as the human/time cost.

Our aim was to provide a fitting solution that was easy to understand for both the fitter and golfer, could be completed in as little as 15 minutes, but flexible enough for the fitter who wanted to extend that out to an hour.

When it comes to both coaching and fitting, we have had lots of pros purchase HMP even though they already have systems with putting included…such as Trackman/Foresight GC Quad, mostly because they don’t want to move those systems from out of there simulator/hitting bay areas. Probably the most remarkable for us is the number of pros who have bought our unit to use with or instead of some of the more expensive putting systems out there…each professional will have their own reason.

GolfWRX: Let’s talk about the price…$599 is it?

Slade-Baker: Pricing is relative to the value proposition of the customer, as for golf professionals, we are seen very much as the cheap option, $599 when compared to $5k – $8.5k. The common misperception is if it is cheaper then it can’t be any good, the biggest single reasons for the difference in price, is we utilize a vastly cheaper technology…in “infrared vs camera and ultrasound,” companies had unsuccessfully been trying to harness infrared for a very long time, our CTO Desmond Burke was able to achieve this, where others couldn’t, so hence we can pass on significant savings!

For the golfer, yes, some will see $599 as a lot of money, because they are not comparing it to similar items. Compare cars for example, you can have a $5k, $30k or $100k car, all will get you from A to B, some will get you there quicker, some run on fuel whilst others on electric, some cars provide more options and features. At the end of the day this technology, with some 4-5 years of R&D behind it will improve the putting stroke of any golfer, regardless of skill level.

You can learn more about Hole More Putts on the company website.