Gel Golf captures Omega China Tour's Shanghai Championship

HONG KONG -- GEL Golf is celebrating its second tour today following Hsu Mong-nam’s victory in the Omega China Tour’s Shanghai Championship at the Orient Golf and Country Club, Shanghai.

Chinese Taipei’s Hsu, who has spent most of the last decade plying his trade on the Asian Tour, was playing with a GEL Jade putter when he clinched victory in what was his fourth appearance on this year’s Omega China Tour.

Hsu, 34, emulates the success of American Bryan Saltus who secured the US$300,000 Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open on the Asian Tour in December using a GEL Sapphire putter. Saltus immediately gave credit to his GEL Groove Putter for helping him lift his first ever major tour title.

This latest victory, in a tournament where two other players in the top five were also using a GEL Putter, marks another landmark in the short history of GEL Golf which has quickly set out its stall as one of golf’s most innovative technology manufacturers.

Launched just 18 months ago at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, GEL Golf has already brought the huge benefits of groove technology in putters using horizontal precision-cut, aluminium inserts to the attention of the golf industry and media as well as professional players.

The rationale behind groove and insert technology that GEL uses in its putters is based on scientific testing that has proved that the use of groove technology in putters creates instant forward roll on the golf ball, thus reducing the unwelcome effects of skidding and giving a truer roll.

“GEL is extremely pleased to be celebrating its second Tour victory in the space of six months given we only entered the market in 2007,” commented Alec Pettigrew, managing director of Hong Kong-based GEL Golf, following Hsu’s win.

“To have established ourselves so quickly in what is an extremely competitive market and to have secured two tournament wins at such an early stage proves that we have a product that pros not only like to use, but that really benefits their putting.”

Most recently, GEL teamed up with sports biomechanist and putting coach, Dr Paul Hurrion, to produce the GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range of groove putters which were introduced to the international golf market early this year, garnering an overwhelming response.

GEL Golf:

Hong Kong-based golf technology company, GEL Golf’s original range of GEL Groove Putters was launched onto the international golf market in January 2007 at Orlando. Produced in a plated black SQ Nickel finish, the six models (Jade, Emerald, Opal, Diamond, Sapphire and Ruby) with distinctive blue and yellow colourways all feature an aluminium putter face insert, which is softer and more responsive than the stainless steel face inserts of other grooved putters. Of the six models in the 2007 GEL range, two putters come in ladies specifications (in pink and blue) and three in left-handed specifications. Tour professionals were also consulted during the design process which resulted in manufacturing the GEL putters with larger, heavier and more balanced heads, to encourage an even smoother and more rhythmical putting stroke. GEL putters retail at around UK£100.

In 2008, GEL Golf launched the GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range in collaboration with sports biomechanist and putting coach, Dr Paul Hurrion. This range includes four models to date (Rego, Sedo, Sedo II and Scindo). All feature larger inserts to maximise the sweet spot and the incorporation of tungsten perimeter weighting on either side of the putter head to move the centre of gravity higher up the putter shaft. This heel-toe distribution spreads weight through the putter and so increases the MOI leading to improve resistance to twisting on off-centre hits. To complement the putter weighting, Hurrion has used a True Temper S400 iron shaft that is slightly heavier than a standard putter shaft to further enables the weight to be distributed more evenly throughout the putter. The combination aids stability during the stroke and reduces torque if the ball is hit out of the toe or heel at impact. GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range putters retail at around UK£165.

Further information can be found by visiting www.GELGolf.com.

For further information on GEL putters in Europe, please contact Helen Heady of Heady PR, on behalf of GEL Golf, on T: + 44 20 8789 0900: helen@headypr.co.uk. For further information on GEL putters in the USA, please contact Jen Voss of The Sherry Group, on behalf of GEL Golf, at 973-984-3000 ext 124 or jvoss@sherryllc.com.