LEAWOOD, KS. - Feb. 2, 2005 – Accu-Length's official launch at this past week's PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando expanded the company's presence into the golf market in many ways, but there was one accomplishment that the company had only hoped for, but ultimately accomplished.
"We were excited to launch at the show, and knew it would be a success, but couldn't imagine the results we experienced," says Rick Rutter, President, COO and Co-Founder of On-Track Sports, LLC., of Leawood, Kansas, the parent company of Accu-Length. "Winning the Best New Product at the show was the icing on the cake and we want to thank all of those voters who have given us this distinction."
Accu-Length won the Best New Product of the Show in the Equipment Category, competing against other golf club manufacturers exhibiting at the show. Media and buyers attending the show voted on the best new products.
"Winning this award was confirmation of our perception and those of our retailers and customers -- that Accu-Length is in fact a highly unique and innovative product really jumps out in a very crowded field of golf equipment," says Rutter. "As an added benefit, the system offers tremendous cost savings for parents, which we know will help them more affordably introduce their children to the game of golf. We all know that better fit equal better play. Better play equal more rounds in the long run. We look forward to being an integral player in helping expand the game, and this show has really given us a big lift in the right direction."
In addition to winning the Best New Product award, Rutter said that the company opened numerous international and domestic retail accounts. Retailer interest has reached worldwide proportions, from the Eastern U.S. coast to Hawaii, from Canada to Korea, from Japan to Great Britain.
The uniqueness, and the heart of the Accu-Length system, lies in the one-of-a-kind spacer technology that allows the clubs to grow as the child grows. The spacers, which are made from an extremely high-grade special type of aluminum, lock into the shaft. For every two to three inches of the child's growth, an inch of the shaft, in the form of the spacer, should be added to the club.
"I compare our fit to track shoes," says Rick Rutter, President, COO and Co-Founder of On-Track Sports, LLC., of Leawood, Kansas, the parent company of Accu-Length. "Track shoes must fit in shoe size increments (6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, etc.) for them to fit well and let the child run at his or her best speed. We have track shoe fit.
"All of our competitors have an average fit for their junior clubs," adds Rutter. "As the child grows, his clubs are literally shrinking on him and his swing motion and muscle memory are also changing. That's not good! Muscle memory and swing motion should stay the same for the best learning results. Because our product is the only golf equipment that grows as the child grows, it allows swing motion and muscle memory to stay the same."
By fitting like track shoes, Accu-Length breaks the tape with youngsters by having four models, all for children of different heights. The 500 Series (purple), designed for the youngest players, is for children 39 to 47 inches tall and is perfect for beginning golfers. The 1000 Series (yellow) is sized perfectly for golfers 45 inches to 55 inches tall who are just learning the game.
The 2000 Series (red) is for golfers 51 to 59 inches tall and features a stiffer shaft with proper loft for maximum trajectory and loft. The 3000 Series (gray) is for golfers 55 to 62 inches tall. The 3000 has a strong resemblance to adult sets, but has more forgiveness for ease of use.
Each Series comes with a wood, 7-iron, pitching wedge and putter, all made from high-quality stainless steel for durability and quality. In the 500 Series the wood is 24 degrees to make it easier for younger players to get the ball into the air. The wood is 17 degrees in the 1000, 2000 and 3000 Series to ensure playability.
The 7-iron has a standard 36-degree loft in all four series. The putter is heel-toe weighted, guaranteeing that getting the ball to the cup is easy as (1) 000, (2) 000 and (3) 000, as well as 500, of course.
All four Series also come with a dual-strapped carry bag that feature a riser system that guarantees that the clubs will fit into the bag as the clubs are lengthened. Each bag is black with corresponding trim to its model: 500 Series (purple), 1000 Series (yellow), 2000 Series (red), and 3000 Series (gray). Each bag has self-standing legs and a small pouch that holds all spacers and tools that come with each set.
Other standard equipment includes a Product Introduction CD-ROM that includes assembly instructions, sizing information, and a private junior golf lesson from Rudy Duran, Tiger Woods' first golf coach and Accu-Length's official endorser and spokesperson. There is also a sizing chart that measures the child for proper custom fitting; 12, one-inch spacers; a pouch to hold the spacers; two custom assembly tools; and four locking screws.
A variety of other clubs and options make Accu-Length even more attractive to junior golfers, and their parents. Accu-Length has just added a variety of new irons and woods that are now available in single club master packs with merchandising materials available to support retail sales efforts. While Accu-Length clearly offers the junior golfer an outstanding product, it also just as clearly offers it at an outstanding price. The 500 Series is $139.99, while the 1000, 2000 and 3000 Series are $199.99. The 14-degree wood has an MSRP of $59.99. Both the 500 Series Pitching Wedge and the optional 5-iron have MSRPs of $49.99.
That's only part of the financial beauty of the Accu-Length system. Accu-Length benefits its users not just by the minimum expenditure of today, but by the maximum savings of tomorrow. By growing with its users, buyers no longer have to purchase new clubs every year as their child grows. Therefore, Accu-Length grows interest not only in the product but also for the money kept in the bank.
"Instead of buying a new set of clubs each year, Accu-Length's patented and unique spacer system will extend the length of the club and extend the time the child will continue to use them," says Rutter. "That adds up to a lot of savings."
Consider the simple mathematics. Accu-Length has a one-time cost of $199.99 and is designed to last as long as five years as it grows with the junior golfer. Other junior products cost between $130 to $150 per year. So, while Accu-Length costs about $40 per season or $200 over the length of the product's life span parents are spending more than $500 to as much as $750 during the same period on replacing outgrown clubs that never have fit that child perfectly the entire time like Accu-length. .
In Accu-Length, you're saving on a custom-fitted product instead of spending on something that's off the rack. By being custom fitted with a product made with high-quality stainless steel heads and top-of-the-line filament wound shafts, junior golfers are assured of better results and increased enjoyment from their playing.
For more information on Accu-Length contact Mary Deatrick at 407 332-5212 or visit the company's web site at www.acculength.com.
Contact:
Mary Deatrick
(407) 332-5212
mdeatrick@cfl.rr.com
