After more than two years of wrangling and negotiating, a small Rochester firm has finally received conditional approval to market its unique golf tool known as Windage, a squeezable golf-ball-shaped device that emits a talc-like powder to indicate wind direction on the golf course.
Golf's governing body, the U.S. Golf Association (USGA), has ruled that the device is acceptable for golfers with severe knee, hip or back problems that makes it difficult for them to judge wind direction the conventional way -- by bending over and grabbing blades of grass to toss in the air.
Windage, the work of Minnesota inventors David Healy and Brian Trachsel, was initially ruled illegal by the USGA as an "artificial device" that might affect play.
At $6 per device, Windage could be a nice little money-maker for Healy and Trachsel. They estimate that one-third of men golfers and more than one-fourth of women golfers suffer from some form of arthritis that makes it difficult to bend over and grab grass blades.
"This legitimizes our product and opens the door to getting into retail shops and golf courses," said Healy. "It'll be nice to pay off our debts."
DAVID PHELPS
