In 2019, the USA Golf Association adjusted its rules for tournaments, requiring golfers to drop their ball more specifically. When it comes to relief (a golfer placing their ball due to abnormal course conditions), the Rules of Golf now specify that a legal drop is within 20 inches of the ball’s position. But how can a golfer determine if a drop is within this 20-inch mark?
This is the problem that 16-year-old Peyton Robertson wanted to solve, and he, therefore, created the DropStick. This innovation is a rod that acts as an alignment tool but collapses into a diamond shape to create an outline that shows the golfer if their drop lands within the legal 20-inch zone. Because the distance of a drop factors into the legality of the golf game, many golfers added the DropStick to their equipment bag to check the accountability of themselves and their competition.
The new rule that was created in the golf world created a new opportunity, and Robertson was one of the first people to identify a problem with the rule and immediately came up with a solution. Additionally, he created a product that solved not one, but two problems: fixing the alignment of a golfer’s shot and determining whether a drop was legal.
Robertson’s innovation acts as an excellent example of a mash-up of two different tools. He took an existing object, combined it with a new one, and changed the mechanics so that they were cohesive. The problem was clear, and though it wasn’t considered by many golfers, Robertson has inspired me to find small problems that make a big difference and then present the problem in a meaningful way.
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Very cool how he found an area of need and then added the extra functionality of fixing shot alignment as well, just because he could and it would make the product even more worth buying.