Nov 22

E21's "space shot" publicity stunt ambitious but risky

Two years ago, I was one of the first nationally published golf writer to note the emergence of E21. The Canada-based golf company specializes in golf equipment made from Scandium, the 21st element of the periodic table.

According to the company’s website (one of the most irritating you’ll find), the alloy made from Scandium is 50% lighter and 25% stronger than any known alloy. For this reason, it was used in Soviet military equipment.

Today, it will be used in an utterly goofy publicity stunt by Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, who will exit the International Space Station, tee up a specially designed golf ball on a specially designed tee, and hit it with a gold-plated E21 6-iron. (The gold plating is to ensure that no static charge destroys all of the electrical equipment on board the space station – talk about a shank!).

You have to give it to E21 – this is easily the most far-out golf marketing stunt ever performed (pun intended). I’ve already seen it mentioned on CNN and right here on Ron Mon’s blog (the creep beat me to the punch again!). So it is indeed getting the small company some press.

You know what would create even more buzz? If the club slips from his hand and smashes into a communications satellite (pun also intended). Or if the ball itself, which is only 1/15 the weight of a real golf ball, ends up bashing into another spacecraft or satellite and causing damage. Or if Tyurin happens to die during the space-walk.

The stunt purportedly commemorates Alan Sheppard’s moon-shot 35 years ago, but not really, as that took place in February, and, well, who celebrates the 35th anniversary of anything?

Does anyone recall what sort of a ball Sheppard used? Or did sales of collapsible irons skyrocket after Sheppard’s impromptu stunt?

Not so much.

It’ll be interesting to see if E21’s orbital tee ball ends up as one for the history books, or as just another piece of space junk.

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7 comments

§ Ron Mon® said on : 11/22/06 @ 15:34
Much better blog than mine.
--The Creep
§ William K. Wolfrum® said on : 11/22/06 @ 15:46
Sorry guys, but I thumped you both. Twice. Ages ago.

From Me:

"Now, if you're anything like me, there are only two things in life: One: wacky, possibly cataclysmic outer-space golf promotions, and Two: everything else."

--WKW

http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/william.wolfrum/2006/03/02/russians_make_deal_to_hit_golf_ball_into
http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/william.wolfrum/2006/05/31/what_does_a_guy_need_to_do_to_get_a_golf
§ mike said on : 11/22/06 @ 21:59
Kiel Christianson, You my friend are the biggest idiot loser on the planet. You know what would be great? If you die driving home (pun intended). What would be cooler if someone shot you in the face next time you're grocery shopping (pun intended). Complete loser. :) Does a narrow minded fool such of yourself ever consider this to be educational tool for NASA or the russian space agency. We're hearing everything from 3 days to 3 years in orbit. this is also a great educational experience.
§ CB MAXWELL® said on : 11/22/06 @ 22:30
Geez, the race is on. Who was the "first journalist" to discover E21? I was of course. Secondly, is this the greatest golf publicity stunt since Palmer signed with Callaway? Probably. Does this Scandium product work? You bet it does. Last year 15 of the 30 Tour Championship players were testing it including Davis Love III. Are they gonna shake up the industry this next year? My bet is on the come line. The shafts are extruded, not rolled and welded...they can be tuned to match any head weight of flex characteristic. They reduce shock by about 300%, so for us old guys, you finish 18 and are ready to play 9 more. No pain, no shock. Accurate? Very. Longer than graphite and more accurate than steel. And no, I am not a shareholder...but I would be happy to have some.
§ Ron Mon® said on : 11/23/06 @ 09:00
It doesn't surprise me that Will brags about thumping other bloggers. Word on the street is, he does a lot of thumping.
§ CB MAXWELL® said on : 11/23/06 @ 11:16
HE shanked the shot!
§ Kiel Christianson said on : 11/24/06 @ 13:32
I didn't say E21 wasn't a promising, exciting prodcut. I just said the stunt was dopey. Read what I said about it a couple years ago.

And Mike, you seem to have a lot of bottled up anger. Seek therapy. (And learn the definition of "pun.") BTW, it has nothing to do with NASA. All Russian doing; seeking money for their nearly bankrupt program. Nothing educational about it. Nothing.