The Stick Up: New Product Grabs Captive Audience

By Kiel T. Christianson,
Senior Writer

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL -- Ed Miller believes he is on the cutting edge of a paradigm shift. "Billy Casper Golf Management estimates that within 10 years, 70-percent of courses will be 'cartpath-only'," Miller explains.

Miller's invention, the Stick Up ($27.95), is "especially designed for cartpath-only conditions," according to Miller, whose enthusiasm and commitment could make anyone believe that the plastic, stand-alone, two-club carrier is the best invention since the sand wedge.

The Stick Up does in fact hold a great deal of promise, even for courses that do not restrict carts to the paths. Miller rattles off some familiar, frustrating scenarios: "How many times have you trudged across a fairway to your ball, only to discover that the club you brought was the wrong one? Or even if you brought two or more clubs along, how many times have you set the unused ones down and gotten them wet? Maybe even forgotten a wedge near the green?"

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The Stick Up is elegantly simple. It consists of ABS plastic body with two tubes, a handle that also serves to hook over the side of your bag, and durable flip-out legs that are held against the body by a built-in magnet when not in use. The idea is also elegantly simple: Keep the clubs you need around the green or across the fairway together, dry, and easily accessible. The entire thing is slim enough to slide into your golf bag, and can be hooked on the outside while playing.

I asked Ed Miller about durability, especially of the handle. In response, he literally stood on the Stick Up and pulled with all his strength on the handle, which bent but didn't break. When he was done, the handle eased back into shape of its own accord. "The ABS plastic is stronger and lighter than PVC," Miller explained.

The metal-core legs are gravity- rather than spring-driven, but they flip down and back up relatively easily and quickly. And the sleek black (or white) body of the Stick Up can be emblazoned with company logos for a nominal fee.

Multiple-club models are in the works - for those of us who REALLY don't know what club to play from the far side of the fairway (see below).

My only major concern with the design of the Stick Up was the diameter of the tubes: One of the six putters I tested it with did not fit, due to an oversized grip. The pronounced pistol grip of a second putter did fit, but it was inconveniently tight. The other four putters of various models all slid in and out of the tubes easily.

According to Miller, an attachment is currently in the molding process which will allow you to hold four clubs and any size of grips. The attachment, available June 1 at a minimal cost, will hook on top of the Stick Up, but it will not affect the fit in your golf bag.

The most appealing aspect of the Stick Up in our opinion is its potential to speed up play: It allows you the freedom to split up from the cart while your partner is driving off to his/her ball, so you can both play "ready golf." It also helps eliminate long drives back to past greens to locate forgotten wedges.

And, quite frankly, the paradigm we would most like to see shifted is the horrifying trend toward ever-longer rounds. If the Stick Up can do that, it just might be "the next big thing" for players who choose, or are forced, to ride in carts.

Dimensions
weight: 16 oz.
length: 34 inches
height (when standing): 24 inches

For more information go to www.stickupgolf.com or call toll free 1-866-443-2910.