New brands hit the market place every year. With direct to consumer being more accessible, a product can go from idea to available in seemingly no time. As each one comes to the forefront, we find ourselves asking a myriad of questions centered around the who, what and why.
When Pinned Golf started popping up on social media, they seemed different. Fresh. Bold. Maybe even a little edgy in a world of golf where none of those things are common in the tech space. Colorful, but more than just style, a device people use and it was just a little bit different from others.
10 years or so ago, golf balls were the common theme in direct to consumer models, all proclaiming to be “as good as ABC golf ball, for a fraction of the price”. Putting on our decoder ring, much of that was (and still is), buying an available product straight from the factory and stamping a logo on it. The problem for much of this, is how can you expect to know what is in the package and golf ball, if the company having a logo stamped on it doesn’t.
The product du jour in a lot of ways currently, are lasers. The distance measuring device market is an important one and still fast growing, and with market share leaders charging hundreds more than others, you ask yourself similar questions. It’s important to note that not all of the devices coming out with discounted price points are the same. Fill in the blank Amazon device with an oddly translated name didn’t go through any testing. Didn’t get used by people on a course to make sure it functions properly. This is what led me to Pinned Golf, because it did seem not only different, but everybody that we knew who tried one, said it worked great.
Wanting more info, we first went to the website and learned that The Pinned Golf Boys, which sounds more like a bad 90s boy band, had this company come to fruition on the President’s Golf Course in Quincy, MA. For those that do not know the area, Quincy is outside of Boston and pronounced Quinzee. Like most “About Us” website sections, only so much info is available, so we went right to the source and talked to Alec Lorenzo about how it all came together 5 years ago. Alec expanded.
“Who wouldn’t want to work in golf?! We all grew up playing the game and always knew we wanted to work in sports. When the opportunity presented itself to jump into the golf world, we didn’t hesitate.”
He’s right. Bridging the gap between passion for a sport or hobby and profession is what many dream about, so the three friends decided to research. Even from the start and the first product, it was more than just a product. It was about a brand, a beginning, and a way to create something and kicked it all off, while still helping in a philanthropic way (more on that below). Why lasers? Alec offers some insight.
“We started with rangefinders due to the fact that we didn’t want to spend $500 on the latest Bushnell. We were a few years out of college and between rent, student loans, car payments, groceries, etc., paying that type of money for a rangefinder was out of the question. When we realized that there wasn’t a high quality but affordable option on the market, we decided to see what it would take in order to make one ourselves and create a brand around it.”
This brings us back to earlier in the article. Lasers. The latest product that has hit the Amazon store fronts promising incredible accuracy and durability for the fraction of the cost. Sadly, most of that isn’t true. Companies should be testing, prototyping and creating or choosing something that they believe in and believe golfers will want.
Where does Pinned Golf fall on this spectrum? On the right side, and Alec explains.
“We tested countless prototypes over the course of a year to dial in on exactly what we wanted. Once we had an idea of what we were looking for, we diligently worked with our engineering team to make sure the final product exceeded our expectations. As technology continues to improve, we are constantly working with our engineers to improve our products.”
Five years ago, these three friends created Pinned Golf. Within that time period it has gone from side hustle to the job that they wanted and they are having fun doing it. This is because they didn’t stop with the Prism and aren’t going to stop with Dart. Before going on, let’s talk a little bit about the Prism laser.
At the time of this writing, the Pinned Golf Prism is selling for $229. Feature rich, heavy on style and the most important part…It works. And well.
Is the Pinned Golf Prism packed with the most features in the space? No. But it has just about everything someone would need and then some, and comes with USB-C charging, so no need to carry an extra battery in the bag. It also goes back to what Alec shared above, that spending $500 wasn’t warranted, let alone possible.
The Prism packs some punches. Moderately fast, incredibly long range and like everything else with Pinned Golf, it’s bold!
With the Prism firmly in the market place and continuing to gain traction with each user testimony, the company released another product. Alec expands on what came next.
“We are going to continue to innovate within the golf tech vertical. We recently released our Dart Magnetic Golf Speaker and the feedback has been amazing. The size, the sound, and the super strong magnet makes it the perfect addition to anyone’s bag.”
The speaker packs a punch. It also fits right into just about any pocket in your bag. Full charge easily lasts a round and recharging is a breeze and pretty darn fast. Two color options currently exist and at the time of this writing, the Dart was $50. Pop it out, stick it to the side of the cart with a magnet and pairing is super easy.
Here we are, two products in the lineup and Pinned Golf is in the vertical golf technology space and will continue that way. What separates them? The obvious are their products, but the three owners do a bit more than that. There is a philanthropy side that caught our attention. Not because they don’t speak about it, but because it is not “in your face” as if it’s the meaning of the business. Pinned Golf wants to grow the game of golf. They also want to build a successful brand through their products. This is a fantastic scenario that works in every way.
There is a trade in program called Fore the Kids and we really like this idea. Alec explains more.
“We are always looking for ways to give back and bring a philanthropic aspect to our business so we decided to roll out our Fore The Kids Program. This is a rangefinder trade-in program where we take golfers’ old rangefinders regardless of the brand, refurbish them, and donate them to the kids of the First Tee. To thank the golfers for their donation, we give them a huge discount on our rangefinders. It’s truly a win-win-win!”
This brings us back full circle. The company is off and running. The growth has accelerated with each passing year and Pinned Golf seems poised to continue to make a splash both in bold designs as well as more products to continue to increase their overall options for golfers. They believe the future is bright and with their take on devices, there is no reason to have any doubt.
Where will the company be in five years? We asked Alec to grab his crystal ball and give us some insight on where Pinned Golf is heading.
“In 5 years Pinned Golf is still one of the leading players in the golf rangefinder space. We will have an expansive product line that offers rangefinders, speakers and other tech products.”
We will have a lot more on the Pinned Golf product line coming soon. For more information on the Prism or the Dart, check out their website at www.pinnedgolf.com. And if you have an old laser lying around, consider the donation to Fore the Kids. You will get a nice discount on a new device and help grow the game.
