SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2013

Golf skateboard aims to rejuvenate ‘old man’s sport’

MALIBU: Skateboarders and golfers may not normally designed so that, even for a heavy golfer weighing acknowledging: “It’s certainly more challenging when have much in common, but a US entrepreneur hopes more than 250 pounds on a very hilly course, it can go you take the bar off.” The company was helped with to appeal to both sporting types with a new device at least 18 holes. It can reach speeds of up to 12 miles funding and marketing by crowd-source investment that lets you “surf” the fairways. The GolfBoard, per hour, roughly the equivalent of a golf cart. Not website Kickstarter, where backers earned the right to demonstrated at a recent charity event in California, everyone is convinced, even though the device has yet get one of the first boards off the production line. looks like a large motorized skateboard but can com- to be widely available for people to test out. “This is at Beyond the market for individuals, Hodge says they fortably carry a golfer and his clubs around 18 holes, best a gimmick, and I can’t think of a single course I are targeting golf courses with leasing arrangements, according to its makers. play at which would even allow such a thing on the much like for golf carts. The innovative device aims to replace the golf cart course,” said one user of online golf forum thesand- Golf professional Chris van der Velde, who played as the smart way to get around a course, speeding up trap.com. on the European tour, owns a course in Oregon and is the game and offering players a snowboard-style work among the first to lease 20 boards initially for six out in between playing shots. “It will do for golfing ‘DON’T GET BORED’ months, to gauge interest from his club’s golfers. “I what snowboarding did for skiing,” said Don Wildman, “Their liability insurance policies alone would pro- think it makes golf a lot of more fun, a lot more inter- a 80-year-old fitness club founder and Malibu resident hibit it,” he said, while another commented: “I’m not esting between shots .. it will intrigue people who like who came up with the idea, giving a stark assessment sure where you come from, but in NY most people can to surf, or snowboard or skateboard. You certainly of golf’s current appeal. “It’s an old man’s sport. I know barely manage to get on an escalator without killing don’t get bored,” he said. Wildman, founder of nation- if I had kids, they would really like to come out and themselves and others.” But Hodge said he already al health club chain Bally Total Fitness, said young play golf if they got to ride around on... an electric has orders for 2,000 GolfBoards, and mass production people need to be lured onto golf courses again. skateboard,” he said in the clubhouse of the Malibu of the devices-which retail at $3,500 each-will begin in “They’ve got so many distractions, with all the Country Club. January, with a capacity of 1,000 a month. “Now we’re GameBoys and videos and everything else. We’ve got Paul Hodge, who heads the company that makes moving to mass manufacturing to fill the demand that to get something exciting for them that will get them the device, is even more blunt. “If you really want the we’ve created,” he said, noting that the GolfBoard is away from the television,” he said. And he predicted industry to grow, and to be accepted by the mass mar- made entirely in the United States, in New Jersey, boldly: “I think that eventually the majority of people ket, you need to kill that stodgy conservative attitude... apart from a battery cell from South Korea. The target will be playing golf on a GolfBoard.” But van der Velde and you need to make it fun... and attract the younger users are aged 15-40, he said. “But we’ve had a surpris- was more measured, acknowledging that there could crowds,” he said. “Forward-thinking people in the golf ing interest from golfers much older than that. The be skepticism from more conservative or older players. industry right now realize you can’t focus on what was standup (handle) bar that we’ve added makes it easy “I’m not sure it’s a traditional game-changer,” he said. the game like 100 years ago. You need to focus on, for anybody to ride .. that’s really opened up the “Some people will push back. Some people won’t like what’s the game going to be like in the future?” demographic. it because it’s different. They didn’t like going from The board, 15 inches wide with 3.5 inch wide tires, “So you don’t need to have a really strong athletic wooden clubs to metal heads. So it’ll push people can ride up to 36 holes without a recharge. It is background to be able to ride it,” he added, while back. “But it’s pretty cool.” — AFP

SCOREBOARD

Scoreboard at the close of play on the second day of the third test between New Zealand and West Indies at Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday. West Indies first innings (overnight 289-6) K. Brathwaite c Williamson b Southee 45 K. Powell c Watling b Wagner 26 K. Edwards c Watling b Southee 6 M. Samuels c Williamson b Anderson 0 S. Chanderpaul 122 N. Deonarine lbw b Anderson 2 D. Ramdin c Watling b Anderson 107 D. Sammy c Watling b Southee 3 S. Narine b Boult 2 V. Permaul c Fulton b Southee 20 T. Best c Watling b Sodhi 25 Extras: lb-6, b-2, w-1 9 Total: (all out, 116.2 overs) 367 Fall of : 1-41 2-77 3-78 4-82 5-86 6-286 7-296 8-307 9-332 10-367 HAMILTON: Peter Fulton of New Zealand (center) bats during day two of the third international Test match Bowling: Boult 26-2-84-1 (w-1), Southee 28-3-79-4, between New Zealand and the West Indies at the Seddon Park yesterday. — AFP Wagner 21-4-67-1, Anderson 19-3-47-3, Williamson 5-0- 17-0, Sodhi 17.2-0-65-1 Narine proving handful - - New Zealand first innings P. Fulton c Sammy b Narine 11 H. Rutherford c & b Sammy 10 as NZ build in Hamilton K. Williamson lbw b Narine 58 R. Taylor not out 56 B. McCullum not out 11 HAMILTON: Off-spinner Sunil Narine was already indicating he would Narine coming back into the team and the variation he offers and I Extras: nb-2, b-6, lb-2 10 be a factor later in the game as he put New Zealand’s batsmen under think the guys have found it challenging. “For the rest of the batsmen Total: (for three wickets, 64 overs) 156 immense pressure on the second day of the third test yesterday before tomorrow it’s about getting set, getting in, getting a good look at him Fall of wickets: 1-18 2-43 3-138 the hosts finished on 156 for three at the close of play. Narine, who has and as Ross showed you can score runs against him.” Still to bat: Corey Anderson, BJ Watling, Tim Southee, Ish now taken 14 of his 17 test wickets against New Zealand, captured the Sodhi, , Trent Boult. key of Kane Williamson shortly before the close as the 23-year- BRILLIANT CATCHES Bowling (to date): Best 9-1-29-0 (nb-1), Sammy 10-5-17-1 old batsman had seemed well set with to capitalise on the New Zealand’s innings started badly when openers Hamish (nb-1), Permaul 23-4-59-0, Narine 22-9-43-2. third day at Seddon Park. Rutherford (10) and Peter Fulton (11) were both dismissed by two bril- Taylor was 56 not out, taking his series tally to 418 runs, while cap- liant Darren Sammy catches. Rutherford was the first wicket to fall tain Brendon McCullum was on 11 at the close with the hosts still 211 when drove back to the West Indies , who plucked the ball cen- as it looked like New Zealand would be well set to make the most of runs behind the visitors’ 367. had earlier timetres above the pitch on the first stride of his follow-through. He ideal conditions expected on Saturday, Narine trapped brought up his 29th test and became the sixth highest test run then took a brilliant reflex catch in Narine’s first over when Fulton pro- Williamson in front for 58. scorer of all time as he moved to 11,199 runs when he finished 122 not duced a leg glance off the full face of the bat only for Sammy to some- Williamson reviewed the decision though tracking technology out after the tourists added 78 runs to their overnight 289-6 before how take the ball low down at leg slip. indicated the ball would have clipped the top of leg stump, giving the being dismissed. Narine was causing all sorts of consternation for Williamson and visitors a slender advantage as they seek to draw the three-match Former West Indies batsman Brian Lara is in fifth place on 11,953 Taylor before tea as the 25-year-old coaxed several false shots with his series 1-1. “We’re only a couple of hundred runs behind with Ross well while the recently retired Sachin Tendulkar tops the list with 15,921. variation and flight. The third wicket pair, however, changed their set, so if we can get 100 runs ahead then it will still be difficult for “We are probably behind the eight ball a little bit having to bat last on approach after the interval, rotating the strike by working the ball them as well,” Bond added. “We are going to have to play some good this wicket and the wicket taking some turn,” New Zealand bowling around the field for singles and ensuring they did not get bogged cricket to win this test match... the first two sessions tomorrow are coach told Radio Sport. “There was a lot made of Sunil down facing either Narine or Veerasammy Permaul over after over. Just looking huge.”— Reuters