Background: 

The starting point for this project was a putter that was positioned as a performance product- placing it in the highly competitive, international sporting goods market.

 

Performance claims were based on the physical properties of the putter head which was made from native New Zealand timber.

 

Initial research included user trials and interviews to gauge accuracy of performance claims as well as overall opinion of the product. A product survey of the New Zealand golf tourism market was also conducted.

 

Problems and opportunities:

1. Performance claims were subjective and difficult to prove.

 

2. Golf tourism was a growing market in New Zealand with a limited number of unique, locally made products.

 

3. The existing product lacked visual and commercial appeal- especially for tourists. 

 

Key questions:

How can a novelty golf club be repositioned in a more focused marketplace?

 

How can the timber, which is in limited supply, be used in a more responsible manner- aligning it with the clean, green image which tourists tend to associate with New Zealand?

 

If performance is no longer the primary selling point, how can the visual properties of the native timber be emphasised and enhanced?

 

How can the manufacturing process be updated and streamlined to reduce labour and material costs?

 

Final proposal included:

Updated manufacturing techniques which included die-casting the body of the putter head and utilising CAD-CAM processes for the timber insert.

 

In doing so, the amount of hand finishing was greatly reduced along with the amount of native timber required per unit. This not only aligned the putter with the targeted New Zealand, eco-friendly tourism market, but also made it possible to explore more visually appealing shapes.