Sweet dreams are made of Laird Hamilton’s Golfboard

I really don’t know what my life would be like without Laird Hamilton. At the very least, there would be a rather large void. Who else in this world has the fearlessness and innovation to pioneer the realm of hybrid crafts with such panache? Evidenced here by: The Golfboard. In the same sentiment as the wake/snow/catamaran miracle that is the Hydrofoil, Laird has gifted the world another collaborative effort, the Golfboard. Yeah, ok, he didn’t invent it per se, though he sure gave it a firm but gentle push into the marketplace. What it is though? Exactly what it sounds like. A motorised skateboard-esque vehicle with large, grass-friendly tyres that lets the rider get rad on the course between swings. It looks like a mini golf buggy. For surfing da green. It all started when Don Wildman (founder of Bally Total Fitness) wanted to ‘get in some turns’ on his local Malibu course with his electric skateboard. But as he soon learnt, an off-the-shelf, one wheel drive skateboard wasn’t safe or powerful enough for some of the steeper fairways. But once he told Laird about it, the surf king wouldn’t rest til it was a reality. Fast forward a few years of “intense design and testing,” and we have a “product specifically for golf that was powerful enough to carry a golfer and gear for 18 holes, yet gentle enough on the turf that even Golf Course Superintendents eagerly welcome the concept.” Life, eh?

style // Mar 8, 2016

Words by stab

Reading Time: < 1 minute

I really don’t know what my life would be like without Laird Hamilton. At the very least, there would be a rather large void. Who else in this world has the fearlessness and innovation to pioneer the realm of hybrid crafts with such panache? Evidenced here by: The Golfboard.

In the same sentiment as the wake/snow/catamaran miracle that is the Hydrofoil, Laird has gifted the world another collaborative effort, the Golfboard. Yeah, ok, he didn’t invent it per se, though he sure gave it a firm but gentle push into the marketplace.

What it is though? Exactly what it sounds like. A motorised skateboard-esque vehicle with large, grass-friendly tyres that lets the rider get rad on the course between swings. It looks like a mini golf buggy. For surfing da green.

It all started when Don Wildman (founder of Bally Total Fitness) wanted to ‘get in some turns’ on his local Malibu course with his electric skateboard. But as he soon learnt, an off-the-shelf, one wheel drive skateboard wasn’t safe or powerful enough for some of the steeper fairways. But once he told Laird about it, the surf king wouldn’t rest til it was a reality.

Fast forward a few years of “intense design and testing,” and we have a “product specifically for golf that was powerful enough to carry a golfer and gear for 18 holes, yet gentle enough on the turf that even Golf Course Superintendents eagerly welcome the concept.”

Life, eh?

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