Why one size shouldn't fit all in golf

A 79-year-old former professional golfer watched his driving distance fall to around 170 meters with age.

Reaching a par-5 green in two was no longer easy. For someone who had spent decades playing golf at a professional level, the loss of distance did more than hurt his pride. It was taking the fun out of the game.

"People say golf is a fair game. I see it as an extremely irrational and unfair game," said Lee Hyung-kyu, CEO of Bang Golf, during an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Wednesday. "It is not a weight-class sport, and everyone has to use standardized equipment. That is the problem. That equipment is made targeting elite players."

The veteran golfer was one of Bang Golf's customers Lee cited to illustrate his belief that recreational golfers should not necessarily be bound by equipment specifications designed around elite players.

That philosophy is now at the heart of Bang Golf's latest business: God's Rod, a premium high-rebound golf ball customized to an individual golfer's swing.

Bang Golf began supplying the ball in Korea in May after about six years of development, according to Lee. Rather than offering the same specifications to every golfer, the company analyzes swing data and adjusts factors including weight, compression, dimple characteristics and size.

"The conclusion is the weight of the ball has to be different for each person," Lee said. "That is how you can produce the best distance and performance."

The concept grew out of Bang Golf's club business. Lee said the company fits clubs based on individual swing data, varying head weight, shaft stiffness and length, grip weight, face thickness and loft.

"We already thought 23 years ago, 'Why do we have to use clubs uniformly?'" Lee said. "Because the effect falls when you do that, we thought individual customization was necessary."

Bang Golf says that by combining different options for each of those variables, the number of possible configurations multiplies to about 20 million. Lee eventually decided the same philosophy could be applied to golf balls.

One ball does not fit all

A conforming golf ball cannot weigh more than 45.93 grams and must have a diameter of at least 42.67 millimeters.

Lee questions why recreational golfers who are not competing on tour need to restrict themselves to equipment built around standardized specifications.

Under Bang Golf's approach, a powerful golfer could be fitted with a heavier ball, while someone with less strength could receive a lighter one. Other characteristics can also be adjusted according to swing and spin data, Lee said.

The company claims God's Rod can increase distance by up to 30 meters and reduce the curvature caused by a slice or hook by about 29 percent. The figures are based on Bang Golf's own research and customer feedback.

Artificial intelligence has also helped accelerate development, according to Lee. About three years into the project, Bang Golf began using AI to search for and analyze research into golf balls and explore ways to diversify specifications.

"There were about 3,000 research papers on golf balls alone," the CEO said. "Before AI, it would have been impossible for us to go through all of them, but AI made it possible to find and analyze the information we needed."

Customer feedback provides another source of data. Bang Golf collects reviews after golfers use their customized balls and uses the results to further refine specifications.

The 79-year-old golfer underwent the same analysis and received his balls about two weeks later. According to Lee, he had played for decades and was already familiar with various nonconforming distance balls.

"Because of this, he felt the joy that he had become 20 years younger," Lee said.

That level of customization comes at a price. God's Rod costs 360,000 won ($260) per dozen, well above the typical sticker price for even premium golf balls.

Top-end market

"Even for the top 10 percent, paying 360,000 won out of pocket for a dozen balls is a burdensome price," Lee said.

Bang Golf is therefore also targeting the premium gift market. Because the balls require fitting, the company offers vouchers that allow recipients to submit swing data or undergo an analysis before their balls are produced.

Production currently takes about two weeks, which Lee hopes to shorten to within a week as orders increase.

Lee stresses that the product is not intended only for older players. Its underlying idea, he said, applies to golfers of different ages, abilities and swing characteristics.

After more than two decades of customizing clubs and six years developing God's Rod, Lee's goal is ultimately simpler than the calculations behind them. If the ball can live up to its lofty name, he hopes its biggest contribution will not simply be adding meters to a drive, but adding enjoyment back to the game.

"I want to make golf a happier game," Lee said.