They are the putting aids that saw Paul Waring’s Strokes Gained putting numbers transformed in the space of a month.
Between missing the cut at the Scottish Open last summer and winning the Nordea Masters in his very next tournament, the 34-year-old managed to alter his performance on the greens by a dozen shots.
The difference between having an enforced weekend off and winning €250,000, a trophy and a two-year exemption, was encapsulated in a few pieces of plastic.
Because part of the reason for such a dramatic metamorphosis in Waring’s game was a collection of putting prototypes he was using on behalf of a new company – Spear.Ta
Esteemed Yorkshire golf coaches Graham Walker and Steve Robinson, who work with the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick, had used mocked up versions of their ideas on putting arches, rails and mirrors in their teaching programmes for decades.
But with the help of York engineer Dave Russell, the duo found an outlet to transform the principles that had been in their heads for so long into marketable products.
So they have launched a collection of aids – including putting guide lines, a rail and mirror, along with an arch – and will bring out further short game products in the near future.
Waring’s use of Spear.Ta’s products have created something of a stir for the new firm – which is an acronym of Stroke, Practice, Evaluation, Aim, Research, Training Aids.
That buzz was only heightened when the Wirral player went on a tear with ready to market versions of the products at the start of this season.
He finished tied 6th at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and followed up with tied 3rd in Dubai just a few days later – bagging around €320,000.
“They’re so easy to travel with and weren’t taking up any space in my golf bag,” Waring said of the equipment.
