The Alternative Golf Association today launched the $10,000 Longest Golf Ball Challenge to inspire inventors and engineers to add fun for players of its new game, testing under the name Project Flogton (“not golf,†backward).
AGA founder Bob Zider, himself an inventor of Flexon eyeglass frames and golf clubs, conceptualized and funded the challenge to unleash equipment developers from the United States Golf Association’s conformance constraints. The prize-winning ball will be used for long shots only, and it does not have to have dimples or otherwise look like a traditional golf ball. It must, however, test out for 25 percent more distance for players of swing speeds of 80 to 100 mph than current USGA-approved golf balls do, and meet the criteria listed in the Official Rules.
The criteria include that the ball must roll on impact, have no more force on humans or windows than conforming balls and be marketable at no more than $1 at retail. One dozen of the balls must be submitted to the AGA by the contest deadline of June 1, 2011.