Case Study: ClubKaddy Golf Distance Recorder

Cambridge Design Technology were approached by Peter Englefield, who is a keen golfer.

Peter wanted to develop a new golfing aid which would assist amateur golfers of all abilities in their game. Many golf clubs (rightly so), limit the use of smart phones and clever apps to prevent competitive advantages over players that aren’t using technology in their game, so Peter wanted to develop a handy simple device which would help golfers optimise their playing.

The device is a simple electronic device which allows players on the practice ranges to log their ability to hit a ball a known distance with every club in the iron, wedge and wood ranges.

Having no connectivity functions, the device would comply with all regulations of golf clubs, providing an electronic caddy reference function to optimise play rather than using cyber intelligence to gain a competitive advantage.

Tee off with confidence

As a player improves the kaddy can be adjusted to suit an individual’s ability. The unit converts between yards and metres (if you’re lucky enough to be golfing in the Algarve in m or the Florida sun in yds) and finally, in a non-competitive round where it isn’t necessary to submit a formal scorecard, the unit has a stroke counter, which when you’re golfing in the UK, you won’t have a rain-soaked scorecard or lost pen to deal with.

Armed with ClubKaddy, you can now approach each shot with confidence and use ClubKaddy to recall your ranges/clubs and select the correct club for each shot based on your own personal capabilities.

So how did Cambridge Design Technology help?

The brief from Peter was for a sleek, elegant device that was pocket sized, battery operated, waterproof, maintenance free and easy to use.

Cambridge Design Technology provided a concept and methodology of a low current hardware design configured so that the pressing of the keys would not distort the LCD display. A duty cycle for the operation of the device, over a five- to seven-year period, was configured to work out battery capacity, ensuring longevity of the device.

The next stage was to develop a user interface for the unit. This would need to perform the functions with maximum intuition and minimal buttons. The software was coded and coupled with the mechanical construction. The PCB/Display hardware was designed for volume manufacture. The unit was then prototyped using a manufacturer experienced with small electronic handheld devices, and whose product portfolio includes chip and pin ID devices for online banking for some of the world’s largest retail banks.

The display was custom designed for this application using simple easy to use seven-segment characters and suited to match the sleek design proposals for the product.

The result?

The result is a sleek and modern device enabling up to 8 wood entries, 0-9 iron and pitching, gap and sand wedge recording, yds-m conversion and stroke counter.

The unit has been successfully EMC compatibility and susceptibility tested to EN55032 (EMC of multimedia equipment) and complies with RoHS and WEEE directives. The unit is CE marked and ready for release into the market.

The final product is a direct result of the capabilities of Cambridge Design Technology including:

• Initial mechanical and industrial concept design
• Electronic hardware and software design
• UI design
• Prototyping (electronic/mechanical)
• Design for compliance
• Production engineering
• Injection moulding and tooling design
• Compliance testing
• Low cost region (LCR) manufacturing
• Volume production
• Product visualisation

What next for ClubKaddy?

Peter will now be looking at the options available to manufacture the ClubKaddy. He is also in discussion with various retailers. The future is looking bright.

Do you need help developing your next great idea?

Find out how we can help you with your next product design project. Contact us on 01223 662300.