LinksPutt

"Developing the LinksPuttT product was a great team effort between Styropack and I. We worked well together and the result is an excellent product at the right price for the marketplace."
Graham Gibbons, creator of LinksPutt

The LinksPutt is an easy-to-assemble indoor putting green that can be used at home to practice putting. Suitable for all standards of golfer it has been welcomed by professionals and amateurs alike - even Colin Montgomerie, one of Britain's leading professional golfers, has one.

The Linksputt was the brainchild of Graham Gibbons, a designer, keen amateur golfer and Director of PIED Ltd: "I was fed up with all the practice mats on the market, none of them were suitable for difficult putts. So PIED decided to create our own contourable, portable green that would make useful home practice a reality."

Graham was experimenting unsuccessfully with a polyester foam base when he was advised to consult Styropack: "At our first meeting we had a very fruitful discussion about the options and they made me some panels made of expanded polypropylene (EPP) to try out.

"The EPP panels worked really well, they are strong and lightweight which was exactly what I needed. I produced a design and Styropack made a prototype to try out. The first prototype was perfect, we didn't have to make any changes, so I ordered the production tool immediately".

The tool was delivered and Styropack began manufacturing the base panels for the LinksPutt. The panels stay flat when raised uniformly from the ground (to create straight up or down hill putts), but can flex when raised non-uniformly (allowing double breaks etc). They simply link together and innovative packing geometry has resulted in a very lightweight compact product at an acceptable price.

The LinksPutt was launched in April 2004 and has received widespread endorsement and recognition from golfing professionals and coaches: "Business is going well," says Graham Gibbons.

"I recently signed a distribution deal with a Hong Kong agent who will be selling the LinksPutt throughout the Asia Pacific. Next week we are filming a TV commercial to broadcast on golf channels in the UK and Europe.

"I couldn't be more pleased with the way that Styropack has helped us to achieve this - the success of the project is a result of the great team work between ourselves and Styropack."

THE BASE PANELS MADE BY STYROPACK MEAN THAT:

The LinksPutt can be assembled in around five minutes

It is lightweight and can be easily packed away into a box

There are no screws, bolts or any form of locking mechanisms

The EPP components are easily pushed together

Contour changes can be effected in less than one minute and there are thousands of possible permutations.