REVIEW: BubbaWhips Alignment Sticks

PUTTING THE HICKORY BACK IN THE BAG

It is rare to come across a product in golf that we haven’t seen before. Metals, color, shapes and sizes have been recreated for decades. For those who know golf, you know Hickory was the wood of choice for a shaft in a golf club until the 1920’s. It is light and whippy (no pun intended), but hard to judge the flex. That is why steel jumped into every club as the shaft of choice. It has been nearly a century since Hickory was used regularly in golf clubs. (Yes I know there is still a society of hickory players and manufactures, but they are probably less than 1% of golfers) Fast forward and in steps BubbaWhips, hickory alignment sticks will put hickory back in your bag.

Erik Heltne, the owner and inventor of BubbaWhips tells us, the idea was born one cold winter Minnesota day in 2017 at the clubhouse bar. Using nicknames for his two boys, Bubba and Whip, a name and idea took flight. Thinking about the vintage or retro look in golf, Erik thought about how we practice and wondered if alignment sticks could be turned back in time.

I know what you are thinking, why not just go to the hardware store and grab a couple neon color sticks and hit the range. Well, that isn’t very retro. Erik grabbed some wooden dowels instead to see if he could make them look retro. The idea was to create a unique and classic product to bring hickory back to golf. From that point, it was putting the idea into action, thus the creation of BubbaWhips.

BubbaWhips are a Minnesota made product, made by a canoe paddle company south of the Twin Cities. Each stick is hand painted and finished in Minnesota with careful detail.

Specs
– Constructed of genuine 3/8″ hickory
– Weather sealed matte finish
– Silver nail cap
– Length: 45″

Standard Colors
– Red, White and Blue (Old Glory)
– Green and Yellow (Amen Corner)
– Black and White (Black Knight)
– Green and White (Lily Pad)
– Pink and White (Ltd. Edition for Cancer Awareness)
– Various Colors for Custom Order

One of the first events to help get BubbaWhips on the map came in early September 2018 with The Gopher Invitational Tournament. BubbaWhips were a tee gift for 14 Collegiate teams, in corresponding team colors, including teams such as Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Putting the hickory BubbaWhips Alignment sticks in the bag of top collegiate players from across the country and the world was a perfect fit for a Minnesota made product and the top Minnesota University Golf program.

The biggest stage in golf outside of a Major is where we found BubbaWhips making another appearance, The 2018 Ryder Cup. Erik was able to get BubbaWhips in the hands of Claude Harmon III, who coaches several players on the U.S. team, including Ricky Fowler. Another connection was made with Sam Torrance, former Captain of the European team and it led to BubbaWhips being put in the bag of the best players in the world on both teams.

So less than a year ago, this novel idea went from a discussion at the bar, to the greatest golfing stage there is. The sky may be the limit for BubbaWhips, but the plan is to remain a unique and classic way to Put Hickory Back in the Bag. With the holiday season coming fast, BubbaWhips is a perfect gift idea for the golfer who appreciates the heritage of the game. At $49 a pair with color options, it will be a great stocking stuffer.

Check the price online here

For more information: www.bubbawhips.com

Quick Hits:
+Retro cool
+Help your game
+Quality product
+Custom options

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