Polara Year in Review: Player Praise, New Drivers, and Beyond

Having critics praise your work is nice. But having consumers praise your work is better. Especially for the third straight year after our budding golf company first went viral.

“These balls have taken 10 strokes off my game, easy,” one of 300 Amazon reviewers said earlier this year. “I will NEVER play another ball.”

“These definitely work,” said another, speaking of our Ultimate Straight balls. “My first shot off the tee was straight and so were the rest of my shots. Truth in advertising for a change!”

Since our self-correcting golf balls are the first of their kind, the majority of user and media reviews, including Fox News and ABC News - not to mention the USGA - are understandably impressed by our results: 75% auto correction. Straight drives. Faster rounds. Less money. More fun.

“Regularly having birdie and par putts is what it's all about,” says Michael Shimazu of New Hampshire, in his thoughtful product review. “Use these balls and feel like a pro while enjoying the course you’re playing. I highly recommend them.”

Admittedly, one of the minor critiques of our balls have been the slight loss in distance. It’s a physics thing; a trade-off for the auto correction. But when used properly, players can more than make that up, says another reviewer.

“I've read that you lose some yards on drives with these (balls), but I was able to put more muscle into my drives (knowing it would fly straighter) to get more distance. As a result, I gained 25 more yards per drive. Normally, more muscle means a slice or hook, but not with these.”

Another critique is that our equipment doesn’t conform to the professional rules of golf, which is precisely the point. Our balls and clubs are designed for the 85% of golfers that play for recreation and have no intention of entering sanctioned events and tournaments.

With a little soul searching, however, that’s not an issue either, adds another. “I was skeptical about playing a non-conforming ball at first, but considering the fact that I will never compete in an amateur or professional tournament, I decided to try Polara. Simply put: These balls are absolutely amazing! I had a legitimate shot at 33 on the back nine my first day using them, and I continually break 80 most days with this ball. I am now a Polara customer for life.”

Since their debut, Polara balls average 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer. That’s no easy feat, so we’re honored and inspired by the genuine, end-user praise.

Same goes for our new Advantage Drivers, which were well received upon their release earlier this year - including by the press - not to mention sold out for much of it.

“I recently bought the Polara Advantage Driver and two dozen balls,” says Jim Gularek of Massachusetts. “The first two rounds I played, I hit all but one fairway and my drives were 10 to 20 yards further than before. I sold my TaylorMade driver.”

And another. “I just started to play golf four years ago and have taken many lessons,” says Barbara Howard from Florida. “Since playing with the Polara Ladies Advantage Driver, my friends can't believe how much better my drives are now. I am 72 years old and loving the game of golf.”

Doug Coope of Ontario says his Polara Advantage Driver has completely overhauled his game. “I received my driver about a month ago and have been simply amazed with the change to my game. I am a weekend hacker at the best of times, but the change has been unbelievable. I am 50 years old and hit straight almost every swing now. The Polara Driver also boosts my confidence with other clubs in my bag to make the game more fun and my rounds shorter. It’s magic! I am enjoying this golf season like never before.”

Comments like that is why we do what we do here at Polara. In addition to making a living, our goal all along has been to help others enjoy the game we love as much as we do; the game of golf.

The good news is—whether elitists like it or not—that’s happening. “I am just a recreational golfer and never really cared about playing anywhere nice because of my horrible game,” concludes Shimazu in his product review. “Now I am buying a new driver, setting up golf trips, and saving for a new set of irons all because of a golf ball—The Polara Golf ball. Golf Digest talks about getting people back into the game and for me this is it. Make the game fun and allow us to feel like a pro sometimes. Polara does that.”

In addition to continued praise and our new driver launch, here are some other things the Polara team accomplished this year: We signed John Daly as a company ambassador, we proudly applied for non-conforming status, and we continued our market research documenting the rise of the recreational golfer.

So what’s next for the company in 2014? Rumor has it a ball stopping wedge and hole-sinking putter.  Actually, these are more than rumors because the Polara prototype wedges and putters were demoed by the golf press and select golfers this summer. As a company, it’s the logical next step in helping recreational players enjoy the game more; first with our self-correcting balls and distance drivers, next with our ball-stopping wedges and hole-sinking putters.