TCaddy

Ian Nelson
www.tcaddygolfer.co.uk

A Wear Valley man has invented a new accessory to help a round of golf go with a swing. Ian Nelson from Willington has designed a portable caddy to carry the vital components for a round of golf. The TCaddy holds golf balls, tees, a retractable pencil and a divot repair tool and it clips on to your belt, so they are all in one accessible place.

A keen golfer, Ian decided to find a solution to problems players face when they are out on the course. “I wanted to take away the hassle and inconvenience of having to go through your bag or losing pencils,” he said. “And I just thought, ‘how can I solve this problem for myself?”

He had the idea but still had a ‘fairway’ to go, so he began working on designs and headed off to see the Enterprise Agency for Wear Valley and Teesdale. Ian, a senior practitioner with the charity Developing Initiative Supporting Communities, also received backing from Business Link and his idea ‘made the cut’ with design engineers at DRS.

“Everyone who has come across it think there is potential there,” he said. “There are thousands of golf accessories, but nothing that compares to this. Everything is all in the same place, and it doesn’t impair swing.

With a ‘wedge’ of funding from the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative, Business Link and Durham County Council, he organised TCaddy’s design, production and promotion. And with the patent pending, he has arranged for TCaddy to be produced in China, with the first shipment arriving in the country in the new year. He expects most sales to go to clubs and businesses, with opportunities for TCaddy to feature corporate branding.
So how successful could Ian’s invention become?

“There is massive potential out there,” he said. “64 million people play golf and everyone could buy one if they wanted to,” he said. So, we may even see Tiger Woods sporting a TCaddy on his belt as he makes his way to the 18th green.

For more information about TCaddy, or to place an order, call 0845 397 6117. The website www.tcaddygolfer.co.uk will tee off shortly.

Source: Teesdale Mercury