In an effort to develop ever more sophisticated golf clubs, Solo Golf, with the help of IBM, has combined the latest CAD technology, a foundry primarily dedicated to turning out fighter aircraft parts and a team of rocket scientists to give birth to a new breed of golf club.

To create Solo Golf's new Solo C² putter, engineers employed an eye surgeon to precisely define how a golfer lines up a putt by sighting from the club to the hole. This information, along with ergonomic data about the muscle movements used to make a putt, was built into Solo Golf's IBM CATIA design platform - the same computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering solution used by the world's top 16 airframe makers. The CATIA platform connects directly to the manufacturing floor, enabling equipment to be electronically retooled for more precise mass production. The result? A putter that conforms to USGA standards featuring Solo's unique optical positioning system (OPS), which helps golfers aim more intuitively, letting them make better shots and make more putts of longer distances.

"Our new C² putter proves once and for all that golf is rocket science, after all," said Solo Golf president Richard Mugica. "Keeping the putter square to the hole is remarkably similar to landing a plane with both wheels square to the runway, and some of our best customers feel they have as much riding on the outcome. Harnessing this latest IBM technology for the benefit of more precise golf shots is a natural extension of our aerospace heritage - the way our Solo Golf C² putter forms a natural extension of the user's arms and eyes."

Ed Petrozelli, general manager, IBM Product Lifecycle Management, said: "The real value IBM brings to today's product-line executive is the ability to speed up their innovation processes by visualizing and modelling ever-more complex designs right on the workstation, then following through with a direct connection to the manufacturing process. We did not teach Solo anything new, we enabled them to leverage their own strategy and skill set more effectively."

For more information contact Geoff Bosman, Maxtec Peripherals 011 803 6635, e-mail: geoff@maxtec-group.com