If Golf is Fly-fishing, is FlingGolf just good old fishing?

At New Swarm, we hear a lot of analogies and comparisons about our sport, FlingGolf: You're like snowboarding to skiing because you can do both on the same slopes/course, or: you’re like pickleball to tennis, a new take on a traditional sport, and of course: lacrosse and golf had a baby and named it FlingGolf.  But here is a new one that we heard recently that really feels right.  "Golf is like Fly-fishing, and FlingGolf is just good old fishing for the rest of us." They're right: Both are great ways to get out on the course/water, but a different approach on how to enjoy it.

There are 50 million people in the US that have one form or another of rod and reel hanging on their garage wall, ready to go fishing. Seven million of those take a fly rod out.  That comes to about 14%, not too far from the percent of golfers that are  a 10 handicap or better, which is what we would consider a consistently good golfer.  The other 43 million (and even some of that 7 million) pick up a spinning rod and reel, whether they are bass fishing in Arkansas, trout fishing in the limestone creeks of Pennsylvania, or surf fishing on the beaches of Cape Cod. 

Nobody doubts that these spinners have the same burning desire to be out on the lakes, creeks, ponds or beaches like fly-fishermen and women. Of course they do. It is just that they have the option to do it in a way that offers a challenge, good times with friends, and with the right technique, the right equipment and a little skill, a really good shot at success.

That’s where the comparison really hits the spot.  FlingGolf is being played by those folks who want to get out on the course, have a challenge but get better each time, bring home a story and enjoy themselves.

Let’s look at a dedicated golfer.  They put in many years, months, weeks, days and hours on the range and the course.  They’ve spent well over $1000, probably many times over, to get the equipment they want to match their dedication. And they spend that again on their lessons to get started and to keep on tweaking their swing.  With all of that, their odds of being a consistently great golfer are about 10%, a middle of the road golfer 40% and a consistently frustrated golfer I’d say comes in at about the last 50%.

With FlingGolf, there’s a FlingStick and a way to play for the kid with the rod and reel his parents got him for his 7^th birthday, all the way up to the extreme athlete who surf fishes and is also looking to compete in the New Swarm Open and break world records in a Longest FlingShot Championship.  And all in for under $200.

There’s a FlingStick and a place to play for the dedicated bass fisherman who just wants to pop out for a quick round with his wife and kids.  There’s a FlingStick and a way to play for the trout fisherwoman, focused on accuracy, shaping her shots on the course like she’d be angling for a cutthroat in a mountain stream.  There are FlingSticks for an entire bachelor party that just came back from deep sea fishing to finish off the day and play 18 with a few beers.

And here’s the thing: there’s even a FlingStick and a way to play for those analogous 7 million fly-fisher men and women too (the 10 handicappers).  Take that FlingStick out to Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach or Pinehurst and see the course in new way.  Go ahead, put a FlingStick in your bag and geek out on that technique that helps you drop a low to high approach shot next to the pin.  For something completely new, try a sidecar on the green and drop a 20 footer. Or next time you want to bring a frustrated golfing friend with you to the course, give him a FlingStick and let him grip it and rip it.  You’ll both have more fun.

So you can see how the FlingGolf/fishing analogy is spot on.  Whether you like to pull in a mahi mahi, reel in a striper, land a tuna, or hook a bass, it doesn’t need to be on a fly rod right?  If you like playing 18 with the guys, bringing your kids out to the course and having fun (and success), playing a quick 9 with the girls or taking a solo afternoon off work to hit the local muni, heading out with a FlingStick may just be the best way to make it a great day on the course.

At New Swarm, we're happy to help you haul in whatever "fish" you want and have the FlingSticks to make that happen.

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