The Safe-Tee-Air Driver (TM, patent pending)  or  Safety Air Driver TM, ("S.T.A.D." for short) was developed specifically for the actual playing of golf, without hurting your back or endangering others.

It is designed to make golf INCLUSIVE.  Anybody who'd like to play or learn golf can now do so regardless of strength, or athletic ability, or prior investment in lessons and equipment.

From aging, seasoned golfers whose participation has slowed or stopped -

-  to those with health or mobility issues

 - to Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, who may never have set foot on a golf course, but who finally have the time and budget to play golf.

 - to all potentially NEW golfers, attracted to the outdoor playing areas and social aspects, but daunted by the steep learning curve from the basic swing of the long game to the complexity of equipment choices.

All of these can now tee off and get the ball down the fairway.  Even from a wheelchair or golf cart.

A more-abled partner can drive a golf cart to the ball on the fairway,  pick the ball up and allow the passenger to shoot it close to or onto the green, without having to strike it.

Almost any golf course with a cart path can designate an alternative, golf-cart accessible launching area near, but still behind, each tee.

And even on the green, pendulum-style putting devices have been used for charity events to enable wheelchair-bound golfers to putt. Or they can designate their partner to putt for them (or play by modified Alternate Shot rules).

The S.T.A.D is already being used with success on existing courses and driving ranges in Northern Virginia.

The compact design fits in a golf bag - - which can easily be carried, or rolled in a hand cart from hole to hole -- replacing up to 12 clubs now being carried by each golfer.  The Air Driver weighs only what 5 or 6 clubs would - if they were bound and held together.

SO, WHAT IS IT?

A golf club replacement - a STAD or S.T.A.D.  is a safe, pneumatic golf-ball launcher, or "air-pressure driver," with a removable barrel which is optimally-curved for playing golf. 

 

That perfect curve helps produce beautiful, airborne golf shots that play well at any distance, replicating ideal golf club performance.

It is possible, comfortable and very affordable to use the basic model S.T.A.D. club-replacement and just one barrel to play the entire Long Game. 

The main optimally-curved barrel has produced drives up to 340 yards or a bit more with a tailwind. It can also shoot steep shots from as low as 30-40 yards out and at least get on the green. 

 

This is not only quickly removable, but also interchangeable on the course with our optional longer, less-curved Long Drive/Punch Shot Barrel, used to effect different ball flights and behavior on certain golf shots.

 

NOTE:  The ideal set-up is one Air-Driver "body" with both quick-change barrels. The second barrel can shoot the longest drives and be used for "punchy," low-trajectory shots, to avoid branches or obstructions above the knees, or to shoot below a strong cross-wind.

With just the one barrel, a Safe-Tee-Air Golfer's bag is significantly (up to 6 pounds) lighter for loading into a car trunk.  But whether equipped with a single barrel or both interchangeable barrels, the “Safe-Tee-Air Golfer” (S.T.A.G.) still has a lighter golf bag to lift, load, roll or carry than a traditional club golfer.

"SHORT GAME" FOCUS

The only remaining actual clubs the “Safe-Tee-Air Golfer” needs to carry are a putter and a chipping or pitching wedge close to the green -- Chipping and putting skills are still always going to be needed to hole the ball. And so the challenges of golf's shortest shots will always depend upon the skill and devotion to practice that any golfer invests in attempting to "perfect" those shots.

The Safe-Tee-Air Golfer just has more options to propel the ball along its journey from the Tee to the Hole, while trying to do so with the fewest total shots.

Safe-Tee-Air Golfers NEVER need to learn to strike or hit the ball with a FULL SWING.  They don't need risk twisting, "tweaking" or aggravating a spine prone to painful and often debilitating "episodes."

"The Safe-Tee-Air-Driver (TM, Patent Pending) is ideal for Playing Golf with a Bad Back." ( See article here )

The torque or torsion often generated on the spine, especially with a "bad swing," or striking the ball against resistance (including "chipping") like hitting the ground, or through heavy rough or vegetation, or "fat shots" in sand (striking the ground or sand well before the ball) , is one of the reasons why "All Golfers Have Bad Backs."**

 "Another big reason for stress on golfer's necks and backs is the act of bending over with putters and other short clubs. For this reason I use a long "broomstick" putter on most greens. And because I have more room in my bag, since I carry only two or three actual clubs along with the Safe-Tee Air Driver (plus maybe the extra barrel), I have the luxury of carrying a standard putter for the shortest putts." - Bill Alatis

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Separate from the launcher is the Compressed Air Source which can be left on a golf cart or rolling golf pushcart, or carried on the golfer's body employing a holster or backback.

This can be a rechargeable tire inflator (Ryobi, Black & Decker, etc), or a canister of compressed CO2 as used in Paintball.

After the golfball is dropped into the barrel, the air or gas source is quick-connected (like a mechanic's air tools) to “charge” the launcher to the desired pressure for even the longest drives in under one minute.

The compression device can then be disconnected - without losing the pressure charge -  giving the user full freedom to lift, aim and fire the launcher.  Or it can be fired while connected to a canister in a belt, holster or backpack, and disconnected after the shot.

The Ball Flight is beautiful -- and effective!  It's easy to aim and achieve great results - straight, controlled shots, dialed-in distances and landings that are actually useful in play.  The ball looks and acts like a pro golfer's shots in terms of distance, height, and landing on the fairway - or on the green.

And it's safe for even beginners to use with minimal training or practice.  A safety video (or short orientation by staff) is all they need to start driving the ball on the driving range. Once they understand safe golfing etiquette,  they can take to the fairway. 

It's a godsend for a golfer who'd like to include their spouse in an outing. The short learning curve makes life much easier, and a beginner doesn't need to worry about slowing down a partner or others in a group.

The “Safe-Tee-Air-Driver” (Safety Air Driver) --

In contrast to balls struck with a club from the Tee area, from the Tee area or anywhere on the course, this Golfball Air Driver virtually eliminates the danger of of mis-struck balls (shanks, slices and hooks) hitting a fellow golfer or bystander. 

It also makes dialing-in a desired distance available to all users, and allows them to adjust their elevation and ball speed for each type of shot - and thus improve their results quickly. (Remember John Rahm rushing to hug the PGA onlooker he had hit with his too-long approach shot - apologizing profusely?)

The Safe-Tee-Air-Driver is safe for even new golfers to use. A short orientation video is all they need to get started.

"It has brought safety to launching a golf ball, the way the Schick Safety Razor improved upon the old straight razor (of Sweeney Todd notoriety)."

Designed with safety foremost, its all-metal construction employs aircraft grade aluminum for the barrel, release valve, and liquid filled pressure gauge, and stainless steel for the pressure chamber and trigger mechanism.

    This is in stark contrast to "potato cannons" and other home-built gas contraptions  made with PVC, which is illegal for use in pressurized chambers.

The player's aims and elevates the barrel to affect the ball's direction and trajectory, bringing elements of marksmanship and archery into the “long game” of golf. First, it launches at higher pressures in its range, simulating accurate “drives" from the tee, up to 340 yards. With the optional Long Drive Barrel, these can reach 390 or 400 yards, which is longer than most professional golfers.

The adjustable elevation produces ball flights which allow the player to get the ball onto the green with their approach shot.

Ultimately, it allows the player to focus on the “short game” with clubs on and around the greens, mostly just chipping and putting.  Pitching inside of 40 yards is a Safe-Tee-Air Golfer's optional skill and method. 

The Safe-Tee-Air Golfer always has a choice before putting.  A STAG can weigh the the risks and rewards of approaching the green from a given lie.  A STAG can opt to chip (or to strike any short pitches) with a wedge, which still can use only a short, half-swing, without twisting the back.

And he or she is never forced to sand-blast or cut through heavy vegetation or rough to get the ball on the green close to the hole. Bill says "I'd rather give up a shot, myself, than risk straining my back or neck, but that's just me. Some days if I feel like 'playing in the sand,' I might risk a real bunker shot with a club. If I'm successful I saved a stroke. "

NOTE: When playing along with traditional ("trad") golfers, a Safe-Tee Air Golfer can either negotiate modified rules (like giving up a stroke if opting to shoot rather than strike a ball in a "bad" lie) before agreeing to compete, or not be concerned with his or her score (what a concept) and just enjoy playing along.*  SEE RULES

" It's still 'a game that can't be won -- only played.'

STAGs (Safe-Tee-Air Golfers) are first and foremost, RECREATIONAL golfers."

          - Bill Alatis, (the first S.T.A.G)

" It's just so much FUN!  And I'm really only playing against myself - my best performance on THIS particular course, so far.  Now IF I have been invited to keep score and compete, by virtue of picking up the ball to shoot it with my 'STAD' (Safe-Tee-Air-Driver),  I'd often have an unfair advantage over even a pro golfer if I don't give up a point or stroke - at least from a bad lie. I'm happy to try to make things fair - and always fun.

If playing along with traditional golfers, of course if they want to keep score and compete with me, all the normal rules apply if I lose a ball, or end up out of bounds or in a water-hazard.  I'm happy to negotiate with them at the beginning about how many strokes I'll give up. Like my second shots those times I HAVEN'T landed on the fairway, and in an especially tough lie for a traditional club golfer.

PLEASE NOTE:  Most golfers have been extremely supportive and tolerant about my disability and my device for working around it.

But for me, I'd still enjoy playing with others, even if I expected to come in last every time. 

-  Not only am I willing to give up an extra stroke if my ball ends up in a traditionally "tough lie,"  I knew I'd still enjoy playing, EVEN giving up a shot off the fairway!

Surely I can't be seen as any kind of "threat" if I'm starting off with 14 to 20 strokes against me. So I typically add one penalty stroke to my score for every Par 4 on the course, and can even offer to take 2 penalties for every Par 5." 

(Hmmm... now that I think about it, I could take all the extra strokes, add them to my score every time I play, then post that final penalized score. Then I could accept a traditional Handicap rating to play with others. That's what "handicaps" are for in traditional golf - to level the playing field for freindly competition.)

I prefer to think of the S.T.A.D. as and "Enabling" device - either for any temporary or for a more permanent "disability."  But if the handicapping rules say I'm pre-Politically-Correct "handicapped" and give me strokes to compete against traditional golfers, that's OK by me.  I really don't care about that stuff.

I just want to have fun and get out on the golf course, without slowing anyone else down, ya know?"