Pete RIMBACK: Inventor of Putt Boss

Tell us something about yourself, your background

My field in Industrial Design (also referred to as Product Design) is a natural fit for inventing because the foundations are similar: finding and solving problems, improving existing products, research and development, creativity, and the like. Designers have the additional “artist” training to make a product appealing to the end user, and since it’s a full-time job, they not only know what sells, but also have much experience making the form of a product work well with its function. Inventing is really part of the job. Growing up, my mother was an artistic, creative influence while my self-employed father was the innovative force.

I spent 24 years working for Improvements Catalog, designing indoor and outdoor furniture and décor, storage items, holiday décor, kitchen accessories, yard and garden items, and more. Improvements was closed by its parent company, so these items are no longer available.

Can you tell us about the product you have invented with a brief explanation

The Putt Boss is a putting target and speed trainer, accurately simulating a hole for practice on a carpet, utilising 270 soft bristles to stop a well-hit putt.

How/Why did you start inventing. What set you off? How did you get from idea to finished product?

Inventing, designing, and developing my own product, apart from an employer, has been a long-time desire. Putt Boss is the first such product, and will be available for sale this December. It began when I purchased some smooth carpet for our uneven basement floor, to practice putting with our youngest child, Chara, who was 10 at the time.

Initially our putting target was a thin disk on the carpet. I changed it multiple times, adding various structures like backstops, until I ultimately thought of the current method of using soft bristles to stop a rolling golf ball. Case Western Reserve University has an outstanding open-access makerspace called think[box], where I was able to make 3-D printed prototypes.

The Putt Boss putting aid realistically simulates the hole on a putting green, since there is no ramp or bump in front of the hole. The height adjusts for two reasons. The first is that carpets can vary in how much the base sinks in, which affects how easily it stops a ball. The second is that the golfer can set the height to the desired effectiveness – higher settings allow a ball to more easily roll through the bristles and past the unit. So to make a “good putt,” a golfer will have to hit the ball with the right amount of force. Thus, the Putt Boss putting aid is not only a target but also a speed trainer. While most putting targets must be used from a single direction, Putt Boss can be used from most directions. It can be used as a fun game, one point if the ball stops in contact with a bristle, and three points if the ball pops up the center red pin. Putt Boss is for golfers (and non-golfers) of all ages and abilities.