“Out of Necessity Comes Invention”
When it comes to golf, golfers often look for a big-ticket item to help them shoot lower scores. It might be a new $700 “Longest, Most Forgiving” driver, a new putter, or something else entirely different. But a helpful product doesn’t have to be one of these expensive items. Sometimes, a piece of equipment or accessory can be just as valuable and cost less than $50. This is the case with Clean Flight Golf.
The Set-Up
Clean Flight Golf is the brainchild of inventor and CEO Peter Bohlender of Paris, ON. As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot of things for everyone and the golf industry was very much impacted by this. Depending on where you’re from, golf courses had to remain closed early on, however, eventually organizations like the NGCOA (National Golf Course Owners Association) found a way to either keep their golf courses open or have the chance to commence operations. So, protocols were introduced in the spring of 2020 and these protocols mostly continued in 2021 as well. One of the protocols introduced was that all golf ball washers on the golf course had to be removed because it would eliminate a point of contact.
Clean Flight Golf would be developed as a solution for the issue of washing your golf ball while out on the course with no availability of ball washers. So, let’s take a look at what it is.
Clean Flight Golf is a personal golf ball washer that is touted as being the “only golf washer that you’ll ever need”. Constructed of high-impact polystyrene plastic and stainless-steel hardware, Clean Flight Golf features a patent-pended variable brush system and a cradle that the golf ball sits in (like an on-course ball washer). As you operate the top up and down, the golf balls twist and oscillate inside of the reservoir.
Do you just use straight water? No. The Clean Flight Personal Golf Ball Washer comes fully equipped with a 30 ml bottle of cleaning solution and a carabiner for clicking onto your golf bag or cart.
The Transition
I have to thank Mr. Bohlender of Clean Flight Golf and David Wheatley from public relations firm Medi8 Limited for giving me the opportunity to test and review this product. Gentlemen, thank you.
So, when I received my personal golf washer it was quite late in the season to the point where we could call it “winter golf”. For those that don’t live in climes that have to deal with these conditions let me explain to you what it can be like. Sure, the weather can be chilly but it’s way more wet than it’s cold. Depending on the golf course that you’re playing, it can often be compared to a quagmire. Embedded or plugged golf balls aren’t a possibility as much as they’re imminent. So, keeping your golf ball clean can be a challenge. I would play some golf in these conditions and yes, any ball washers that were previously on the golf course, had been removed. What a terrific opportunity to test the Clean Flight Personal Golf Ball Washer, in real time.
Before I continue on, I want to point out that I’m fully aware of other means to keep your golf ball clean. Yes, you can get your towel wet but depending on the temperature or wind, the towel will dry out and suddenly you’re back to “square one”. Or you can do what I’ve done countless times. Lick your thumb and clean the grass and mud off of the golf ball. The first time is sort of okay but what about the consequent times that you repeat this method. Fertilizer, pesticides, and dirt. Delicious!
Setting up the Clean Flight Personal Golf Ball Washer is easy. Unscrew the top of the reservoir, put a couple of drops of the cleaning solution inside, and fill it with water half way in the reservoir. Apply it to your golf bag or cart with the included carabiner. That’s it.
It didn’t take me long to realize how practical this product is. I always appreciate practicality especially when it comes to golf products and the Clean Flight is certainly no exception. My tee shot was in the middle of the fairway with mud caked on. I marked my golf ball, picked it up, placed it into the golf ball holder, manipulated the “lever” up and down 3 times and there it was. As clean as it was when it came out of the package.
The action of the lever is easy to operate and the brushes do a tremendous job of doing what they’re designed to do. The durability remains to be seen for the lifetime of the brushes but I did do something a little outside of the box. I left the Clean Flight outside in the truck in temperatures well-below the freezing point. I was curious to see the plastic would break and I can report that it didn’t. So, it’s quite possible that the personal golf ball washer is very durable.
The Finish
I’ve used the Clean Flight a ton late in the season and well into January. I have to say that I really like this product, especially when you look at its practicality and price tag. The Clean Flight Personal Golf Ball Washer is available from their website Clean Flight Golf for $35.00 CAD. Although, at the time of writing it’s currently on sale for $33.00 CAD.
Clean Flight isn’t just about the pandemic, reducing the spread of germs or early/late in the golf season. How many times while riding on a cart have you gotten to the tee and drove right past the ball washer? It’s handy.
As Clean Flight Golf says “Fly Further… Putt Straighter”
By Alexander Toth
The Next Tee (TNT) – “Golf News, Organic Reviews, and More”
