GOLF: Thefts of golf equipment are on a steady increase, according to golf insurance experts, Golf Care, with the temptation to steal thousands of pounds worth of designer golf equipment proving just too much.

Inspired by the action at the recent Open Championship, many golfers will be stepping out on to the fairways over the next few weeks, armed with the latest fashion in golf equipment.

Having cutting-edge golf equipment is all well and good but it does make an ideal target for thieves. The message is that if you pay for top notch equipment, it is worth spending a little more for adequate specialist golf insurance cover.

Over 30 per cent of the claims processed by Golf Care in the past year have been for golf equipment thefts, ranging from vehicle break-ins to forced lockers in the club house- an increase of 55 per cent on last year's figures.

Golf Care director Paul Wilson said: "Golf has become a fashionable game, with the likes of celebrity film stars and DJs as well as keen golfers investing in designer brands and high spec equipment. But with this increased investment, has come increased thefts.

"A full set of clubs, bag and trolley today is easily worth up to £1,950, but it can be much higher than this; and yet many golfers fail to have the appropriate insurance cover to protect against thefts from vehicles or the locker room.

For less than £30 a year, golfers can insure both themselves and their clubs, providing insurance protection against theft each time they go to play golf."

Golf Care offers a range of cover providing cover for loss, theft or damage of golf equipment; personal liability; personal accident; accidental damage to property; dental treatment; golf equipment hire, club subscription reimbursement and even a hole in one cover to pay for the bar bill.

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IT’S fat, it’s round, it sits flat on the ground.

But this is an unlikely pattern for a new Welsh putter that is trying to revolutionise the multi-million pound golf club business.

It sounds an odd concept that the way of hitting straighter, smoother putts should involve a spherically curved blade – but you have to try it to believe it.

There is no question this new design of putter head sets the ball rolling better than anything I have tried, leading to more consistent putting.

Vale of Glamorgan golfer Ian Smith has set up the company to sell the putter designed by 70-year-old former captain of Newport golf club Ivor John, backed by efforts to see Welsh-based golf businesses grow thanks to Ryder Cup Wales 2010.

The concept is that the Spherical Blade putter is curved slightly from side to side round the face, and also curved inwards from top to bottom.

The latter is designed to give the golf ball top spin, in the same way as a snooker cue, by striking slightly above the centre of the ball.

The sideways curve is based round the same principles which make modern drivers and hybrid clubs so forgiving, compensating for an off-line strike.

You have to look very closely to see the curves on the perfectly smooth face.

Smith believes it’s a unique design and has patent applications in place to protect that as he tries to get a niche in the lucrative golf equipment market.

More than £1bn is spent on golf each year in Britain, around £8m through putter sales. That grows to around £40m for putters in Europe, while American giants Callaway make more than $100m a year worldwide from selling putters alone.

“Ivor is a retired design engineer and there is no other make of putter which has both curves,” said Smith, who has invested close to £100,000 and dropped other business commitments to work full-time on the project.

“I have had testimonials from average club players all the way through to former Ryder Cup player Manuel Pinero, they say you get a great roll and so sink more putts.

“This technology is all in the shape of the face and can be applied to any putter, it does not alter the physics of the way you hit the ball with this face.

“We have a letter from the R and A to confirm it is legal and we are going down the patent route now. The feedback has been great so I do not think I am taking a gamble.

“We need a range of designs, but we have built up sales. The face is precision engineered, so they are not cheap and we are selling them at £129.”

All of which makes the Spherical Blade putter comparable in price to the Odyssey two-ball putters and other designs in that section of the market.

The plan is to make the putters in China, but develop an assembly base in Wales and provide jobs.

“My big goal is to have one of the players using that putter at the Ryder Cup in Wales in 2010.

“A couple of players used it at the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open at Conwy and a few of the Challenge Tour players liked them enough to take one away to try as well.”

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