| The Archimedes of Minigolf |
| From minigolf player to inventer. Finnish John Mittler uses his expertise in minigolf to create particular equipment in order to help improve upon one's game. His latest invention, the wrist-lock, has stood up to the test with great results. The creative genius behind these innovations has demonstrated that his designs always hit their mark |
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(02/02/07)
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| Mittler demonstrates his skills |
A putter with a wrist-lock in order to make a more accurate shot is certainly something to aim for. This latest invention was brought to life by 31 year-old Finnish John Mittler, a professional minigolf player who decided to utilize his experience to improve upon minigolf equipment; putters to be more precise. In fact, his unique wrist-lock is a protruding support attached to the putter designed to lower the margin of error when putting by immobilizing the arm. Mittler’s concept is the fruit of an evolution: his original invention was “the side putter with elbow-support”, which he first showed-off at an international competition. However, like all inventors, he had to hurdle over some barriers along the way: «In the summer of 2006, two weeks before the European Championships in Geldrop, Holland –recounts Mittler- I submitted my sketches of the elbow-support to the referees. After considering the designs the European Minigolf Federation (EMF) and the World Minigolf Federation (WMF) ruled that there was nothing in the official rulebook prohibiting the use of this particular putter». Mittler’s souped-up putter made its debut at the championships, and the inventor placed 25th, the best results of his carrier. «The difference between a traditional putter and my putter –clarifies the creator- is substantial. The classical putter is held only with two hands, while to use mine it’s necessary to employ other parts of the body, like the stomach and
the elbow. Moreover, it’s longer than a classical putter and the most important difference is that it’s equipped with a sort of elbow rest which projects from the upper part of the putter (it’s possible to see the design at the link www.johnjoemittler.com/migoNet/declaration.pdf)».
Although some users of traditional putters were not exactly thrilled to see a new putter design do so well in an international competition, this fact did not stop Mittler from making further alterations to his concept. Mittler’s drive to perfect his creation led him to make a few minor adjustments on the elbow support, eventually coming up with the “wrist lock”. «The goal of the wrist lock is in its name –explains Mittler- to lock the wrists». Typically when a player holds a putter his wrists are liable to move when taking a shot, inadvertently causing the head of the putter to move which in turn changes the direction of the ball. However, with Mittler’s novel design, the wrists of the player remain locked in place thereby avoiding any accidental last-minute changes in the direction of the ball. This variation of Mittler’s first design was tested with great success at another competition a few months after the EC 2006. The genius behind this innovative putter further explains its advantages and even offers helpful advice on how to cheaply build your own wrist lock at this link http://www.melekh.net/mg/support/.
John Mittler was introduced to the competitive
world of minigolf at the age of 12 when a classmate, who recently received “real” equipment as a gift from his parents, invited John to join him for a friendly game. It was love at first shot, and Mittler immediately became an avid follower and started practicing the sport regularly. Only three short years later, in 1989, Mittler’s devotion paid off when he became a member of the Finnish National Team at the junior level. He competed on the junior team for three years until moving up to the adult category of the National Team in 1992, where he still competes to this day. Today Mittler is not only a professional player, but also the creative architect of oddities which improve upon minigolf equipment. Thanks to his personal philosophy, which can be summed up with the “don’t worry, be happy” motto, today, over 20 years after his first game, Mittler has become one of the best players in the world. «The most important factor in playing minigolf is not physical strength, but the ability to concentrate and control one’s mind –describes Mittler-. The appeal of the game is mainly that all kinds of people have a chance to play well, and it’s also a sport in which no one ever gets injured ».
He then goes on to add that «minigolf is also a multifaceted and challenging competitive sport». His wrist-lock has already passed the test; maybe we will have the opportunity to see its efficiency on the courses in Canegrate later this year.
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