LUTZ, Fla. — Three best friends from West Palm Beach may have grown up golfing together but never predicted the game they loved as kids would lead them into business together as adults, right here in Tampa Bay.
Austen Fitzpatrick, Steve Howell, and Scott Baron have been golfing together for 20 years, and they have the ball markers to prove it — from Ninja Turtles to Batman to pink flamingos.
However, after every round, their favorite markers seemed to always disappear.
“I was doing the laundry like I have done thousands of times in the past, and I heard my ball marker rattling around and kind of a light bulb went off,” said Fitzpatrick. “Is there something out there that can hold our ball markers that we hang from our bag, something fun, innovative, swaggy.”
That’s when they came up with the idea for The Marker Locker. They say it’s the first-ever patent for a device specifically made to hold ball markers.
“It’s a showcase for your ball markers. Essentially, you can show off what you have collected from different clubhouses, different companies that manufacture these ball markers that are just fun to have, it's a talking piece on the course,” said Howell.
It looks just like a locker you’d see in a high school hallway, only it’s miniature, hooking directly to the golf bag. Inside, it fits between 10 to 15 markers, which snap into place thanks to a series of magnets.
The plan is to officially launch The Marker Locker online just in time for the holiday shopping season with hopes that within a few years, it can be found in pro shops and sporting goods stores nationwide.
“The world of golf is evolving more and more as it’s just as much about your game as it is about the swag that you have on your bag,” said Fitzpatrick.
These entrepreneurs say the best part is they are teeing off on this business venture together.
“Who better to share your dreams with than your best friends,” said Howell.
For more information, go to themarkerlocker.com.
