From the driving range to the pitch stage | How one UTK student’s startup is protecting golf clubs
If there was something relatively affordable that drastically extended the life of your expensive golf clubs, wouldn't you buy it?
Gavin Fallgren didn’t set out to start a company. He just didn’t want his new golf clubs to get scratched up.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville sophomore is the founder of Soletek, a protective TPU-based vinyl film designed to shield golf irons from turf wear and scuffing.
The origin story
Fallgren, originally from Pittsburgh, transferred to UT after a year at John Carroll University in Cleveland, where he played baseball. With more free time in Knoxville, he picked up golf and quickly saw that his brand new clubs that were given as a birthday gift were getting beat up after just a few plays.
When he got home, he assumed there would be a protective cover of some sort already on the market given that golf is an investment sport.
New iron sets realistically start at $600, and that’s considered the budget end of the market. A name-brand set can run about $1,500 for steel shafts before any custom options.
But a quick Google search turned up nothing that didn’t compromise the playing experience with residue left on the club, altered feel or skewed performance data.
“I went home, ordered materials I thought could work, did the testing and prototyping,” he said. “Seven months later, we’re getting ready to launch. I know I’m not on the PGA Tour, but it is a hobby of mine. I don’t have the funds to go out and buy a new set every single year like these guys do. There’s a lot of people like me out there that need this product.”
Early traction
The company made its first sale about a few months ago to a local simulator shop in Knoxville. Fallgren expects the simulator market to be a huge one for SoleTek, given that simulator golf is played entirely off artificial turf which beats up clubs more compared to live grass.
Fallgren has also held talks with the PGA Tour Superstore in Knoxville and is targeting demo club programs at retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods, as well as college teams.
“These stores lose a lot of money every year because they have to resell demo clubs for less than what they paid,” Fallgren said. “With Soletek, the clubs look aesthetically new.”
Knoxville has become home
Fallgren says the city has proven to be an ideal base for his venture.
“Within a 10-mile radius of UT’s campus, there are so many golf courses,” he said. “It’s year-round golf here due to the weather.”
As a pre-law student with interests in business and patent law, he is keeping his options open — but hasn’t ruled out making Soletek his full-time focus.
“I would love for this to become a full-time thing, because this is an industry I love,” Fallgren said. “Tennessee is very small and business-friendly. It’s good to know that if this thing does take off, I can stay right here. To know that I could build a business here and not have to worry about getting taxed heavily and have a high ROI, that’s huge.”
Fallgren recently took second place at the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI) Graves Competition, earning $3,000.
He’s using that money to retain a patent attorney and sort through distribution logistics ahead of a late June or early July launch on Amazon and Shopify.
Connect with Gavin Fallgren on LinkedIn.
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