Golf club thief alert!

Pro Defender golf security device

I read in my local newspaper last week how two thieves posing as golfers, entered the changing rooms of a golf club and stole 20 sets of clubs from the secured lockers - most of it Callaway equipment.

An unsuspecting member, thinking they were part of a visiting golf society, innocently gave the pair, both casually dressed in polo shirts, slacks and golf shoes, the security code to the busy clubhouse. While one kept watch, the other broke into the lockers and between them they ferried the clubs to a waiting van without raising suspicion.

So when I was alerted this week to a new golf equipment alarm I thought it appropriate to pass on the good news to fellow golfers many of whom will no doubt be leaving their expensive bags of clubs unattended.

The ingenious new device - the Pro Defender Series - has been launched to counter the growing problem of golf equipment theft which amounts to
an estimated £70 million worth of golf product being stolen in Europe every year. The growing trend is also toward thefts from outside clubhouses and pro shops and from car boots where golfers often leave their bags while enjoying post-round hospitality.

However, as my local club discovered thieves are not averse to blending in with other golfers to rob from inside a usually secure building.

Inventor, Matt Gilewicz, spent four years developing the Pro Defender Series bag alarm after he was twice the victim of club theft at courses in Hertfordshire.

“Golf bags full of expensive equipment are a prime target for the opportunist thief who often simply walks up to an unattended bag and carries it away.”

The unique alarm warns of unauthorised movement of a golf bag, sending a radio signal to a pocket-sized remote receiver held by the owner. A battery-operated alarm transmitter is housed within a rubber-coated two-piece replica golf ball that is activated by movement and sends out an instantaneous warning signal to the key fob, which vibrates and sounds an alarm.

“Quality golf brands are being stolen to order," Matt reveals "and it is organised crime on a grand scale. This system acts as a warning that someone is tampering with their property. Its immediate, audible sound will warn off would-be thieves and alert the owner something is wrong.”

The alarm’s optimal signal range is 25 metres, although the fob is capable of working up to 50 metres away. Six input/output addresses within each transmitter create 64 unique syncronised codes to avoid interference with other PDS units used in the same area.

The Pro Defender Series bag alarm costs £29.99, and is available through selected retail outlets or directly from the company’s website www.prodefenderseries.com Corporately branded products are also available on larger orders as a prize or gift on golf days.
Further information on 01920 484 776.

Tell us on the forum: Ever had your golf equipment stolen? What happened. was the perprtrator apprehended. Ever challenged or caught anyone in the act of stealing golf equipment?