ORLANDO – Dylan Horowitz doesn’t look old enough to shave let alone order a beer yet he’s already created his own golf training aid with famed PGA golf instructor Rick Sessinghaus.
Horowitz, 20, of Stevenson Ranch, California, is a junior psychology major and the captain of the Chapman University men’s golf team in Southern California, but in his spare time he’s invented the Kavooa Pro swing training aid, a tripod-based product that can be adjusted via a patented telescoping device with rods (golf alignment sticks) to stabilize a golfer’s head and hips during the swing.
Shop Kavooa ProAt 16, Horowitz was taking lessons from Sessinghaus, who is best-known as the instructor to two-time major winner Collin Morikawa from a young age until late last year, at Scholl Canyon Golf Course. Horowitz’s main swing flaw was his head dipping down and forward during the swing and compensating with his arms. Sessinghaus would hold a stick to his head during lessons but once COVID struck in March 2020 they began doing FaceTime lessons and Horowitz needed someone or something to monitor his head position during this period of isolation. In MacGyver fashion, he taped a pool noodle to the top of a punching bag around his height and set it up for hitting into a net at home. When courses reopened, he realized he needed something he could take to the course.
“So, I put two Star Wars lightsabers together, poked two holes at the end of it and put it on top of a tripod,” he said.
That was the original version of the Kavooa Pro, which means stable in Hebrew. Two years and several refinements later from PVC piping to 3-D printing, he has created an adjustable training aid that can address multiple flaws in the golf swing, or as he put it, “the Swiss Army knife of golf training aids.”
“When he showed me the first prototype I knew he was on to something because of its versatility,” said Sessinghaus, who has endorsed products before but never has been involved to this extent. “Seeing it evolve was fascinating. In addition to head movement, it can help with hip movement and swing plane and even putting and chipping.”
This is Horowitz’s second time attending the PGA Show and first time with a booth. His father, mother and cousin help run the business. What’s been the biggest challenge of bringing his adjustable training aid to market?
“Figuring out how to work with my mom and dad,” he said with a laugh, noting that he’s also had to learn about tariffs, distribution, margins and the intricacies of running a business.
The unit also includes a phone clip holder, allowing users to easily take videos of their swing. Kavooa Pro, which sells for $129.99, weighs just 3.5 pounds and collapses to be stowed in the side pocket of most golf bags.
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