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Kevin O'Leary calls FlingGolf 'poo poo stick', 'Shark Tank' fans say 'dangerous' game needs helmets with clubs

Although they didn't score what they were looking for, FlingGolf did walk away with an interesting offer but many fans were apprehensive about the safety issue

Reinventing an old sport is never easy, and breaking through the mould and making the said sport a household name takes time. While the Sharks have money to invest, letting time bring in results certainly isn't part of the deal. 

For FlingGolf's founder and CEO Alex Van Alen and company president John Pruellage, it proved to be a monumental task to prove to the sharks that their business, which aims to reinvent golf, is one that can be sustained. As Kevin O'Leary put it, "the golf Gods will strike" for creating a game that has people flinging golf balls across a putting green. But, the FlingGolf duo had only one response — 'We don't care!' Here's how they did on 'Shark Tank'.

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The duo went in asking for $300,000 for 10 per cent equity in their company, having done decently well for themselves so far, seeing that the sport was played at over 1,000 courses. With sets sold to 300 courses and with their market now opened to consumers as well, the team was looking for a boost from the sharks. They had already raised $2M, however, $1.5M was their own investment.

Most of the sharks opted out, with Lori Greiner raising the concern that she isn't convinced it is safe and that balls flying around sounds like a hazard. The numbers projected failed to impress O'Leary, who repeatedly called the invention a 'poo poo stick'. According to him, he didn't see the value and nor did he believe that the game would be allowed on more courses.

However, Daniel Lubetzky and Robert Herjavec showed interest, seeing that Herjavec's previous 'Shark Tank' investment, Bad Birdie, did exceedingly well in the pandemic. They both made a counter offer of 33 per cent for $300,000, at a valuation of $90,000. The FlingGolf duo responded with $300,000 for 20 per cent. In the end, the duo went with shark Daniel Lubetzky. 

"Partnering with Alex and John @FlingGolf is going to require a HUGE amount of hustle and hard work, so I wanted to make sure that my offer accounted for that. #SharkTank," tweeted Lubetzky, while referring to his investment.

'Maybe include helmets with the clubs?'

Fans, however, seemed o be on the fence about this 'Shark Tank' product. While many thought it looked fun, some said it was equally dangerous.

"I'm not convinced that lacrosse golf will take off, but good for the Massachusetts guys. #SharkTank," tweeted a user. "Maybe include helmets with the clubs? #flinggolf #sharktank," joked another. "How do you play #flinggolf at the same time as regular golf? That's seems incredibly dangerous. #SharkTank," asked another. "Them rich wyte folks aren't going to want you on their golf course flinging golf balls #SharkTank," pointed a user.

What is FlingGolf?

'As per the official website, "FlingGolf is a sport that is easy to start and fun to master. You play on any golf course, but instead of hitting a golf ball with a club, you use a single New Swarm FlingStick thrower to hurl the ball and shape every shot from tee to hole. You can even play in the same foursome as traditional golfers. Just no argyle sweaters. You’re better than that."

'Shark Tank' Season 12 airs every Friday at 8/7c only on ABC. Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.