Precise Path Robotics made a big splash in the golf business when its RG3 robotic greensmower burst onto the scene at the 2009 Golf Industry Show in New Orleans. Other than a few snippets here and there, we haven't heard much from Precise Path or New Orleans since.
It appears that is about to change.
Last month, MTD Products, a Cleveland-based manufacturer of outdoor power equipment primarily for the residential and lawn and landscape markets, acquired Precise Path Robotics as well as Core Outdoor Power. The latter is a Montana-based manufacturer of gasless outdoor power equipment for both residential and professional markets.
Although Precise Path will remain in Indianapolis, benefits of the acquisition by MTD will span state lines, said Jeff Everett, director of golf products for Precise Path.
"This allows us to leverage their manufacturing expertise and design expertise," Everett said.
Products under the MTD umbrella include Bolens, MTD, Yard Machines and Yard Man. Until the acquisition of Precise Path, the company has no footprint whatsoever in golf turf management.
Precise Path Robotics was founded in 2004 as a private start up company called IndyRobotics.
Five years later, the RG3 debuted on the show floor of the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The GPS-guided mower created a significant buzz and has since been tested on dozens of courses around the country, sales have been slow.
Since 2012, the RG3 has been in use at The Bayou Club in Largo, Florida. Another customer recently placed an order, but only after learning of the acquisition by the larger and more-established MTD, Everett said, adding another four or so customers are expected to come aboard this year. He expects the size and staying power of MTD, which was founded in 1932, to help convince others to pull the trigger.
"One of the hardest problems for us is that people have been reluctant to make an investment in a company this small with no big name behind it," Everett said.
"We've run up against so many hurdles. Nobody wants to put their name, their reputation or frankly their jobs on the line behind a small company. In this business, we've seen too many of them come and go."
Those days not knowing whether it would be here tomorrow appear to be over for Precise Path. The company plans to announce specific details about future growth plans next month before the Golf Industry Show in San Antonio. Likewise, the RG3 is undergoing a minor facelift as well, an indicator that it isn't going away anytime soon.
"We are excited about the changes that are coming to the RG3," he said. "Hopefully, this will be interpreted as a new player bringing new innovation to the golf market."