By Sue Wambolt, Contributing Writer
Westborough – For Westborough High School (class of 2002) alum Tyler Sullivan, the passion to play and excel at golf began one afternoon in the spring of 1995. It was then, as a fifth-grade student, Sullivan sank his first hole-in-one. And he was hooked.
Sullivan went on to play golf in high school, qualifying as an individual for the State Championship as a junior and finishing fifth. During the summers he competed in Junior PGA tournaments throughout the New England PGA division and always played the yearly Westborough Country Club Junior Championship (where he also worked parking golf carts and cleaning clubs).
After high school, Sullivan headed to the University of Vermont, where he took a break from golf and played rugby instead. After college (and graduating with a business degree), one of Sullivan's hometown friends invited him to play in a ReMax World Long Drive qualifier.
“I told him that I had not played golf in a few years, but, reluctantly, I went,” Sullivan said. “I showed up and qualified and I was hooked again.”
Sullivan has since added another hole-in-one to his resume and, in 2012, won the Massachusetts ReMax World long drive qualifier with a drive of 360 yards.
As an avid golfer, Sullivan was always looking for new and different golf driver heads, shafts and grips that would give him an advantage on the course. He began building drivers for himself and his friends. The goal, he said, was to help every golfer become the longest and straightest off tee and to make only golf drivers that would “bomb” it deep.
“My friends gave me such positive feedback that I decided to sell the clubs. This was the real test, and I was blown away by the comments and enjoyment that they shared with me about the golf drivers I was building for them. From there, I decided to I build my own branded golf driver. There are great products on the market, but I felt that I could build a brand and golf driver that not only performs well but is unlike anything currently on the market.”
For Sullivan, the goal was to develop a golf driver design that would perform for golfers of all abilities.
“I decided early in this process that I needed to find some smart minds to engineer a unique design that would have a defined benefit to golfers,” he said. “For this reason, I partnered with the University of Vermont's engineering department. I worked hand-in-hand with four engineering students to design a product that would increase club head speed while offering a large sweet spot or “BOMB ZONE.””
In November 2011, with the development of the Grenade Golf driver, Sullivan launched his company, BombTech Golf. Although the golf drivers are currently sold strictly online – available for pre-order starting Monday, March 25 – Sullivan will be traveling throughout New England to offer demos to all golfers who are interested in trying the Grenade golf driver. He also plans to have demos available at the Westborough Country Club and at his parents” Westborough restaurant, the South Street Diner, located at 40 South St.
Sullivan credits his family for giving him the motivation to pursue his dreams.
“My parents have always run their own business and it was their drive to keep pushing that has motivated me to make this happen. These same attributes are shared by my wife, Adria, who is starting a few companies on her own. I am surrounded by entrepreneurs who constantly strive to develop and improve their business.”
While currently working as director of sales for an engineering firm while he launches his company, Sullivan dreams of making a living doing what he loves. It is, after all, the pursuit of distance that keeps him hooked.
For more information on BombTech Golf and the Grenade golf driver visit www.bombtechgolf.com.