Equipment

Q&A: IonLoop co-founders Bob and Melissa Gotfredson

Published

9 years ago

Jan 29, 2015

If you’ve ever wondered about the rubber bracelets world No. 1 Rory McIlroy wears on his right wrist, you can stop now. Bob Gotfredson, founder of IonLoop told me:

[quote_box_center]Rory McIlroy wears the Ion Thins. He wears a David Yurman bracelet, and he puts our Thins on either side of it. We don’t have any kind of agreement with Rory, he just likes our product.[/quote_box_center]

It’s a ringing endorsement for the five-year old brand, which Gotfredson—a co-founder of Trion-Z—started with his wife Melissa five years ago out of a desire for a U.S.-based and focused ion technology company.

I spoke with the pair about the company, its products, and what we can expect in the future.

How it started

Bob Gotfredson: We started this company because we’re entrepreneurs, and we wanted a U.S.-owned company.

IonLoop vs. the competitors

BG: The biggest difference is a design philosophy. The Trion-Z product is designed and developed in Osaka for the U.S. market as well as Japan. Our products are designed and developed here in Texas for the U.S. market. The technology is similar, but it just comes down to: It’s got to be fashionable … as well as functional. I think we bring a different fashion viewpoint.

We’ve developed bracelets for Adidas globally, and also TaylorMade and Adams. We do a lot of corporate business, and we have a very active web presence.

Best-selling items

BG: Original IonLoop bracelet: Silicon band with two magnets. It was the original bracelet we started with and it remains very popular. I think our most popular bracelet is the braided black. It’s a silicone bracelet that looks like a braided bracelet, but it has the durability that you can wear it in the water.

Newest items

BG: We have Ion Thins, which are just small, thin negative ion bands with no magnets that you can mix and match. Those come in 14 colors. You can pick out your four favorite colors to match your team or country. They’re very comfortable to wear. People wear them with other bracelets as well.

The biggest step we made outside of the bracelet area was the Ion Time watches, which just have been really well received.

Melissa Gotfredson: They’re silicon with infused tourmaline in the backplate, and we are patent pending on that technology. We’re excited about that. We’re the only ones who have a watch that offers that technology. It’s a unisex watch. It’s very lightweight. And I don’t think we’ve even scratched the surface with it.

IonLoop-watches

BG: And it’s fashionable. Comes in five colors. We’ve been advertising on Morning Drive and have had great response on the watch.

This past week we introduced leather bracelets, which have negative ions and a magnet clasp. The negative ions … are infused in the band. It’s an eight-strand leather design. Most leather bracelets in the market place are four-strand. And they’re thicker and kind of bulky. This is a fine gauge bracelet that looks like it might cost $200. We retail them for $45. Again, a fashion element using our technology.

ionloop-braided-

Negative ion technology

BG: Negative ions are found in nature as well as positive ions. Positive ions are the bad ions, so it’s counter-intuitive. Positive ions come from the sun in the form of UV rays and they fatigue your body.

A number of years ago in Japan, golfers found that if they wore negative ion bracelets …they would have more energy and focus as they turned the back nine after being out in the sun all day. So they became popular in that marketplace and transitioned over to the rest of the world.

What’s also interesting is that negative ions counteract the effects of positive ions that come out of your computer screen. If you’re in front of a computer screen, you’re getting bombarded … sitting in front of that thing all day just fatigues the hell out of you.

Hewlett-Packard, in England, is doing a great deal of research into trying to find a way to block the positive ions from these computer screens. They haven’t come up with it yet, and until they do, everybody at a computer should have something on that produces negative ions. Cell phones, computers, anything electronic is giving off positive ions.

Why not?

BG: Really, when you think about it, for $20 or $45 on the leather bracelet, they look good anyway. Hundreds of millions of people wear bracelets. The bracelet business in the U.S. is estimated to be $400 million a year.

So, there are a lot of bracelets out there…the ones that have technology, why not try them? It’s a small investment and it might be helpful. They really don’t wear out either. The magnets don’t wear out. We’re coming on six years here and the original bracelets are still running at about 90 percent output.

On Tour

BG: We do not have endorsement deals with any players on the PGA Tour because they like to wear our bracelets anyway. The TaylorMade bracelets are in the tour trailer every week.

Zach Johnson, we were involved with him and his charity, so he wears our bracelets from time to time. Ryan Palmer wears them every week. Butch Harmon, we sent him some of our leather bracelets and he loved them. Lexi Thompson loves the bracelets.

We do them for the U.S. Open every year and they go in the players’ bags and the wives’ gift bags. We do them at the PGA Championship as well.

What’s next

BG: From a bracelet standpoint, we’re going to continue to innovate and come up with new and unique products similar to the leather bracelet. We’re going to have some more watch offerings coming out in 2015.

We’re always developing new products. There’s three or four new bracelets that are in the works. We’re constantly looking to innovate.

You can check out IonLoop’s website here.

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Ben Alberstadt

GolfWRX Editor-in-Chief

17 Comments

Aexis

Nov 6, 2016 at 5:35 pm

Found this IONTIME.COM

Reply Report comment
George

Mar 6, 2015 at 12:49 pm

Magnet therapy has been around for many decades. The people leaving negative comments need to do some research instead of giving uninformed bias opinions. Even the FDA has acknowledged the benefits of magnet therapy. Two recent devices approved by the FDA that use magnetic therapy for health.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3004658/fda-approves-magnetic-helmet-treating-depression

http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/news/20131215/fda-approves-new-magnet-device-to-treat-migraines

Reply Report comment
TS

Feb 1, 2015 at 10:38 am

Lydia Ko just became the youngest woman ever on LPGA to be #1 in the world…no articles on that, but hey we’ve got this.

Reply Report comment
Bob

Jan 31, 2015 at 2:52 pm

GolfWRX, sponsored by SnakeOil Co.

Reply Report comment
Rodger Maltbee

Jan 30, 2015 at 7:42 pm

I think urine has negative ions in it. Peeing on yourself is more effective at battling positive ions than this product.

Reply Report comment
SM

Jan 30, 2015 at 2:59 am

Copy, copy copy. All these monkeys can do is copy the amazing stuff that comes out of Japan, as usual.

Reply Report comment
Marc

Jan 30, 2015 at 12:33 am

GolfWRX should be ashamed for their part in promoting trash like this. You just spent some goodwill earned from your readers. Seriously,Mifsud you continue down this path, you’re going to damage your credibility and reputation. Wake up and make good decisions, people.

Reply Report comment
Rodders

Jan 29, 2015 at 2:25 pm

So a mum and dad company headed by Bob and Melissa can discover how to counteract these positive ions but Hewellet-Packard can’t. Right, that makes sense.

Why don’t hp stick half a dozen of these bracelets to the screens then?

The only positive thing these bracelets destroy is your bank balance!

Shame golfwrx.

Reply Report comment
Zac

Jan 29, 2015 at 1:01 pm

GolfWRX has really hit a new low now, shilling for companies that engage in blatant misleading claims. I’m actually shocked the scam artists purveying this junk aren’t afraid of suffering the same legal fate as PowerBalance, who had to write an apology letter in Austrailia that read:

In our advertising we stated that Power Balance wristbands improved your strength, balance and flexibility.
We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading conduct in breach of s52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974.
If you feel you have been misled by our promotions, we wish to unreservedly apologise and offer a full refund.

If people actually “swear by these items” claiming some kind of “benefit”, they need to be openly mocked so as to prevent the proliferation of this age-old scam.

Reply Report comment
ParHunter

Jan 29, 2015 at 12:41 pm

If this isn’t a paid for article then I don’t know. The article should have a big ‘Advertisement’ sign at the top. What’s the next article, Voodoo dolls for golf?

Reply Report comment
ER

Jan 29, 2015 at 12:39 pm

What a terrible interview. Go ahead and don’t ask real questions. This company, like all other predecessors, is selling snake oil. Shame on GolfWRX for giving a sham company publicity.

Reply Report comment
Alex

Jan 29, 2015 at 12:32 pm

These companies get sued into bankruptcy whenever they get big enough to attract attention in the first place. (see, e.g., Power Balance, Q-whatever, http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/balance_bracelet_settlement.html)

As stated previously, there’s no evidence that this stuff has any benefit beyond a potential placebo effect. Your site’s representations to the contrary (“IonLoop products allow you to enjoy all the natural benefits of magnets and negative ions: quicker sports recovery, better sleep, stress management, natural energy, better concentration and focus, less stiffness and soreness…more!”), even coupled with poorly worded disclaimers about the “user experience” open you up to liability for deceptive advertising charges.

Reply Report comment
Scientist Golfer

Jan 29, 2015 at 11:57 am

Please listen to frendy. Many people swear by these bracelets but there is no, I repeat NO (NADA, ZILCH, ZIP), scientific evidence suggesting that these things actually do anything. If they “work” for you it’s entirely due to the placebo effect.

If you are going to wear these things, do it because they look cool, not because of their effect.

Reply Report comment
- frendy
  
  Jan 29, 2015 at 2:39 pm
  
  Yes and no. Sure, there is no evidence to back up the claims of these wonder bracelets, but let’s not discount the placebo effect. What people think about the potential benefits/medicinal properties of accessories like these can have a marked effect on how they physically feel, and therefore *potentially* how they might play golf.
  
  So I say if you feel like these things are helping you feel better, by all means wear them. However, don’t make the claim that they are anything else than mind-body woo woo.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - ca1879
    
    Feb 2, 2015 at 2:50 pm
    
    Ben – you’ve really dragged your credibility through the dirt with this one. Hope you’re proud of shilling for such a transparent pile of nonsense.
    
    Reply Report comment
Jafar

Jan 29, 2015 at 11:15 am

There are ions out to get you.

Reply Report comment
frendy

Jan 29, 2015 at 10:47 am

Placebo effect very strong here. If that works for ya, great, but let’s not pretend that these bracelets and watches do anything more than look nice.

Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

16 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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