The Business of Golf

‘TRUE GOLF’

PuttTek builds realistic courses without windmills or loop de loops

Most people who work in the golf industry got into it via their love for the game. Believe it or not, that wasn’t the chief reason why Camron Howell, the Arizona Golf Association’s Player of the Year in 2011, took that giant leap of faith three years ago and left a career as a successful financial broker to found PuttTek.

“I guess the reason I wanted to switch careers midstream, so to speak, was because I wanted to do something meaningful,” Howell said of his booming backyard/commercial putting course company called PuttTek.

“I’d already made money through my insurance and tax strategies business. And with the financial world driven off rates and making money, you can’t always guarantee the market. But I can guarantee you this: Our putting courses always make people happy — even nongolfers — and that makes me feel like we’re making a difference, which is what it’s all about.”

Like the putting course PuttTek built at Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa, where a giant red heart adorns the sixth and final hole.

“Say a dad comes out, his child is stricken with cancer, and he needs that place where he can get away, at least for the moment,” Howell noted of the course that was built specifically for wheelchairs and walkers. “That’s a wonderful feeling knowing we can help him and his child out. Or any kid or parent that might need a fun moment to forget about everything.”

Howell also has built an elaborate Putt-Tek course in his neighborhood in Queen Creek.

“Everyone seems to love it,” he said of those residents who live in The Pecans. “In fact, I see this father and his daughter over there playing it almost every day.

That’s the part of the business that I really enjoy.”

They are amazing works of art, these 25- to 50-foot-long Putt-Tek greens that feature a teeing area, fairway, penalty area and greens that are so true that they Stimp out at 10.5 to 11. And they are a kaleidoscope, as PuttTek blends three shades of green (fairway, rough and green surface), as well as blues, yellows, reds and whites to perfection. Oh, yes, and stone bridges, fancy scoreboards and everything else that’s golf.

“I wanted true golf, where balls don’t ricochet off edges. Where you can go (out of bounds) or end up in a water hazard and take a penalty. Where reading the slope matters,” Howell noted. “And while each hole plays to a par of two or three, and you always want to card an ace or two, you can easily make a six or seven, just like real golf. According to Howell, PuttTek builds realistic-looking courses with real routing.

“Unlike a putting green that can get old fast, PuttTek courses generate so much entertainment value for friends and family that they have become known as ‘relationship courses,’ ” he said. “And that’s also what we are — a ‘relationship company.’

“We want to build something special for you, and sometimes we go a little overboard to make sure that happens. But that’s our promise: Putting courses, perfected. No loop de loops or windmills.”

To date, Howell has built 22 of them at a rather hefty cost of $7,000 to $8,000 a hole — or more! — with six new sites in the building stage. It takes anywhere from a week to a month per course depending on the number of holes: three, six, nine or 18. And still the calls for PuttTek to build more pour in from virtually every corner of the world.

“I got an inquiry from China last week,” said the 41-year-old Howell, who already has an impressive 12,000-plus followers on Instagram. “I wish I could have helped him, but as you might expect, the inquiry was in Chinese.” What started out as a small company run out of Howell’s GMC truck has now left the mainland. And in a big way, as two major 18- hole projects are in the works.

“We’re scheduled to build them at two resorts — one is proposed at Turtle Bay in Oahu (Hawaii) and the other is in Jamaica at Montego Bay,” Howell noted of the layouts that have price tags well into the six-figures. “It’s been exciting to see the way it just keeps growing since I built the very first putting course in my backyard. At least a dozen more commercial projects are in the early stages of design and will be started late 2019 and early 2020.”

While putting greens tend to keep you in a constant state, PuttTek takes you on a trek. With the use of several sets of tees and even different cups, the course can change along with the conditions. And records are made to be broken, Howell noted, which amps up the fun.

PuttTek is a family affair for Camron and Lauren Howell, as well as their children (from left) Blake, Audrey, Luke, Jack and Grace. They love Howell’s miniMasters course (opposite page) in their own backyard called Amen Corner Golf Club. Or these other beauties, including the neighborhood course at The Pecans in Queen Creek (top) and a neighbor’s backyard.

Beautiful backyards like this one are PuttTek’s specialty, like the Links at Shangri-La, which is located in Scottsdale off Shangri-La Lane.

Plus, there’s the fantasy of owning your own course. Howell dubbed his layout Amen Corner Golf Club, and it comes complete with the traditional Masters leaderboard and the Hogan Bridge. Former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin named his PuttTek course Aces Golf Club after his German shepherd, Ace, and former Arizona reliever Brad Boxberger kept it simple with Boxberger Golf Club.

“I’m building a course right now that looks a lot like Shadow Creek, and the guy who I’m building it for has already named it Shadow Way, and we’ve designed the logo and the scorecard,” Howell explained. “And if there are two holes we get a lot of requests for, it’s probably Number 12 at Augusta National or Number 7 at Pebble (Beach). And, yep, we do them both.”

Howell said he’s built his company through three basic principles.

First, each putting course is 100 percent custom and maintenance free (you just need a blower). What’s fun, Howell said, is that the client helps design his course with Howell, who serves as the company’s relentless president, traveling hundreds of miles each week to “be at every job.”

Second, the quality is there, with premium turf that gives a “realistic, true golfing experience.” Every piece of carpet is nailed to the inch, which makes labor costly but also explains PuttTek’s 15-year warranty. And finally, this is a complete putting course rather than a green, so your friends and family relationships grow tighter.

“We understand what golf feels and looks like, and that’s what we deliver,” he added. “A quality experience just for you, as no two courses ever look the same.” Andrew Augustyniak, like Howell another regular on the AGA circuit, said he knew immediately that Howell had landed in the winner’s circle with PuttTek. So much so that Augustyniak has become a minority partner in the business.

“My buddy and I went over to Camron’s house to play the original PuttTek course and we ended up staying for four hours,” Augustyniak recalled. “It’s like golf, with realistic characteristics.

“But what I really loved about PuttTek was it’s fun for adults AND it’s also fun for kids. So you get the best of both worlds.”

Which is why Howell, who earned his business degree at Arizona State, decided to leave the financial world for a career in golf.

“I grew up in Thatcher, which is where I got hooked on golf,” said Howell, who won four state high school championships before playing collegiately at Central Arizona and Grand Canyon University. “And over the years, I’ve noticed that my relationships with family and friends have only improved through the game of golf. “So to be able to build a business model around golf has been the perfect fit. In fact, my wife, Lauren, tells me she’s never seen me so happy when it comes to my work.”

The same could be said of Howell’s five children — Grace (13), Audrey (11), Blake (7), Luke (4) and Jack (1).

“That’s really the kind of experience that makes it all worth it to me.”

Yes, putting courses have taken on new meaning under Howell, who feels like the big thing he’s been doing for the past two years is “just establishing a brand.” But a closer look reveals he’s also helping to grow the game.

“These days, people don’t have a lot of time to play golf. I know that I don’t,” Howell noted. “But with PuttTek it only takes 30 to 45 minutes for your foursome to play 18 holes. And you can go faster if you want.”

There’s another thing to like about PuttTek courses, Howell said, and that’s the serenity and safety of being in your backyard.

“Your stress level goes way down because you’re not in front of a lot of people like if you’d go to Topgolf or to a real golf course.”

Yes, PuttTek already has made a lot of people very happy, and Howell is excited because the company is just in its infancy.

“There’s a lot of ways to make money in this world, but loving what you do and being excited to get out of bed each morning is priceless,” he said of the new gig. “Winning Arizona Golf’s POY in 2011 was definitely my big moment in golf, and winning championships and trophies is always exciting.

“But that’s not really why we all play golf, right? The game is NOT designed to be played alone, and that’s really where PuttTek comes in — to build those relationships.”

Howell can be reached at www.PuttTek.com or by calling (602) 586-1599 or text (480) 326-8665.