Last summer, Bill Cashel noticed a pain in his knee when golfing that was aggravated by long periods of walking.

To help improve his game and curb the pain, the Widgi Creek resident came up with an invention that attaches to his push cart and allows him to sit and rest between rounds.

”It was designed for convenience and to improve my game,” Cashel said.

It took Cashel, 52, about five months of experimenting and working with various prototypes to come up with a suitable design.

The device, called a Flipstick, can be installed on a Sun Mountain or a Bag Boy golf push cart without tools.

When a person sits on the folded seat, a spring pushes the base of the stick to the ground so his or her weight is distributed over the ground, not on the frame of the golf cart.

The attachment can also be folded up with the cart.

Cashel recently produced his first batch of Flipsticks and is working on getting feedback from golfers about the product.

Phil Schroeder, a Widgi Creek golfer, has purchased two of the Flipsticks.

”I bought one and installed it on my cart, and then I played with a friend and he said, get me one of those,’” Schroeder said.

Schroeder, 55, said his legs typically give out by the 15th hole and he was in the market for something convenient that would let him rest.

In addition to holding demonstrations of the product at Widgi Creek and asking for consumer input, Cashel has also started selling small quantities of his invention at Volcano Golf Center and at Widgi Creek.

Volcano Golf Center general manager Mick Flood said he had five of the Flipsticks in his store over the last two weeks and has sold three.

The Flipsticks retail for $34.95.

Flood said it is too early to gauge the response for the item, but said he will likely keep about six on hand in his store.

”It’s something neat to complement the Cadillac of golf carts,” Flood said.

Cashel said he also has met with the president of golf products manufacturer, Sun Mountain, in the hopes that the company will be interested in selling the Flipstick as an accessory to its three-wheel push carts.

Cashel said the company has shown an interest and has asked Cashel to collect market research.

Within the next month, Cashel said he plans to produce a larger number of the Flipsticks and is currently looking into where production will take place.

”I’m deciding whether or not to do it in Bend or Portland or Seattle,” Cashel said.

Cost and transportation are the two biggest factors that will determine where production is located, Cashel said.

Cashel will be demonstrating his product at Widgi Creek Golf Club on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Flipsticks also can be ordered directly from Cashel by calling 541-388-7437 or e-mailing ejcr8ns@aol.com.

Kristy Hessman can be reached at 541-383-0350 or khessman@bendbulletin.com.