By MICHAEL KOHN • The Bulletin

On a series of hills west of Bend, Chris van der Velde was recently busy carving turns on embankments and smiled broadly as he picked up speed while rocketing downhill. But van der Velde was not at a skate park or a ski area. He was getting in a few turns on his GolfBoard at Tetherow Golf Club on Bend’s west side.

Van der Velde, the managing partner at Tetherow Resort, has been using GolfBoards ever since they were introduced to Central Oregon eight years ago. The devices are essentially large electric skateboards tricked out with a golf bag holder in front and a mini ice chest in the back. For golfers heading out on the course, they make for a fun alternative to the traditional golf cart.

Now the company that invented the original GolfBoard, Bend-based Sol Board Inc., is poised to raise capital in a move to increase production and develop a new leasing program. SolBoard president Jeff Dowell says the company is targeting to raise as much as $20 million to expand operations.

Dowell said much of the new capital will go into a new revenue sharing and leasing program for GolfBoards. Until now the company has mostly sold its boards to golf courses, which then rents the boards to golfers. But Dowell said he wants to lease 4,000 boards to golf courses in a revenue sharing program.

“We are focusing on fundraising to fund a large fleet of boards so that we can profile and select which golf courses are the best fit to become leasing partners,” said Dowell.

Under the leasing program, Dowell said SolBoards will try to target higher end courses that can charge $25 per board per round of golf. Some funds for the program were raised through equity crowdfunding mediums such as StartEngine. But Dowell is also on the lookout for a strategic investor to come in and take a stake in the company.

“That is the mid-term goal. We are absolutely looking for the right partner to come in and invest,” he said.

John Wildman, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer, said in addition to the development of GolfBoard production, raising capital will also help other products in the SolBoard line. These include ResortBoard, a rugged, off-roading scooter that can be used on beaches or at ski resorts in summer. Another product is the CaddyBoard, which is large enough to hold two golf bags.

“We are in the land surfing category, we are in negotiations with strategic partners that share that vision and we think that there is significant upside for the company,” said Wildman, the son of the company’s co-founder Don Wildman.

Wildman said the new investment could be used to help the company grow beyond golf courses, the traditional market for the company, and the place where it was first developed. Bend, home to both golf courses and adventure sports areas, is the ideal place to test the off-road and golf course products, he added.

For now the manufacturing of the parts and the assembly is done in New Jersey, but Wildman said he sees a day when assembly could happen in a number of regions, including Central Oregon.

“It is something that we are contemplating, that way we would have better control over our distribution pipeline,” said Wildman. “The company needs to be better capitalized to make that happen.”

Wildman added that there are other advantages to keeping the headquarters in Bend, including the incredible scenery a growing and talented workforce. Tetherow has also been beneficial in promoting the GolfBoard.

“When we bring clients to Tetherow to play on that course on GolfBoards, and see a fleet of GolfBoards in action, our closing percentage is 100%,” said Wildman. “Anyone that goes to Tetherow and experiences golf there becomes a great GolfBoard advocate.”

To date the company has sold around 3,000 boards to more than 300 golf courses in seven countries. Those sales have generated $18 million in revenue since 2014.

While Bend is home now, SolBoard’s roots are in California. The company was founded in 2014 by Bally Total Fitness founder Don Wildman and big wave professional surfer Laird Hamilton. The pair were surfing buddies in Malibu and sometimes golfed together. Through their friendship the concept of the GolfBoard was born.

“They started prototyping different electric skateboards and golf bag attachment mechanisms,” said Dowell. “In 2014 they had a good enough prototype to go to the PGA product show in Orlando, and it won product of the year.”

Dowell, who is originally from Bend and played Division One golf at the University of Indiana, started working with the company in 2015. By that time the company was being established in Bend because the founders saw Oregon as the better place to launch the company.

“The tax laws and some other things were more favorable in Oregon than they were (in California),” said Dowell.

Dowell says a lot of his energy these days is keeping costs down in the face of the global supply chain snafus that are increasing the costs for parts. Delays in shipping are also a challenge. What keeps the job exciting is the product development — new technologies are helping to make the boards more durable and have better battery life.

“There is a lot to do, we have had minor iterations every year around toughness and product strength,” said Dowell.

The battery life has improved 30% over the past three years. One charge lasts around 25 holes and the hope is to get the battery life to last 36 by next year. It takes about two hours for a full charge.

In addition to renting a GolfBoard at a local golf course, the units are also available for sale online. They aren’t cheap — a new unit costs around $7,800. Refurbished GolfBoards cost around $4,000.

What are the biggest selling points? Van der Velde said the GolfBoard speeds up the pace of the game and he can play 18 holes in under three hours. Using a golf cart adds an hour to the game because players need to share the vehicle and go to each player’s ball. GolfBoards allow each player to go straight to their ball and swing away.

There is also a cool factor and van der Velde says they have widespread appeal, capturing the attention of golfers of all ages, not just millennials that grew up on snowboards and skateboards.

“It’s a really fun product,” said van der Velde. “When people use them they feel like kids again.”