Polara Golf, the maker of one of the most controversial products in the modern history of golf, has filed for chapter 11 protection, the Washington Business Journal reported. The company — whose legal name is Aero-X Golf Inc. — has less than $1 million in assets and nearly $3 million in liabilities, according to a chapter 11 petition filed Dec. 13 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Polara makes unusually dimpled golf balls the company says will help correct a golfer’s slice by as much as 50 percent. It makes no bones about it: The company’s brand of “ultimate straight” balls are printed with an arrow showing players how to line up the ball for the maximum chance of a perfectly straight drive. Polara's inventors patented their first version in 1974 and began selling the ball in 1977. The U.S. Golf Association wouldn’t approve the ball for use in tournaments, however, prompting Polara to sue the association. The case stretched on for seven years, until the USGA settled the case and agreed to pay Polara $1.4 million to remove it from the market. The bankruptcy case is related to a dispute with one of the company’s former executives. The largest claim is a $1.3 million judgment owed to David Felker, who was listed as the chief executive of Polara in articles about its products from 2011 through 2013.
