Congrats on owning a home that has a tennis court.

I believe that means you’ve made it.

I mean, you could also slum it at the local tennis court, like everybody else, because the Slinger Bag doesn’t only work in private residences.

Since the Slinger Bag launched in the US, reviews have been flooding in about how the product offers something different from other tennis ball machines.

Popular tennis site Baseline recently gave it a rave review, but let’s rather sport with the Financial Times, and their take on things:

The best way to intensively self-coach is a tennis-ball machine – but these tend to be huge ball-launching beasts more suitable for clubs than for lone wolves. Which is why this new Slinger Bag is wowing players who just want to get on quietly and privately getting better.

It’s portable – like a medium-sized, 15kg shopping trolley – and powered by a rechargeable battery, which gives up to five hours of ball flinging. And it’s also designed to suit a wide range of playing standards, from beginner to advanced…

I took the Slinger Bag out to a suitably quiet court. It was the best fun I’ve had with a tech product in a long time, as well as being genuinely effective.

You’ll be pleased to know that when the ball is launched, it makes a “satisfying phut sound”.

There are multiple reviews on YouTube, but this a good place to start:

Unboxing videos are always popular, and although this one is longwinded, it offers a comprehensive run-through of the standout features:

There are four products currently available on their site, ranging from the standard Slinger Bag through to the Grand Slam Champion.

Ever seen how much money top tennis players make? Every newborn should have a racquet in hand within weeks.

Keen? Cool, although there is one slight snafu. At present, Slinger products are only available to order for residents of the US, and don’t ship worldwide.

You’re a problem solver, though, which is why you set up a free account with Postbox Courier, a service that gives you a shipping address in the US, UK, and Hong Kong, and let them handle things.

Your Slinger Bag gets sent to the US address provided to you, and Postbox Courier then sends it on to your address in South Africa within three to five working days.

Added bonus – they handle your parcel every step of the way, so it doesn’t get “stuck” at customs here in South Africa, and you don’t get stung with the wrong VAT duty.

Now all that’s left for you to do is put in the hours, en route to becoming a world-beater.

OK, scale it back a touch, and just aim to beat friends and family, which is in itself immensely satisfying.

[source:ft]