His gizmos go to those with driving ambition.

• Author: Covington, Owen
• Position: PEOPLE - AccuSport Inc

David Rankin doesn't claim to be a great golfer, but he is helping others improve their games. As president of Winston-Salem-based AccuSport Inc., he has developed a device that records the speed and spin of a freshly whacked golf ball to help golfers choose the right equipment to improve their games. "If you bring in the average golfer off the street, they can be hitting 10 to 20 yards farther with the right club," Rankin, 42, says. "In a game where you struggle to add five yards, that's unheard of."

The 8-pound, briefcase-sized Vector Launch Monitor, which sells for $4,200, was introduced last January at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. It uses a digital camera to record precise data about the flight and spin of a golf ball when it is hit and to detect changes caused by different equipment or swing techniques. A computer screen provides a readout of the data. Golfers can use it at out-door or indoor ranges. AccuSport sold about 600 in 2003, and he expects to sell 1,600 in 2004. Sales from Vector and AccuSport's other product, AccuShot, should top $8 million this year, he says.

Rankin studied math and computer science at Central Missouri State University but left for Boston in 1985 before graduating. He worked as a software engineer and, in 1992, started Leap Technology, which built computer-networking equipment.

A group of avid Twin City golfers formed AccuSport in 1989 to explore technologies that could provide statistical feedback during practice sessions. "They thought that if you were able to...