About Us

The Problem We Got Tired Of

Every golfer knows the moment: you reach the green, ball in hand, and start patting down your pockets looking for a marker. It is in your bag. It is in your cart. Or it is somewhere in the grass from three holes ago.

It is a small problem, but it happens far too often, and always at the worst time, when your playing partners are ready to putt, and the group behind you is waiting.

Blake Salmi got tired of it. Instead of accepting the search for a missing ball marker as just another part of the game, he decided to build a practical fix.

That idea became the Birdie Band: an Apple Watch band designed to keep a ball marker secured on your wrist and ready the moment you reach the green. It does not add another complicated piece of golf equipment to your routine. It simply gives one of the smallest but most frequently used items in your bag a reliable place to stay.

Who Blake Is

Blake’s background in logistics, operations, and problem-solving gave him the foundation to turn a common golfing frustration into a functional product. His passion for developing practical operational solutions led him to study Supply Chain and Operations Management at California State University, Fullerton. Through his professional experience and education at Citrus College and Cal State Fullerton, he strengthened his ability to strategize creatively, collaborate effectively, and carry ideas through with discipline and attention to detail.

The Birdie Band started as a solution for Blake’s own game before becoming a product other golfers could use. The goal was straightforward: make a ball marker easier to carry without forcing golfers to change how they play.

Like many useful golf products, it began with a familiar frustration and one simple question: why has no one fixed this yet?

The Birdie Band uses a neodymium magnet, the strongest type of permanent magnet commercially available, embedded directly into the holder. Neodymium magnets are also used in technology such as hard drives and high-end headphones because they provide substantial holding strength in a compact, lightweight form.

That matters because the magnet needs to accomplish two seemingly contradictory things at once: hold your ball marker securely through an entire golf swing without shifting, yet release it with a light pull when you are ready to mark your ball.

A weaker magnet could allow the marker to fall during a swing, while a conventional magnet with enough strength could be too large or heavy to wear comfortably for four hours. Neodymium makes both sides of that trade-off possible.

The Birdie Band works with most standard one-inch magnetic ball markers, so golfers can use the included marker or continue carrying a personal or lucky favorite. Once attached, the marker remains visible and within easy reach instead of disappearing into a pocket filled with tees, gloves, divot tools, and scorecards.

Designed Around an Actual Round of Golf

A golf accessory only works if it stays out of the golfer’s way. The Birdie Band installs like a standard Apple Watch band and is made to remain comfortable throughout the round. There is no separate clip to attach, container to open, or extra item to remember before heading to the first tee.

When you reach the green, the movement becomes automatic: take the marker from your wrist, mark the ball, and return it when you are finished. That small improvement helps preserve your rhythm, supports the pace of play, and eliminates a distraction that never needed to be part of the game.

Why This Exists

We are not trying to reinvent golf. We simply believe the small annoyances—the ones golfers quietly accept because “that is just how it is”—are worth fixing properly.

The Birdie Band is one less thing to think about during your round. Your marker stays in one consistent place, whether you are walking the course, riding in a cart, playing your local municipal course, or heading out for a competitive club round.

First Cut Golf Club exists to create practical golf products shaped by real moments on the course. The Birdie Band is the first expression of that approach: recognize a common problem, remove the unnecessary hassle, and build something golfers can depend on round after round.

Your attention belongs on the line, the speed, and the shot in front of you—not on searching through your pockets.