The machine The story Questions Get on the list
Kickstarter coming Date announced to this list first

Every kid deserves a thousand swings.

The Original Bucket Dad Pitching System launches plastic golf balls from 15 to 100 mph — garage, driveway, gym or cage. Real pitch shapes, programmable at-bats, phone control, and a price that undercuts machines doing half as much.

hero photograph machine in a garage, kid mid-swing, bucket of plastic golf balls in frame
The prototype, second week of testing.
15–100
mph range
3
pitch types, both arm sides
3
balls, rapid succession
Wi-Fi + BLE
phone or browser control
See it work

Two minutes in a two-car garage.

Pitch sequencing, a three-ball rapid burst, and a twelve-year-old catching up to 70 mph.

demo video
What's inside

A machine that keeps up with a hitter who is getting better.

01

15 to 100 mph

Tee-work speeds for a six-year-old, varsity heat for a senior. Same machine, one dial.

02

Real pitch shapes

Fastball, curve, slider, change — thrown from either arm side, so hitters learn to pick up the ball instead of the machine.

03

Programmable sequences

Build an at-bat: 0-1 fastball away, 1-1 change, 1-2 slider. Save it, run it again next week.

04

Multi-ball mode

Up to three balls in rapid succession for reaction work, quick-hands drills, and lines of kids at practice.

05

Timing you control

Adjust the delay on every pitch so nobody grooves a rhythm — the way live pitching actually feels.

06

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Run it from the phone in your pocket or any browser. No walking back to the machine between rounds.

The plan

Priced like a bucket of balls, not a batting cage.

Comparable machines with app control and pitch sequencing sit well above this. We built ours in a garage, so it does not have to cost that.

Final pricing is set at Kickstarter launch. Early-bird units are limited and go to this list first.

$175 $250
Early bird — this list only

Limited quantity, first 48 hours of the campaign.

$250
Expected retail
founder photograph you on the bucket, at the field, in the good hat
Why "Bucket Dad"

If you know, you know.

Bucket Dad is the guy on the upturned bucket behind the L-screen, flipping ball after ball until his arm gives out. That was me. Sixty pitches in, my accuracy was gone and my kid's swing was learning my bad habits.

So I started building. Plastic golf balls, because they're cheap by the hundred, safe indoors, and brutal on a lazy swing. Then real pitch shapes, because a hitter who only sees fastballs only hits fastballs. Then an app, because nobody wants to walk back to the machine between rounds.

The prototype is nearly finished. Kickstarter is next. The bucket stays — it is a good place to sit and watch.

Questions we get

Why plastic golf balls?

Cheap by the hundred, safe for a garage or a gym, and small enough that hitting them cleanly makes a real baseball look like a beach ball.

Can I use it indoors?

Yes — that is the point. Dial the speed down for a garage or basement, open it up outside or in a cage.

When does the Kickstarter start?

The date is not set yet. The prototype is nearing final, and this list gets the launch date before anyone else.

What will it cost?

We are targeting $250 retail, with a limited early bird at $175 for backers from this list.

Is it good for coaches and teams?

Multi-ball mode and saved sequences were built for practice stations — set a drill, let it run, and coach the swing instead of feeding the machine.

What do I get by signing up?

Launch-day notification, early-bird access, and honest build updates while we finish the prototype. Nothing else.

Be first in line when the campaign opens.

Early-bird pricing, build updates, and the launch date the day we set it.

Get on the list