A thirteen-year-old boy received a Golfing Gizmo—a device for training novice golfers—as a
gift from his mother. The label on the shipping carton and the cover of the instruction booklet
urged players to "drive the ball with full power" and further stated: "COMPLETELY SAFE
BALL WILL NOT HIT PLAYER." But while using the device, the boy was hit in the eye by the
ball.
The manufacturer argued that the Gizmo was a "completely safe" training device only when the
ball is hit squarely, and—the defendant argued—plaintiffs could not reasonably expect the
Gizmo to be "completely safe" under all circumstances, particularly those in which the player
hits beneath the ball.
