Richard Longhurst , 53 , helped to create the world ’ s biggest sexual wellness firm by starting Lovehoney with £ 4,500 savings after leaving his job as a magazine editor at Future Publishing in 2002 . Richard quit Lovehoney in 2019 with cofounder Neal Slateford after they sold their majority stake to Swiss venture capitalists .

Now he has invented Pocket Timer , an easy-to-use golf gadget that could save players ’ scores and is already a hit on courses across the UK .

Shaped like a coin and roughly the size of a poker chip , the lightweight , bright red Pocket Timer is designed to help players find lost balls using the full three minutes they are entitled to under the current Rules of Golf .

Golfers simply click the timer in their pocket and it buzzes every 30 seconds , ending with a double buzz when the three minutes have elapsed .

Richard , who is golf mad and plays off a handicap of two at Bath Golf Club said , “ I first had the idea when the rules changed in 2019 and you went from having five minutes to find a lost ball to three , incurring a one shot penalty if you cannot locate it .

“ Not everybody likes wearing a watch

when they play golf , so the only other way you ’ d be able to keep time is by using your phone . But most golfers keep that in their golf bag and it ’ s unlikely anybody is going to pull it out before they go traipsing off into the rough to look for their ball .

“ I figured having a little thing in your pocket that keeps time and vibrates – of course – when your three minutes is up would be a simple , efficient solution .

“ Most golfers were giving up too soon because they were worried about holding up play and needlessly conceding a shot .”

Richard shared his vision with the owners of Joy Factory , a Chinese company he had used in his Lovehoney days . Using the mould for a sex toy remote control , Pocket Timer was born .

He believes it fills an important gap in the market and , having helped improve people ’ s performance and pleasure in the bedroom , he is hoping to do the same on the golf course .

Using his ecommerce experience , he set up a new website selling Pocket Timer and he is now sending out the gadgets all over the world because the rules of golf are the same wherever it is played .

Richard , who lives in Bath , still attends

Lovehoney board meetings and has a 10 per cent stake in the firm which merged with German sex toy giant WOW Tech in 2021 .

Lovehoney Group is forecast to deliver more than £ 300 million in revenue per year and it has blossomed into a global business worth £ 1 billion .

The sexual wellness category is growing so rapidly that sales are expected to exceed £ 40 billion globally by 2028 .

Lovehoney won two Queen ’ s Awards for Enterprise during Richard ’ s time and he met the late monarch at a reception for winners at Buckingham Palace .

Richard said , “ Key to Lovehoney ’ s success were fun ideas such as the Rabbit Amnesty which allowed customers to recycle their old sex toys , and amazing customer service ” - something he wants to repeat with Pocket Timer .

While Richard keeps a close eye on his old industry , his focus these days is on golf .

He added , “ You never know - there might be more money to be made from Pocket Timer than from selling sex toys .”

" You never know - there might be more money to be made from Pocket Timer than from selling sex toys "