With this simple device I have become the center of my dog's universe!  It works as advertised and throws the ball a LONG way.  Since it holds the ball fairly tightly, likely by design, it can be a bit of a trick to throw the ball shorter distances when you don't want to grab the sloppy ball that's been gratefully returned to you by your dog.  It's a great exercise tool for the dog and would certainly buy another, would have to buy another, if something were to happen to the current model.