Bernie, You are an exception!!! I'm sure Tom wasn't counting you in that category. I happen to agree with what he said. I used to apprentice with a guy that sold hundreds of sets of irons and probably more woods a year, part-time. He sold sets of irons for $100. He did good work but I still didn't like the cheap components he used. They have to be cheap to make a profit at $100. A year before he moved, he agreed that I should strike out on my own. This also meant competition for him but he figured he was much better, and had much more experience than me.
At that point I had to decide if I wanted to go for quantity or quality. I figured that my reputation was on the line each time a ball was struck with one of my clubs. Being a "Type A" personality anyway, I chose to go for a lower volume, higher priced, longer turn-around (24hr epoxy), and better fit clubs. Guess what.... within six months I was the premier clubmaker in the area and his business nose-dived. My irons averaged $340 a set and his were $100. I was asked to replace him as the house-preferred clubmaker for two courses and one range. When I asked why they wanted to terminate a long-term arrangement with the guy still in the area they said "we've never had to search for one of your clubheads downrange". Now he is what I refer to by a cheap club selling hack. Sure he made more money, and he didn't mind the dings to his reputation. In fact, his business card said "Hack the World". ;-) Cub ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bernie Baymiller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 8:27 AM Subject: Re: ShopTalk: Selling it > Tom, > > > OR, a club that they sell for such a cheap > > price that it virtually carries a 'label' that says to the customer and > > any other golfer who sees the set, "I am a cheap piece of junk that my > > owner bought because he was too cheap to really pay for a GOOD set". > > Sorry, but I can't agree with your condescending remarks about "cheap > prices" equating to cheap clubs...if that's what you meant. > > There are some of us who build clubs for fun and charge a token price for > our efforts. I do all you say a good clubmaker should do, and though I don't > have a lot of expensive equipment to fit my customers, I do have a lot of > experience doing it for my friends and those I play with on our 3 community > courses. It does help to know a customer's game. I may have 150 customers > (men and women) and keep adding a few every year by word of mouth only. I'll > stack the performance of any club that I build against any OEM any time, > though mine may not be as graphically co-ordinated, or the ferrules polished > quite as well. However, they're better fit to the customer's needs, better > aligned and better matched. And, I can instruct my long driver customers how > to adapt their swing to the length successfully...if they'll do it. As I > said in another post, I don't care if the components are over $100 or more, > my charge to put together a single club is $15, and maybe a bit less when I > have to put together a set and can get some more time efficiency. I keep > records, but I don't want to make a profit, I don't want the hassle of state > taxes, business licenses, etc. I want to remain a hobbyist only, even though > I enjoy making a lot of clubs for a lot of old friends and new friends. In > fact, I find my kind of clubmaking a way to make a lot of new friends. And, > having the stable of customers that I do have, allows me to experiment in > directions few other clubmaker would risk or have time to do. > > > Personally, the main reason I have always campaigned against clones and > > clubmakers who sell sets for cost + 10% is because that tears down the > > real essence of what component clubmaking COULD be. When you think about > > it at its most base form, component clubmaking has always held the > > promise of the very BEST set a golfer could buy. Think about it - a one > > on one fitting session between the clubmaker and golfer - what OEM can > > offer that? Getting to choose from a big variety of heads, shafts and > > grips - what OEM can offer that? And being there with the clubmaker to > > tweak, adjust and fine tune when the set is built - what OEM can offer > > that? > > I do all of that and am a fairly good instructor for my senior customers. I > do it for fun, certainly don't charge enough to cover my time and sometimes > do it for free. I agree completely with your assertion that custom > clubmaking holds "the promise of the very BEST set a golfer could buy." I > don't agree that a "cheap" club is necessarily a poor club, nor that it > tears down the "essence of what clubmaking could be." Clubmaking is > everything you suggest it could be for me...and I'm cheap. :-) > > Bernie > Writeto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >
