The obvious answer is to go to the
schools, leave your wife, family, and employment behind in search of
knowledge.
Very interesting reading over the past few days! As for the above I would say that that the thirst for knowledge does not require what you have written above. Stay home, keep your day job, be there for your kids! Stay up late at night and read all the books on the subject you can get your hands on, stay on this forum, follow the advice (at least try the methods) and you will start to understand what's going on in the field. It helps to be a perfectionist, a craftsman and a creative inventor! If you see a business opportunity and you are so inclined -- jump on it.
I never intended to be in the golf industry. When I was 14 I got a job for the summer in a supermarket ($1 per hour) packaging, unloading produce. I didn't care for the bugs in the produce, the smell of rotten potatoes or the "willies" they gave me. A friend told me he was going to be a caddy. I asked, "What's a caddy?" He said you carry golf bags for golfers and get tips. I got hired (more brawn than brains:-))! The course was Winged Foot in the NY area. Didn't care for riding my bike out there at 5AM but the first day I made $45! Man, I thought I struck gold! One day while sitting in the caddy shack, I started trying to figure out how the pro wrapped the leather grips so neatly by working with the old grips and broken shafts form the trash bin from the pro shop that was put out in the caddy shack. The Pro saw me and asked what I was doing. I told him and he asked if I wanted to learn, he could use the help. AHHH more income! He introduced me to "Moe! " a very old gentleman (everyone is "old" when you are 14), silver hair, stooped posture, knurled hands that moved so slowly that I could watch and learn. A true "old world craftsman" who knew all the tricks. He taught me how to grip with leather and those new fangled rubber grips he called "Eisenhowers" because the President was using them. Soon, Moe (in his forgetful, assuming way) would thrust a broken club at me and say "here, reshaft this or replace the whipping". I had watched him do it, thought the tools were "cool" and under his guidance learned "how". The caddymaster thought he was going to lose me to the proshop so he gave me better customers, the pro thought he would lose me to the caddy side so he offered to teach me how to play (Monday was staff day). The lessons were almost as much fun as the club repair work. Out of respect, I followed his instructions and got to be a reasonably good player though not as good as his sons. My heart was always in the rep! airshop where I could "play" with all the tools, besides old Moe neede d the strong hands of my youth (he would really struggle physically when bending clubs). And although Claude Harmon was an excellent teaching pro, I wasn't going to learn enough, well enough and fast enough to be a great golfer. Repairing and adjusting clubs was easier for me.
Many years later I was making a sales call at a sportings goods store, the buyer was mentally absent so I suggested we go to lunch early and complete our business after lunch. Over lunch he told me of the problems he was having with "the custom club" part of his business. The store was ordering components to be drop shipped to several "builders" who worked at home. Lots of mistakes and late shipments. I asked my other customers who had similar business arrangements if they could help out with the names of reliable "club assemblers". The answer was always "there is no such thing". I thought, "making golf clubs isn't so complicated, I did it when I was a teenager". Did some research, bought some "parts" and found that things had changed since the 1950s. Actually things became easier! But to get the accuracy that my teacher Moe demanded I had to have better tools, jigs etc. Cool tools, fun tools, stuff that did the job fast and perfectly! Before I knew it I wa! s assembling clubs for 10 stores, with turn around time that was weeks better than special orders from OEM. At a meeting with my 42 customers some wise guy said "what do you know about what the consumer wants, you don't have a store". Well, that prompted the opening of a noncompeting store (noncompeting with MY assembly customers).
This business was never a hobby for me. It's fun, yes, but not a hobby!
What the "golf business" is to you it doesn't matter. I love competition. However, if you sell golf stuff you should pay income taxes, sales taxes, have insurance, and abide by the laws of our country.
History lesson over.
Arnie
