FWIW, Royce has created a great product and marketing scheme. You might check out his web site if you are looking for a great high quality gift.
I imagine one could line up all the folks in the world that play with golf club assembly and cover every single possibility of qualification. As human beings, we find things neater when we can group and name things. Life is easier to deal with that way. Since golf is a huge sport, making clubs is a huge business. The makers of clubs need to be categorized too. In the U.S., and other countries with a free market system, this is required to make the system work. Competition reigns, and the category you are in gives you your credibility.
Generally speaking, the consumer drives the industry. OEM's understand that and they modify or try to control the demand by convincing the consumer that the latest color, shape or name is required to play better golf. The Hack, selling clubs out of his trunk, sells to folks that think the only important part of equipment is price. Professional Club Makers sell their stuff based on the premise that custom fitting is the ultimate method of purchasing the equipment. Hobbyists, by definition, are not part of the club sale scenario. When a hobbyist crosses the line into sale for profit, he then becomes open to the same scrutiny as others in the business. Golfsmith, Golfworks, and Dynacraft have gotten very rich on selling to "hobbyists" that cross that line. They have also inspired many to become real professionals too.
The success of any of the above depends on the knowledge of the consumer. Hobbbyist is not a dirty word. In fact, I would bet dollars to doughnuts that the vast majority of this forum falls into that category. Crossing the line into club sales is not necessarily a dirty word either. What qualifications you take with you, in that crossing, determines the moniker you will be stuck with. Professional, loosely paraphrased from memory, is having the skills established by a profession. If you cross that line with professional skills, you have become a part or full time club maker. If you lack those skills, you have become a cut and gluer and probably a hack. Of course, you can be a hobbyist and still have the skills to be called professional, but then you bend the concept that is most often associated with the term, and that is of doing it for profit.
OEM's fall somewhere in between. They manufacture a high quality product. They have spent millions in making the best clubs they can, and still make a profit. They even attempt to fit to some golfers by making various models of their product. But they still sell clubs like the Russians sell (or sold) suits. You have 3 sizes and 1 color available.
So call yourself what you wish. Make and dispose of clubs as you wish. In the end, the consumer's expectations will determine your actual category. The professional club maker is hardly ever hurt by hobbyists and cut and gluers, except at the margins. The discerning consumer will always line up at the professional's door, if he markets and manages his business properly. Whether that business is sufficient to pay the gas bill is another story and again, the consumer dictates that. The biggest problem a professional club maker faces is the education of the consumer. The convincing that custom fitting is the best bargain for the dollar and that a skilled professional is best to do that. That is why most club makers, serious about credibility, have become certified by a professional club making organization.
A custom fit holiday to all,
Al
At 11:08 AM 12/19/2002, you wrote:
Yeah, we didn't tell you about the secret meetings and the special hats we have to wear to our cult meetings. You oughta see Al T when he's all dressed up in his Grand Poo-Bah Clubmaker costume....Oh, and there's also the secret cult handshake <GRIN>It is certainly ok to be a hobbyist, or for that matter, anything else you want to do. I'd love to tell you that I'm making lots of money in the golf business, but in general, it just doesn't happen any more than it does in any other business. Golf as a business doesn't make very many people financially rich. More than anything else, it's a passion for the game, and combining that with producing something of value with my hands. This year I'm selling Louisville Gold Authentic American Wood putters with the Naval Academy seal laser engraved on the crown to the Alumni Association. The best part of the whole experience is taking the phone orders from wives, husbands, sons, daughters, and parents who are genuinely excited about how happy they will make the person they are giving it to. I get more job satisfaction out of that than all the years doing my "day job"...which I still do. Like I said...the golf business won't put my kids through college....or support my wife in the manner in which she is accustomed <GRIN> There's room in this "cult" for all kinds of folks... Royce -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Brian Parkinson Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2002 9:05 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: ShopTalk: Origins...was Long Drive swing...was Selling it Bernie, Royce, Dr. Voo, Thanks for the backgrounds. It answered a question I have regarding how do you start into clubmaking and leave the nasty cut and clue stigma behind. After hearing some of the over the top criticisms of the beginning clubmaker, I was wondering what is the appropriate way to go about becoming a legitimate clubmaker. The obvious answer is to go to the schools, leave your wife, family, and employment behind in search of knowledge. Sounds like some sort of cult. Actually, I was interested in something a little more practical. Your stories helped a ton, and I think maybe it is O.K. to be a hobbyist enjoying the opportunity to gain a little knowledge and have some fun. Thanks, Brian
