I bought quite a few shafts from PC over the years, while Pete was still with the company. As I too recall, they actually did quite a bit of OEM and rebranded work. At the time they were one of the most consistent, spine free shafts you could buy, regardless of price, and I always felt they were a very good value (probably too good). Add to that the fact that at the time, they and Apache were the only graphite shafts you could buy that were actually frequency sorted (instead of just having a letter painted on the side that didn't mean much of anything), and they were ahead of their time. I think the ultimate downfall was when they were bought out, Pete left, and the quality of the products suffered. They did try to resolve the clearcoat finish issue, but the paint they used wasn't much better (I think the chipped clearcoat looked better than chipped paint). What I don't know is if they were bought out because they were in trouble, or they got into trouble after they wer! e boug ht out, but either way that was it for them.
Scott At 01:17 PM 2/26/2008, you wrote: >Certainly that could be part of the reason. I think more significantly, they >couldn't move the product. Prices weren't "cheap" considering the time. I >think I bought Machs for about $7.00 - $8.00 each. And I bought a lot of them. >There are shaft companies today offering the same frequency "guaranty" as did >PC. The major difference that now clubmakers are more aware of shaft >profiling, freq's, etc. Back in the mid to late '60's and into the '70's it >was a mystery. Today? What decent clubmaker doesn't offer at least, frequency >matching? > > Remember, PC offered several different models, from Mach's to PC's to > XtraLites. I don't recall all of them but I think they had about 15 models in > different flexes. More to the point, they were selling their stuff during > atime when shaft profiling wasn't a big deal. Most "clubmakers" I knew in the > '70's and '80's were glue and stick guys, or old-timers who "knew" all there > was to know. > >I remember Pete A'Costa, their sales rep, coming to the store with hands >filled with sample shafts. First time he left me with at least one of each of >his models. I put demos together and tried like hell to sell the PC's. Most >everyone liked them but they weren't "True Temper", or (gasp) Shakespeare, or >any of the other hot numbers. Graphites simply weren't a hit then, and >"filament wound?" What the hell's that? Graphites became really big when >Olazabel won the Masters with that ugly yellow stick in his driver. "Gotta get >me one 'a them Flan, Olazabel won the Masters with it". > >A'Costa told me PC was leasing their mandrels out to a couple of filament >wound shaft makers who eventually became more popular . . . never big, but >still they sold. > >One problem with PC that was never resolved was the clearcoat finish on the >Machs. It chipped easily (my iron set looks like crap, but it plays o.k. There >are a helluva lot of reasons PC took a dump, pricing being one of them, but >certainly not the only one. They tried to break into a saturated market with a >quality product at a price point that was most attractive. They even brought >in a series of iron and metal wood heads, also at good prices. In the long >run, they overreached and flopped. > >Damn shame. As I said, a great shaft at a reasonable price. > >TFlan >> >> >>That's probably why they went belly up, it's hard to offer that, >>inexpensivly, and make a profit. >>David >> >> >> >> >> >>************** >>Ideas to please picky eaters. Watch video on AOL Living. >>(<http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598>http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598) >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Free Edition. >Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.21.1/1298 - Release Date: 2/25/2008 >8:45 PM
