1.  Convert hardgoods from a major profit centre into a service.
Match your equipment prices with online stores and gain the trust and future business of your customer base.  Make your margins on softgoods, especially impulse items, and increase the traffic in your shop.  You always want the leverage of being the resident expert.  If they are going to someone else only because your price is higher than you lose your position.

2.  Become the expert; be the place they come to for answers.
This is related to the previous point.  There is a lot of information out there.  Be the collector of it and be known as the go to guy for all information that is golf.  You don’t have to be the expert on everything, but if you can gain the trust of people in one area; teaching, equipment, or rules,  they will more often than not trust your opinion in other areas too.  In times of uncertainty, people gravitate to things they trust.

3.  Trim the fat.
Cutting back on services or items is always a difficult decision, but remember that it must not ruin the experience.   Small disappointments can be overshadowed by great experiences.  Make sure the things you eliminate do not endanger the experience you need to deliver.  One of my favourite quotations is “people will not remember what you said, or what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.”

4.  Law of Diminishing Returns.
Find your healthy balance on price, but don’t give it your stuff away. The object of your business at this time should be squarely focused on increasing traffic and driving them to profit centres.  Make sure you reflect on the long-term effects of price cutting or conversely standing pat on price.  How will your business be looked upon by your customers in 12 or 24 months after a price change? And does it allow you to easily attain pre-2008 pricing levels?

5.  Smallest things make the biggest difference.
Focus on mastering what you can.  Attention to detail and presentation, making sure the staff is respectful and engaging, or providing a cold wet towel on a hot summer day are all inexpensive ways to keep expectations and experience high without breaking the bank.

6.  The basics about basic softgoods.
I’m not sure what the experts are saying, but I can tell you from my experience that fashion items are moving a lot slower than basics.  You can still have a shop with “pop” without going crazy on items that are borderline home runs.  Solids are always in style, can be carried over, and often times remerchandised with other collections.  In essence, they have a longer shelf life than fancies.  To give your shop some variety, try bringing in more collections with fewer items.  This allows you to change your shop more frequently and help drive the curious customer into your shop.

7.  Watch your inventory and have an exit plan.
Before the next buying season, investigate your inventory exit plans.  Work with companies that will do consignment, are willing to trade out inventory, or have smaller minimums.  There are businesses as well that will sell your old inventory for you. You may not get a lot for it, but it’s more than you’ll get for it sitting in a box in your storage area. Lastly, adjust your pricing on softgoods to make a healthy profit while focusing on increasing turn rates.

8.  Ramp up the kids stuff and impulse items.
It is a fact; one of the last areas people will cut back their spending is on their kids.  Take advantage of this and expand your kids line.  Kids clothes are not as fashion sensitive, so inventory can be carried over year after year without going on the sale rack. That goes for low-cost, impulse items too; hats, logo balls, key chains, etc.  And make them visible, display them in high traffic areas and priced to give yourself a healthy profit.  These are major profit centres for you now.

9.  Increase camps, classes and other less expensive options for golfers.
People will be less likely to spend the bucks on a private lesson.  But if you can give them a cheaper alternative that is close to the real thing, you may have a chance to expand traffic at you club.

10.  Use Free Marketing!
There has never been a cheaper way to advertise in history than right now.  Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and other blogs and social networking platforms are the virtual word of mouth.  Get your name out there.  Inform your patrons.  Better yet, involve them and make them feel that they have a vested interest in making your club great.  Pride sells logos!

“Something remarkable is
worth talking about. Worth noticing. Exceptional.”
-Seth Godin, Purple Cow.

Core Values

The first need of any business wishing to become remarkable is to examine its Core Values. This is the thread which runs throughout every facet of the operation. It should go without saying that Honesty, Integrity, and Industriousness are a part of all successful companies and your business must include them too.  But here are a few of the areas outside of the mainstream values that need to be focused on when creating the Core Values for the operation;

Focus on developing professional relationships & passionate about service. The development of relationships is at the heart of the golf industry.  Without a genuine interest in people, there is little hope of creating extraordinary service. The staff must be interested in those they are serving, be “present” in the conversation, and respectful. It is important to identify moments where professionalism is paramount and yet continue to create an inviting environment. The next goal for the service person is to strive to deepen each relationship. This will provide the staff member with a greater knowledge on how to better serve that customer in the future.

Embrace change. I’ll be the first to admit that change is uncomfortable and not always a good thing. However, if the Owner/Board of the club calls for it, the staff had best be on board.  As the saying goes, they don’t fire the team, they fire the coach.  Your staff had better buy into your program.

Pursue growth and learning. One of the most important obligations you have as a boss and an employer is to make sure your staff knows that you have their best interests at heart. You must be committed to helping them achieve their goals and aspirations in life and encourage them to grow as they move forward in their careers.

Be creative and open-minded.  To be truly remarkable, you must be looking to anticipate the needs of the clientele in unique ways. This is a core value because you want all staff involved in the process of bettering the experience. If all the ideas come from one or two people, or if creative thought is not encouraged or acted upon, then the growth and strength of the business is stunted. Make sure you think outside the box and don’t be afraid of jumping the curve.

Build a positive team and family spirit.  Customer Service is a team sport. Plain and simple. Everyone has a job to do and must rely on others to do theirs competently. Teams that have a common bond and great camaraderie, more often than not, succeed and enjoy their work. You want to make the work environment “professionally enthusiastic.” This enthusiasm rubs off on the membership, and creates a climate of productivity for the staff. To make this all work, the Leadership of the Club must create opportunities for bonding and camaraderie both at work and away from it. This may include a golf trip, summer tournament, or special team recognition.

Find creative solutions to overcome adversity.

Be humble.  The team mentality takes the individual ego out of the equation. No matter what your job is, you are important to completing the task. Check the ego at the door, there is no room for it in a healthy work environment.

Do more with less. There is always going to be adversity, and a positive attitude makes all the difference in the world. Sometimes the help you need, money you need, and the time you need are just not there. A staff prepared to meet adversity; to dig deep, will find creative solutions to their problems.

Last one on the range. Thanks to www.myerscough.ac.uk for use of the photo.

Being an Entrepreneur means being your own boss, creating freedom, and answering only to the guy in the mirror.  It’s a tough road and that is why only a small percentage of us actually make it.  We all go through the hills of excitement and valleys of despair on the voyage of making our dreams come true.  As we have learned through golf, it is important to keep our emotions in check.  Good luck to all of you on making your dreams a reality.   Here are a few of my favourite quotes to keep you moving forward.

Outward Nine

1.  ”Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life-like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life-like most people can’t.” – Unknown student (From The Cheap Revolution)

2.  ”The best reason to start an organization is to make meaning – to create a product or service to make the world a better place.” - Guy Kawasaki

3.  ”Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory.” - Mahatma Gandhi

4. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” - Vidal Sassoon

5.  ”Some people dream of great accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them.” – Anonymous

6.  ”Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you’re generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make.” - Donald Trump

7. “Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration.” - Thomas Edison

8.  ”Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

9. “The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” - Nolan Bushnell

Inward Nine

10. “An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.” - Roy Ash

11.  ”Entrepreneurs average 3.8 failures before final success. What sets the successful ones apart is their amazing persistence.” - Lisa M. Amos

12.  ”Failure defeats losers, failure inspires winners.” - Robert T. Kiyosaki

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill

13. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  - Thomas Edison

14. “Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eye off his goal”  - E. Joseph Cossman

15. “The more you are willing to accept responsibility for your actions, the more credibility you will have.” – Brian Koslow

16. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” - Robert Collier

17. “Worry is like a rocking chair – it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” – Van Wilder

18. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

We all need a little kick in the arse from time to time….here’s to hoping these helped you accomplish something important today.

If you have any favourite quotes or thoughts, we’d appreciate you sharing them with us.  Just type it in the box below.  Thanks for your contribution.

Every year here, the tournament feels like groundhog day.  Same duties, same hole locations, same top-drawer presentation.  This year, however, we are trying something new.  We have initiated the use of social media.  Knowing  the world is turning to the internet for their information, we have set up both Facebook and Twitter pages for the fans of the tournament to follow.  It is a place to gather information about the tournament and to read interesting tidbits about the participants and history of the tournament.  Thus far the response to our thought-leadership been good, but as the years go on we know that this will be an integral part of delivering information that spectators will rely on.

To find out more about the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters go to our Facebook Page or Twitter Page

Here’s what Golfweek had to say about the championship.

I am drawn to the strategies of the game, and like golf, the need for deft touch under extraneous circumstances. I am looking forward to watching curling again soon, but living in the US means waiting another 4 years for curling to be televised again at the next Olympic games in Sochi, Russia.

Here is the link to a very common article written on the social-media magazine,  Mashable about Olympic curling.  It does not discuss the skill of the curlers nor the competitiveness of the matches.  It reports on the viral sensation that is the pants worn by the Norwegian Men’s Team.  Chances are you’ve already heard about it.

When choosing their team uniforms, Skip, Thomas Ulsrud decided to ditch the traditional black pant for something more polarizing.  Loud Mouth Golf pants got the call.  These pants are not new to the golfing community.  We often see them rather crudely modeled by our resident loudmouth, Mr. John Daly (I mean that with love and amusement.) But for the curling community this was big and unusual.

There are a multitude of lessons in this for the business owners.  Here are a few of them;

1.  Be unusual. Normal doesn’t get noticed.  I don’t know whether Loud Mouth Golf approached Norway, or vice-versa.  Either way, Loud Mouth put their product in a marketing light I am positive they never thought of 6 months ago and the results should be increased sales.  Well done there.  Sometimes you have to try something a little different to get noticed in this big, colourful world.

2. You must polarize people with your product.  You either love what Norway did or you absolutely hate it.  In today’s world, that’s gold.  Those who love it will talk about it and can now share it via the internet. They will help you grow your brand.   The Facebook page dedicated to just the pants of the Norwegian team, has over a half a million fans…in less than 2 weeks. Sadly, Loud Mouth Golf has no social media links on their website and only 443 fans on their Facebook page (which hasn’t been updated since October 2009).  Additionally, there is no mention of the Norwegian curling team wearing their product on the world stage anywhere on their site.  Dear Loud Mouth Golf, please See #3!!!

3. Be prepared for your break…you never know when it might come.  I heard a story once about a brand new product that was featured on TV.  As a result of the exposure, interest in the product went through the roof.  People everywhere needed to own this thing.  The problem was they couldn’t find it anywhere.  A few days later, as the company rushed to get the product to retail, they realized they weren’t prepared to accept the enormous volume of requests.  More tragic however, was the owner of the company then proceeded to invest huge money into the company to prepare for the next wave of orders, which of course, never came.  He had missed his opportunity to cash in on his 15 minutes of fame.  The company and owner both went bankrupt.

4.  Social media works. Just because it is new to you, doesn’t mean it can be ignored.  This Olympic example of a product going viral should show you that the modern-day word-of-mouth is a necessity for all strong brands.  You don’t need to whole-heartily embrace it but you should at least take the time to understand it…or hire a firm that does.  Ignorance just doesn’t cut it.

5.  Partnership. There were two winners with this pairing.  This seemingly innocent decision to buck tradition put Norwegian curling on the map and potential revenue in the pockets of Loud Mouth Golf.  It’s odd to say this about Norway’s curling team since they’re ranked #3 in the world, but let’s face it, outside of the curling world, who knew anything about Norwegian curling?  Working in partnership can often result in greater positioning, strength, and exposure for both sides. But you much choose carefully and make sure that you are in line with one another’s philosophies and standards.

The Olympics have always been full of stories of inspiration and motivation, but in the last 20 or so years, they have also brought us great examples for marketing and business strategies.  These have come to us in the forms the Eddie “The Eagle”, the Miracle on Ice, and the Jamaican bobsleigh team. Tomorrow, I am hoping that Canadian hockey can illustrate to us examples of tenacity, team work, and winning with grace.

www.orangewhiptrainer.com

1-877-505-9447 (WHIP)

Jim Hackenberg, founder of the Orange Whip Trainer, sent me his product at the end of 2009 and told me to use it for a few weeks before writing anything.  As I started my training I immediately saw the merits of the tool. I remember thinking “Wow, if this is the first day, how good is it gonna get?”  Then tragedy struck; my Whip when missing.

The Orange Whip Trainer is available in 3 lengths. The adult length trainers sell for $109.

Turned out it had caught the eye of one of my members who then refused to give it back.  I had to call Jim and ask him to send me another one.  Which he kindly did with the suggestion that I start a sign-out list.

Part two of my Orange Whip training began exactly 3 weeks ago today and the results are very encouraging.  Among the benefits are a stronger back, a tempo with improved cadence, and a new found patience at the top of my swing. These improved attributes have pleasantly followed me to the course as well.  My ball flight is slightly lower, which is a good thing for me, and my bad shots seem to have less spin on them; leaving me with chips and long putts instead of pitches.  As I relayed to Jim, it is my good shots that have me jumping out of my spikes.  It doesn’t happen as often as I would like, maybe 3 or 4 times a round at the moment, but on these shots the ball feels like absolute mush.  It’s awesome!  It’s better than…well its just damn good.

Under the Hood

The Orange Whip Trainer comes in 3 different sizes with each fitting a specific height category.  When you look at the Orange Whip you immediately appreciate the enormous amount of work put into getting this built correctly.  With two different sized weights and two dimensions of shafts; the combinations of materials, dimensions and weights are exponential and must have been difficult to perfect.

Why is it Remarkable?

The Orange Whip’s unique ability to create feel for the golfer is one of the many reasons you must have one in your bag. I’ve been around golf my entire life, and I have seen many golfing aids claiming to be cure-alls for your game.  I can tell you that there are very few that live up to their claims as completely as this tool does.

In my case, the Orange Whip training regiment has strengthened my under-used core muscles and as a result, the pain I feel in my back has subsided.  Secondly, I was taught at an early age by my teaching professional to have “passive hands.” My misunderstanding of this aspect of the golf swing hindered my ability to learn to hinge my wrists properly despite my years of trying to engage them in my swing.  For the first time, I have a device which makes me feel load in the shaft and assists me in setting my wrists in a correct manner.

Founder Jim Hackenberg going urban with the Orange Whip Trainer

Finally, as a swing trainer, the Orange Whip has taught me a new level of patience in the golf swing; one I never knew I needed.  I found it by accident when I was trying to create more torque in my right leg in the back swing.  As I would swing the club through to the finish, I began to focus on the orange ball at the end of the stick.  It was then that I became more aware of the path of my swing and how it was going so dramatically “over-the-top.”  As I attempted to fix this swing flaw by changing my path I stumbled upon my need to complete the backswing and be more patient at the top.  The result of my 3 week training is a healthier back, a more languid swing, and golf balls that feel like mush when I hit them.

The Orange Whip Trainer is genuinely remarkable. For any golfer, having the opportunity to learn feel on it’s own is significant.  But to do it in concert with teaching tempo, balance, and proper wrist hinge, as is done by the best players in the world, is truly unique. I do not think that there will ever be a time when I don’t practice with my Orange Whip before I hit a practice ball.  And I am more certain that I will have to start locking it up when I leave it behind.

For more information on the Orange Whip Trainer, training videos, and ordering, please visit their site.

More often than not companies try to impress us by using the phrase “exceeding expectations” when describing their levels of customer service.  As I ponder this I realize that it’s a bunch of hogwash and only means that you get more of what you are already receiving.  More is not always better.

Because there has been so much emphasis on customer service over the past decade or so, we are now at a point, as a nation of consumers, where we are rarely surprised by the level of service we receive. More often than not, I find myself frustrated by companies not meeting my expectations or wowing me. On more than one occasion I have left a store and begun to craft the first line or two of a nasty letter in my head.  I always promise that I’ll get this letter on paper and send it to the manager.  Then life gets in the way and I never follow through on my threat.

I did script a letter last year to the manager of the local Home Depot.  But it wasn’t to share my disappointment.  It was to communicate with them how impressed I was with their staff and with their company policy.  Here’s the story.  My wife and I must be colour-blind because the carpet we purchased from the Home Depot was awful.  I mean, it wasn’t even a colour we could get used to.  I don’t know how we blew it, but we did.  We decided that it was so bad that we would return to the store and see what kind of price break we could get on a different colour.  We were fully prepared to sink another $2500 we didn’t have into another new carpet.  It was that bad.  Upon our arrival we were pleased to see the same lady who had helped us before.  Within 2 minutes she had us choosing a new colour and I was happier in a store than I have ever been before.  We must not have been the first customers to have this happen to them because the Home Depot had a policy that allowed you to replace your carpet within a reasonable amount of time and pay only the installation fee.  My new, new carpet only cost us about $200.  You can imagine how elated we were. The competition doesn’t get my business anymore, even if they are cheaper and closer.  My heart belongs to the Home Depot.

I don’t know the carpet business so I can’t tell you whether our instance was a common occurrence or not.  But it was a personal example of a company anticipating and filling a need for their customers.  In my case, I didn’t immediately see how it was economically possible for them to do this, but then I realized that it was not a product loss but rather a marketing expense.  I was so impressed about our experience that I told everyone who would listen and the Home Depot knows it.  That is some great service and even better target marketing.

Customer Anticipation=Jumping the Curve

The next step in strengthening the connection with your clients and patrons is anticipation. Write that down.  In the not too distant future, people will get tired of having more of what they already have, and simply meeting expectations will not be enough to compete.  Consumers are already becoming jaded and unmoved by the current level of services. They are by most accounts- bored and it is becoming harder to please those who walk through your doors.  If you want to keep your customers and grow your business then you will need to start thinking about giving them what they didn’t know they wanted. That is the next step.  That is the next curve.

To do this, you must be observant of your clients and take a personal interest in them.  Being observant entails noting behavior and improving your listening skills.  If for example, you hear a customer relay that he drinks a specific kind of coffee every morning, then have it ready for him the next time you have a scheduled meeting.  Or let’s say there is a new golf club on the market and you know it would do wonders for his game.  Don’t wait for him to ask you about it, go ahead and order it and put it in his bag.  This is anticipating his needs and acting upon them.

By definition, anticipation is the result of acting upon a previous notion.  In this context, the notion is a very calculated risk and not a wild guess.  You act on this notion because on some level you care enough about the person to attempt to please them.  It is not any different then the type of anticipation we already practice with close friends and family.  We often do things for them hoping they appreciate it without them having previous knowledge of it.

To jump to the next curve, your service oriented business needs to be focused on “customer anticipation.” As has been the pattern in the past, the gap between the customers’ expectation levels and a company’s ability to deliver continually widens and narrows.  But as we bound forward towards the next curve and begin to put distance between the two once more, we can only hope that the day the customer begins to narrow the gap is a long way off.

In 1891 Swiss knife maker, Karl Elsener, was dismayed at the fact that the knives issued to his national army were made in Germany and not his native Switzerland.  So he set about to change that.  After little more than five years of struggling to develop a spring mechanism, Elsener finally triumphed and the “Swiss Army Knife” was born.

As we all know, the value in the Swiss Army Knife is in its versatility and durability.  If we have some precision cutting to do we don’t take out our Swiss Army Knife to do the job.  It is the Jack of all trades and master of none.

The Swinkey flanked by a yardstick and a standard length driver.

The golf world is about to be introduced to its version of this versatile tool.  Its called the Swinkey and its manufactured and assembled entirely in Canada by founder and inventor, Brian Benedictson and his team of two.  Brian’s vision came to him while playing on the Canadian Tour, where he realized there was a need for a golf tool that could do it all.  After a year or more of tinkering with partners Leigh Tate and Todd Halpen, they have a product that is quite polished and ready to go.

Under the Hood

The Swinkey is a multi-functioning golf tool like our friend the Swiss Army Knife.  There are literally too many applications to mention here but they can be separated in to 5 parts:  club protector, putting system, fitness pole, adjustable weight warm-up club, and a complete golf set-up system. With in each of these categories there are several more.  To watch Brian go through each one, you can go to their website at www.swinkeygolf.com Here’s with an overview…

Why it’s Remarkable

It’s easy to set up, versatile, and convenient.

The first thing you notice about the Swinkey is how organized the product is.  When you screw the cap off,  the 2 alignment poles and the 2 spikes are neatly displayed and accessible.  When you delve into it, you also realize that it is really easy to use and can always be set up quickly.  None of the applications should take you more than about 10 seconds.  The Swinkey’s reasonable price also allows you have all the necessary tools without having to purchase all of them.  At the moment the Swinkey sells for $149.

Founder, Brian Benedictson, demonstrates the Swinkey full swing set up.

There are a lot of alignment tools, stretching devices, and putting aids that come out each year and many of them are quality products.  However, none of them can match the unbelievable versatility and value of this product and that is why it will become a must buy for serious golfers.

To purchase a Swinkey of your own you can visit the website by clicking here.

The Epoch Tee is remarkable piece of golf equipment for several reasons; performance, price, durability, and peace of mind.  It will become the new standard in golf.

The purpose of this blog is to introduce you to new products from exciting, young golf-related companies.  As you will discover, many of these companies are on the cusp of doing great things.  So when I was introduced to the Epoch tee I wasn’t sure that there was much of a story to tell.  After all, it’s a tee.  How exciting or remarkable could it be?

Well, if I was to tell you that it is potentially 5 times cheaper than the wood tees you’re using. Or that it will keep your course cleaner, it is eco-friendly, and it’s practically indestructible, you might be interested… but it’s still just a tee, why change?  For all the reasons listed here, and most importantly performance.

"The tee's four radius posts span the dimples, removing the friction and deflection created by a standard tee."

Epoch Performance.  Independent tests show that the weekend golfer is gaining an average of 5 yards of distance, and nearly 3.5 yards of accuracy to their drives just by changing to the Epoch tee. If all you had to do to pick up 5 more yards of distance was change your tee, you would do it.  Who wouldn’t?

The Tour players are.  Their test results show that they are averaging 11 more yards of carry, and that in the 5 or so years since its introduction the Epoch Tee has 124 Tour wins world-wide, including 46 on the PGA Tour. The best players in the world are using them.  That should tell you a lot because these guys take every advantage they can get.

I was introduced to Evolve Golf by one of the members at my club who in-turn put me in contact with BJ Maloy, owner and spokesperson for the company.  We spent about 20 minutes on the phone while he enthusiastically told me about his revolutionary, but still traditional looking golf tee. We didn’t speak much of the performance benefits of the product because they speak for themselves.  The focus of the conversation was on some of the peripheral benefits of the tee design and the future of Epoch tees.

They are currently manufactured from recycled plastic and other renewable materials, making them better on the environment by saving trees.  Eventually, Maloy’s goal is to have an entirely compostable product.  The tee has unequaled durability and that means fewer of them being used and a reduction in tee box litter.  That results in nicer looking tee boxes, savings on man-power to pick them up, and fewer tees for the mowers to run over.  And although they are more durable in play, they actually present less resistance for a mower blade to cut through, which may save the blades a sharpening or two.

The durability of this tee also equates into savings for you or your golf club, as one Epoch tee can replace 3 or 4 wood tees during a round.  Southern Highlands currently buys 35,000 wood tees per year for 10,000 rounds of golf; an average of 3.5 tees per round.  I just completed my 4^th round of golf with the same Epoch tee and I still have it. So even though the Epoch tee is $8 more per thousand than wood tees, they are in fact significantly cheaper for your club.  I did the calculations, and in our case, this tee will save our club a minimum of $250 next season. Can you see the financial impact on a club that does five or six times the volume we do.

Sweet Spot System

I love this company and what they are doing for golf.  They are innovators that are focused on continuing to improve a product that most everyone thought was insignificant. “In addition to the expansion of our retail product lines and custom logo business, we are also unveiling our Sweet Spot System,” states Maloy.  “We have tied rings that are printed around our tees to an internet tool that players will find on our website.  The Sweet Spot System tool  allows a player to find the proper depth to insert their tee into the ground relative to the location of the sweet spot on the driver they use. Clubs and resorts have the option to customize the colors of the rings imprinted on our tees. ” In effect, the system aids you in hitting the ball in the proper location with more frequency.  Your tee and driver combination can be easily found on the company website.

Maloy strikes me as a man who seems less interested in making his product a little bit better, and more on jumping to the next curve.  Their vision is to change the value of the tee in golf and to make it an important aspect of your equipment choice.  It looks as though Evolve Golf is doing to the tee, what the tee did to Old Tom Morris’ mounds of sand.

For more information on Epoch Tees and Evolve Golf, visit their website at www.evolvegolf.com

The Twitch

More than three years ago, Trevor Derrheim recognized a trend coming in the golf fashion world. It was the emergence of a younger, sleeker look in golf specific clothing. As a teaching professional Trevor often heard the frustration from tour players and junior golfers about the God-aweful, traditional garb they were being forced to wear due to the lack of options.

Fast forward to 2009 and you will now see nearly 40 Tour players wearing a 59 Belt and buckle, made and designed by Trevor Derrheim. “The timing was certainly good. We launched about a year before Anthony Kim gained notoriety with his blinged-out buckle, so people were beginning to see the belt as a viable fashion item.”

Rory McIlroy sporting some 59 style at the 2009 Shell Houston Open.

But a 59 belt is not just a thing to hold up your trousers, its a beautiful piece of art as well. It takes just under two hours for each belt to be milled from a single block of high quality, stainless steel and then hand polished. Upon completion, each buckle is fully adaptable to fit any number of colourful 59 belts. It is truly one of those great items that you will just stare at.

Unfortunately, a 59 buckle is not for everyone, but no great product is. With a price tag around $300 for a custom design, it has a select market. That’s why he came up with a product that I believe will be ridiculously successful.

It’s called the Switch, and it’s half the price, but its twice the fun. Also made from milled stainless steel, the Switch, and its sister, the Twitch, are adorned with interchangeable, magnetic,coloured numbers. This takes the one dimensional belt into the realm of super-swag. At $159, the Switch and Twitch are more affordable, as are the numbers, at just $15 per set. So far the sales have been very promising. Very cleaver, Trevor.

“59 most importantly, is about quality and functionality,” states Derrheim. “Most belts you find on the market today have a certain life expectancy due to the fact that almost every manufacturer of belts on the market today have their belt straps sewn to the buckle. Our buckles will virtually last forever, and with the ability to order high quality replacement belt straps from time to time an investment of a few hundred dollars can actually save our customers money in the long run.”

Mike Weir made sure Nickelback was well equipped. Here is the custom buckle he had made for the band.

With good use of inbound marketing techniques, and a tour penetration that most companies would pay millions for, 59 Belts is creating quite a buzz around the golf community. I’m looking forward to seeing what the 59 Team comes up with next, it could be epic.

To order a buckle of your own, or to check out all the cool stuff at 59 belts, go to www.59belts.com