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Tom Wishon Says...
That’s why I am asking ALL clubmakers, regardless of your level of involvement in clubmaking, to feel a sense of pride, a sense of community and a sense of responsibility to join together to help this great craft of custom clubmaking become more known and more respected by golfers. Please join and support an independent clubmaking organization, the AGCP.
Read the blog by Tom Wishon from his July/August 2008 E-Tech Report Below
The Demise of the PCS – What's Next for Clubmakers?
Because of a series of unfortunate events, Elmore Just’s vision of an independent and passionate voice for custom clubmakers and their craft is gone.
Within days of the announcement that the PCS would have to close their doors, I could not help but notice a flurry of online discussions among clubmakers about what’s next, and a number of solicitations from existing organizations encouraging PCS members to join their groups. Having had a lot of experience in this area within the course of my career, I do have strong opinions about this subject. I really hope that you will take a few minutes to read and then really THINK about what I have to say.
The value of a good clubmaking organization lies in two main areas: increasing consumer awareness of our craft and fostering an exchange of information among its members to continually elevate their skills, knowledge and clubmaking business acumen.
If the organization is properly focused and administrated toward achieving the goals that are of value to clubmakers and to the clubmaking/clubfitting industry as a whole, there is a lot of good that can result for everyone connected with this great craft.
Not only must a clubmaking organization be properly focused and run, it has to be adequately funded. To achieve that, it has to have the support of a LOT of clubmakers and hopefully, support from a good number of the companies who are in the business of supplying clubmakers with products and services as well.
If the clubmakers interested in joining an organization are all split up among two, three, or more organizations, it becomes pretty much impossible for any one organization to achieve their goals. Lack of goal achievement then breeds discontent among the members and corporate sponsors, and nothing good for clubmakers or our industry will result.
So here’s the deal, put forth as clearly and as frankly as I can say it.
If custom clubmaking and professional clubfitting is to thrive, we need to have more consumer awareness and respect for what we all do. Sure, it would be nice if all the clubmaking supply companies could embark on paid marketing programs to do this, but that is NOT going to happen. The clubmaking supply companies don’t even come close to making enough profit from their sales to clubmakers to be able to mount an effective, paid marketing campaign.
Right now, the only thing working to raise consumer awareness of clubmaking and clubmakers are the books TWGT has done over the past three years – the two Search books, the 12 Myths booklet and the recent Right Sticks book. They do work, they have changed golfer’s minds about the value of custom fitting, but their reach has been more limited than what we certainly would like.
Custom clubmaking needs a well supported organization doing all sorts of low cost/ cost effective, “guerilla marketing” activities to bolster what the Search books have started, things like constantly lobbying the equipment writers of every golf publication from national to regional as well as the golf writers for newspapers. Everyone who writes about golf and golf equipment for every golf media outlet must be made aware of our craft and what it can do for golfers.
Awareness campaigns do not have to cost big money these days. They require tons of ideas and a lot of hours to accomplish. To be effective and ongoing, they require the clubmaking organization to have more than a few hundred members who offer their support not only in the form of dues revenue, but in volunteer hours too. Raising golfer awareness of the benefits of custom fitting and building through the most cost effective, guerilla marketing techniques is what I see as the number one goal for any clubmaking group or association today.
I strongly feel that it is impossible for any organization to step up and get the most accomplished if the clubmakers choose to split up between multiple organizations. The fewer the number of members in each organization, the higher the dues must be to cover organization expenses and program costs. Only through unifying the support of the clubmakers for the common benefit will any kind of real impact be made on elevating the awareness and image of quality custom clubmaking and clubfitting.
There is no doubt this kind of clubmaker organization has to be INDEPENDENT of ownership or direct association with a company that sells products to clubmakers. If a clubmaker organization is company owned or sponsored, it simply will not have the same open and independent credibility within the golf media nor among the golfing public.
Company owned organizations exist to promote the company and its products to clubmakers, not to promote the image and awareness of custom clubmaking and clubfitting to consumers. If you have plenty of money and can afford to join several organizations, then fine, join one of the company organizations if you wish to avail yourself of the company’s discounts, accreditation programs, or seminar conferences.
But if you can only afford to join one clubmaker organization, please pick an independent organization that is committed to doing everything it can to perpetuate our craft and raise consumer awareness of clubmaking and fitting. Right now, such an independent organization is the Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals (AGCP). The AGCP exists, it is independent, it has programs and services that are valuable for clubmakers and it has among its members many of the most experienced, knowledgeable and commercially successful clubmakers on the planet. The AGCP is committed to raising the image and awareness of our craft as well as teaching clubmakers the most effective business principles of promoting and increasing the sales of a clubfitting operation.
Last point – I know that many of you are not full time or serious part time clubmakers with an interest in increasing the number of clubs you fit, build and sell. For clubmakers who participate in the craft for enjoyment and learning more about how different clubs perform, you might think all this talk about clubmaker organizations has nothing to do with you.
On the contrary, the future of custom clubmaking needs the support of ALL clubmakers.
I ask ALL clubmakers to seriously think about making a commitment to support this great craft and your fellow clubmakers by joining an independent organization like the AGCP. You may not care about services like accreditation programs, seminars, conferences or techniques for increasing your clubmaking business. That’s fine. But no matter how many clubs you may build, you are a clubmaker. And that means you are a part of a community that needs your help.
That’s why I am asking ALL clubmakers, regardless of your level of involvement in clubmaking, to feel a sense of pride, a sense of community and a sense of responsibility to join together to help this great craft of custom clubmaking become more known and more respected by golfers. Please join and support an independent clubmaking organization, the AGCP.
Thanks for your time and commitment to this great craft,
Tom Wishon
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