Louisville Golf proving wood isn't dead

October 7, 6:11 AMGolf Equipment ExaminerSteve Pike

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Golf Equipment Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The Louisville Golf Company is proof positive that persimmon isn't dead. Metal has been king of the woods market for more than 20 years now, but Louisville Golf continues to go against the grain - so to speak - in making its classic persimmon wood drivers and fairway woods.

Founded by the late Elmore Just in 1974, Louisville Golf is one of those rare companies in the golf industry that doesn't try to be something it's not. That is, Louisville Golf is a company that works with wood instead of the latest exotic metal. And by staying with wood, it knows it's never going to be the next equipment giant and that's just fine.

"We're always going to be a niche company,’’ said Louisville Golf Director of Marketing Josh Fischer.”It's too cost prohibitive to manufacture clubs out of wood and be a major player because the margins aren't there and the mass production isn't there.''

And for Fischer and Louisville Golf, that's not a bad thing.

"Most clubs today are massed produced and mass marketed,'' Fischer said.”Players miss out on the intimacy golfers had with their clubs in the persimmon era. We believe we are keeping that spirit from golf's past alive.''

The "we'' Fischer referred to are Elmore Just's four remaining brothers, including company president Mike Just, clubmaker Ronnie Just and craftsmen Robert and Gerard.

The Just brothers, along with Fischer, design a variety of woods and putters, not only from persimmon but from mahogany and other woods. The company, for example, has made putters out of such things as whiskey barrels. At last month's Ryder Cup Matches at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, the company sold putters it made out of cherry trees cut down at Valhalla to prepare the event.

Louisville Golf's pride and joy, however, is its Niblick line of fairway woods. Once you hit a persimmon-headed Niblick DC fairway wood, you might never go back to metal. With its V-shaped steel sole plate and low profile head, the Niblick DC easily plays off clean lies and rough alike.

"Generally its man or woman who tries one ends up getting a whole set,'' Fischer said.”Once people get away from their biases against a wood club and see how it performs, they're surprised and love the feel. It's as good a club as we can make.''

And that's very good.