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Louisville Golf,

You will be pleased to know that I got a bit of advertising in for your company this last weekend. I won the Senior division (that still just kills me to say) of the Tulsa City Golf Championships using ALL Louisville Golf products (with the exception of my yet-to-be finished SMART ProB.E. driver). 

I did use the HB putter that I won the Mimosa tournament last year, along with the irons, and fairway woods. BOTH days the temperature was 98 degrees with a constant 15-20 mph wind blowing, for me, REALLY tough conditions to score in. On the 36th hole, when I had about 12 feet left for a birdie to shoot a final round of 69, I had one of those horse shoe type of putts that went into the hole, then came back out right at me! DANG! 

Both days, I got a bit of grief for playing what I called a 100-year old putter, and then for playing what everyone else thought were just the “best-looking 35-year  old fairway woods” they had ever seen. Imagine when I told them that they were special made for me this year! Of course, right after that came the thoughts of “so nice of you to bring those clubs Rog; that just allows me to play better than you and take whatever gift certificate you might have won this time, etc.”  After the first nine of 39, I thought that they might be right, but I kept grinding (a la Corey Pavin this last weekend), and then I had nines of 35, 36, 34. 

BTW, I do want to say, that I got dozens of compliments about how great the woods looked; funny, but I didn’t hear anything else about how I ‘couldn’t score too well’ with them after the first nine. I wonder why that was? 

- Roger Andrews

SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT RESULTS
Andrews, Roger 74 70 = 144
Koenig, Richard 73 73 = 146
Kee, Ken 72 75 = 147
Lusnak, Mike 76 72 = 148
Crews, Randy 74 74 = 148
Sidorakis, Nick 74 74 = 148
Wilson, Tom 73 75 = 148
Trowbridge, Pat 73 76 = 149
Donley, Mike 76 75 = 151

Pictured above from left to right: Louisville Golf president Mike Just, Roger Andrews, Louisville Golf marketing director Josh Fischer.

As you have been reading, a Louisville Golf putter was used in the mega-hit Avatar. Courteousy of Chuck at Budget Print, here are a couple screen captures from the movie that show the wood mallet putter:

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 30, 2010

CONTACT: Josh Fischer, Marketing Director josh@louisvillegolf.com 

Louisville Golf Putter Stars in Avatar
Action Figure Package Includes Putter Used in Award-Winning Movie

LOUISVILLE – If you have seen Avatar, James Cameron’s epic record-breaking motion picture, less than 20 minutes into the movie you will notice a Louisville Golf wood mallet putter prominently used by actor Giovanni Ribisi. In addition, Ribisi’s character, Parker Selfridge, has his own action figure, and the packaging includes the Louisville Golf putter.

“We first found out about the action figure including our putter when Ribisi was interviewed on the Jimmy Kimmel TV Show,” said Josh Fischer, marketing director for Louisville Golf. “When we first spoke with the Avatar production buyer we had no idea it would have such a prominent role in the movie, and an inclusion in the action figure. All this is a major thrill for us, just to be associated with a movie on the scale of Avatar is a real honor, and pretty hard to believe.”

Over four years ago the Avatar production team called Louisville Golf and placed an order for a group of clubs. Louisville Golf is the world’s largest manufacturer of wooden golf clubs. Made in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville Golf mallet putters are handmade with over 100 hand operations. The 36-year old family-owned business is best known for its Persimmon woods. Louisville Golf once manufactured Persimmon woods for golf companies such as Hogan, Wilson, Spalding and Tommy Armour.

Executives at Louisville Golf nearly forgot about the association with the groundbreaking movie. “It must have been four or five years ago that we sent the putter to James Cameron’s team. I had no idea what they needed the clubs for, but they said they were working on Avatar, so it sounded cool and I made a mental note. We still charged them for the clubs, but looking back I might have sent them the putter for free if I had to do it again,” added Fischer.

 “We have worked on, and been involved with, some exciting projects over the three and a half decades we have been in business,” said Mike Just, Louisville Golf president. “The driver we made for Tiger Woods in 2004, the Discovery Channel segments on How It’s Made and the Ryder Cup Cherry mallet putter come to mind from the recent past. Being in Avatar ranks right up there with those projects.” Louisville Golf has been making putters since the early 1980s, and is best known for their line of Persimmon woods and Hickory-shafted playable golf clubs. Visit www.louisvillegolf.com for more information. Call toll free 1-800-456-1631 M-F 9 to 5 EST.

Why Hickory Golf?
by Josh Fischer
josh@louisvillegolf.com

One of the best company slogans of all time comes from Harley Davidson: “If I had to explain, you wouldn’t understand.” I think it applies to Hickory Golf. This aphorism provides one charged to promote Hickory Golf with a decidedly difficult challenge. Inherent in promotion is an explanation of the benefits of the thing promoted, and so the golfer asks: why should I let loose of my time and money to play golf with clubs that were used nearly a century ago? At the risk of explanation, I can think of many reasons to play Hickory Golf, but here are the three that seem the most potent.

First, golf is unique because it pits one against oneself and the golf course. Sure, a tournament allows the golfer to see where he or she stacks up against others, but essentially golf is you, your equipment, and the course. The challenge the game gives me is reward in and of itself, self-contained, so the appreciation I have for those shots I hit well stimulate the part of my brain that appreciates beauty and harmony. This is amplified with Hickory Golf, and simplified. When I put my Hickory-shafted set in play golf becomes more about just getting the ball in the hole, hitting whatever knock-down or run-up shot I have to hit, rather than an unfulfilling performance trap obsessed with distance.

Secondly, Hickory Golf grants me access to the original spirit of the game. With Hickory-shafted golf clubs I commune with the roots of the sport as it was gaining momentum in the early 20th century. This “spiritual” trip into the history of golf is the most difficult to explain. Sometimes language fails us, and the Harley Davidson quote applies, but if I had to choose one word to encapsulate the feeling I get when I am in this state, the best word would be joy. I enjoy Hickory Golf because I like thinking about the golfers of the 20s and 30s, and since I have always been an equipment junkie, I like testing myself with the sticks they used. This is why I like playing with our clubs. Golfers from the Hickory era used new clubs, built relatively close to the tee times they used them for. When one of our clubs, built by hand by our craftsmen, comes from the shop and onto the course, it is as close as I can get to what those golfers of yore used. This is arguable I know, but in the context of time, I like what we do. This communion with the past honors golf’s heritage. I am surprised how many “modern” golfers shun and insult golf’s honored past.

Finally, I like to be a little bit different. Let’s face it, Hickory Golf will grow, but it will never be main stream again. As a manufacturer of Persimmon woods, we at Louisville Golf know what it is like to be different. We are asked the same questions every golf season: “You guys still make wood golf clubs?” Yes we do, and as a niche product, we do alright. We feel, as the last company still manufacturing wood golf clubs, that we are keepers of the game’s tradition. This includes Hickory Golf, which gives me the quickest access to the game’s competitive roots, rich heritage and uniqueness. But then, if you have read this far, you probably understand.

AVAILABLE THIS MARCH! (keep checking www.louisvillegolf.com)

NEW! HL3 PERSIMMON HYBRIDS

The ease of a hybrid combined with the feel and accuracy of Persimmon!

The HL3 Persimmon hybrid is the 3rd generation of our popular Hy-Lofter series, and 3rd time’s a charm for this design! The HL3 has a lower center of gravity (COG) than previous models due to the new Copper Rudder. The Copper Rudder positions weight low in the head to drop the COG, and back opposite of the insert, to increase accuracy via gear effect. The lower COG promotes quick easy launches while not making the face too shallow. Offered in four lofts, the HL3 Persimmon hybrids are much easier to hit than long irons; our 18- degree model replaces the 2-iron, the 21-degree model replaces a 3-iron, the 24-degree model replaces the 4-iron, while the 34-degree model has the added versatility of hitting shots from 150 yards and closer, while giving you enhanced feel chipping around the greens.

Numbers available:
18 degree (replaces 2-iron)
21 degree (replaces 3-iron)
24 degree (replaces 4-iron)
34 degree (150 yards and in/chipping)

Material: Persimmon
Soleplate: Brass with Copper Rudder
Insert: Burgundy with gold grooves
Hosel: Aluminum sleeve
Finish: Spirit Mahogany Brown
Shaft: Steel or graphite
Shaft flex: R,S,X,A,L

Questions: e-mail josh@louisvillegolf.com

AVAILABLE THIS MARCH  (check www.louisvillegolf.com )

Our SMART brand has traditionally been the place where our best ideas manifest. The Original SMART driver was the first oversized Persimmon wood ever developed, and was released to critical acclaim. In 2000 we made a Persimmon driver especially for a PGA Tour player who to date has won four tournaments on tour. We worked with this player to develop a head shape that was pleasing, and the SMART ProB.E. is what we came up with. We have finally decided to release this driver design that incorporates a traditional pear-shaped design, but enlarged to achieve a size that works better with graphite shafts. The SMART ProB.E. Persimmon driver has greater gear effect for more accuracy, and superior feel thanks to the black cycolac insert and abbreviated soleplate. It is a driver designed to proudly carry the SMART name.

Material: Persimmon
Size: 250cc
Face angle: Square
Soleplate: Abbreviated cycolac
Insert: Black cycolac
Loft: 11 degrees
Hand: Right
Hosel: Hand-whipped
Finish: Mahogany brown
Shaft: Steel or graphite
Shaft flex: R,S,X,A,L
Steel lengths: 43, 43.5, 44 inches
Graphite lengths: 44, 44.5, 45 inches

PRICE
$309.99 each steel shaft
$339.99 each graphite shaft
FREE headcover

Harry Vardon, winner of 7 major titles, including six Open Championships, remains one of golf’s luminaries, in no small part due to the success of Mark Frost’s book (and subsequent movie from Disney) “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” The book tells the powerful story of underdog Francis Ouimet’s unlikely win over Vardon in the 1913 U.S. Open. The book, winner of the USGA’s and Sports Illustrated’s Best Book award and published by Hyperion Books, tells the sub-plot of the game’s evolution, with the 1913 U.S. Open being one of the seminal events in the early years of the game of golf as we know it today. No discussion of the evolution of the game is complete unless golf’s equipment is discussed. Here Frost talks about putting:

“Putting has always been golf’s most ephemeral component; players as supremely gifted as Ben Hogan felt it shouldn’t even be considered part of the same sport. As a result, putters tend to be the one club about which players turn irrational and superstitious. In Harry’s case, his well-publicized search for a club to help him overcome his terminal yips became a national preoccupation; cartoonists depicted Harry forging crude homemade putter over an open fire, or carrying twenty-five different models in his bag like arrows in a quiver. Sympathetic fans, eager club makers, and fellow professionals alike shipped him oddball variations from every corner of the globe. He tried ones carved from exotic woods and forged from every kind of metal, one with a foot-long blade, others with heads as square as a block of cheese. Nothing did the trick.” – p. 117, The Greatest Game Ever Played, by Mark Frost, Hyperion Books.

Vardon’s search for his ultimate weapon on the greens led him to Arthur Brown; Frost describes the meeting which eventually leads to Vardon’s use of the Brown Vardon (BV) putter:

“A high roller friend of Harry’s named Arthur Brown, a successful timber baron, designed a customized experimental putter for Harry and presented him with it in early 1911. This new, heavier iron club altered Harry’s stance; more upright now, both head and body still. Instead of popping the ball with a wristy slap controlled by his unreliable fingers, the palm of his right hand held the shaft for a more even, pendulum swing that involved gently rocking the shoulders; a modern putting stance to go with his modern swing. To Harry’s enormous surprise, Arthur Brown’s p[utter appeared to solve his problem, but he refused to say he’d put it behind him until testing the club in competition.” – p. 119, The Greatest Game Ever Played, by Mark Frost, Hyperion Books

Vardon used the putter made for him by Brown (thus called the Brown Vardon) to win two of his six Open Championships. Our Brown Vardon (BV) putter replicates the original. The head is made of carbon steel. It is shafted with an authentic Hickory shaft (available in 34 or 35 inches) and is gripped with an authentic leather grip hand wrapped using pitched linen whipping thread. This putter is handmade from start to finish and completely playable with the modern golf ball. This putter has been approved for play in hickory events by the Society of Hickory Golfers.

Click Here to visit the Brown Vardon page on the Louisville Golf website.

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 21, 2009

CONTACT: Josh Fischer, Marketing Director josh@louisvillegolf.com

Louisville Golf putter stars in “Avatar”

LOUISVILLE – If you have seen Avatar, James Cameron’s new epic motion picture now in theaters, about 30 minutes into the movie you will notice a Louisville Golf wood mallet putter prominently used by actor Giovanni Ribisi. Several years ago the production team called Louisville Golf and placed an order for a group of clubs. Louisville Golf is the world’s best-known manufacturer of wooden golf clubs. Made in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville Golf putters are handmade with over 100 hand operations. Executives at Louisville Golf nearly forgot about the association with the groundbreaking movie.

“It must have been four or five years ago that we sent the putter to James Cameron’s team. I had no idea what they needed the clubs for, but they said they were working on Avatar, so it sounded cool. I hadn’t thought about it until recently,” said Josh Fischer, marketing director for Louisville Golf.  “When the movie opened on December 18 Andy Just (Louisville Golf founder Elmore Just’s oldest son) called me and excitedly told me that our putter was in the movie. When I finally saw the movie over opening weekend, I was thrilled to see the putter get some solid screen time.

“The actor wielding the putter, unfortunately, is one of the villains, but we aren’t complaining. In the movie he says twice: ‘I love this putter!’ as he is putting on a practice mat. And the movie is in brilliant 3D, so to see our wood mallet putter in 3D, on one of the most anticipated movies ever, was extremely exciting.”

“We have worked on, and been involved with, some exciting projects over the three and a half decades we have been in business,” said Mike Just, Louisville Golf president. “The driver we made for Tiger Woods, the Discovery Channel segments on How It’s Made and the Ryder Cup come to mind recently. Being in Avatar ranks right up there with those projects, although we had little to do with the putter being included in the movie, other than making it and selling it to them.”

“If you haven’t seen the movie, make sure that you do - it is more than a movie, it’s an experience,” added Fischer. “And he makes both putts with it incidentally.” Ribisi is seen with a wooden mallet putter (polie XL model) in hand, and after making a putt exclaims: “I love this putter!” twice. Louisville Golf has been making putters since the early 1980s, and is best known for their line of Persimmon woods and Hickory-shafted playable golf clubs. Visit www.louisvillegolf.com for more information.

If you have seen ”Avatar,” about 30 minutes into the movie you will notice our Louisvlle Golf wood mallet putter prominently used by actor Giovanni Ribisi. On Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night show the actor was interviewed about the movie; in this video you can see a flash of the wood mallet putter as it is taken away from the actor in the scene. It is in the 4th segment, and Jimmy Fallon and Giovanni Ribisi talk about his action figure that includes said golf club.

Several years ago the production team called Louisville Golf and placed an order: “I thought that some production assistant was using the expense account to get wholesale prices, but when the movie came out Andy Just (Louisville Golf founder Elmore Just’s oldest son) called me and excitedly told me that our putter was in the movie,” said Josh Fischer, marketing director for Louisville Golf. “When I finally saw the movie over opening weekend I was thrilled to see the putter get some solid screen time.

“The actor wielding the putter, unfortunately, is one of the villians, but we aren’t complaining. He says twice: ‘I love this putter!’ as he is putting on a practice mat. And the movie is in brilliant 3D, so to see our wood mallet putter in 3D on one of the most anticipated movies ever was extremely exciting.”

If you haven’t seen the movie, make sure that you do - it is more than a movie, it’s an experience.

“Why I Play Persimmon” by Billy Mac (golf entertainer)

Golf is so many things to me, means so many things to me.

I have been privileged to have played many wonderful golf courses from “Mom and Pop” layouts that just happened to be on the way to somewhere I was going to the Olde at St. Andrews. I am always cognizant of those who have walked those fairways before me. I cannot go shoot jumpers in the Boston Garden or shag fly balls in Wrigley Field but I can play Pinehurst and dozens of other tracks once played by Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan.

Golf is a game which embraces tradition and history and Persimmon clubs are not just integral to both, but are to this day a vibrant part of golf’s present and its future. The modern game’s obsession with distance is out of balance with the demand for shotmaking and out of harmony with the treasured art of working the ball and shaping the shot. Thus the inevitable question asked by those who have marveled at the beauty and craftsmanship of my Louisville Golf Persimmon golf clubs is “do you hit it as far as a metal wood?”

Now the answer is yes, but more importantly the questions should be “Do you score as well?” and “Do you play as well?” and “Do you enjoy hitting Persimmon?” Yes. Yes, and Yes.

Your flat-faced metal wood would wilt next to Mike Souchak with an old MacGregor and simply will not move the ball both ways with the ease and grace of a Persimmon wood. Your skinny-headed Orlimar 5-wood is no match for the v-sole Niblick that goes down and gets it in the rough and still smoothes it off the tight lie of the fairway. Besides the correct shaft, swing weight and setup of the club will sweeten your swing far more than the myth of metal distance.

But let’s get to the sweetest part of all: the sound of Persimmon. I’m a singer, a piano player, a songwriter. My life is full of sounds of the most wonderful and moving kind. I have used sound to entertain, to inform, to heal, to bring together and I can say without reservation that next to my wife’s voice and my dog’s welcoming bark the sweetest sound in my life is the sound of my Persimmon woods hitting the ball. In a world infected with the doink and plink and pang of metal drivers of all kinds the pure sweet sound of wood striking the ball is music to these ears.

As an artist my life is also about beauty, whether it be pruning my orchards, landscaping my home, seeing my wife – and the joy I get every time I pull one of these magnificently crafted clubs from my bag, every time I see that deep sheen and classic clubface I am connected to the beauty and history of the game and it enriches me every bit as does the beauty of the course I am playing and the smooth, measured swing it beckons me to take.

I’m a better player because I play Persimmon. Persimmon enriches my game and my experience of it. I would love nothing more than for every golfer to know that joy – it’s why I play Persimmon.

Billy Mac
www.billymac.com

If you would like to post your reasons for playing Persimmon send them to josh@louisvillegolf.com and I will post it here on the Persimmon bLog.