Thoughts on building/repairing clubs...

[BigJim13]

So the only real club repair/building shops in our area closed down about a year ago. He was the only one to go to when you needed a club regripped, rehsafted etc. The only option in the area now is Dick's and in my area all they do is regripping.

A buddy and I have been giving serious thought to starting a little club repair/building gig on the side of our regular jobs. Our plan would be to go around to the local clubs and just pass out cards and get the word out that way as to what we are doing.

We both have some equipment but would need to pick up a few things, shaft extractor and a few other things. I don't plan on doing it to make a TON of money, mainly just to cover our costs and a little more. I just really LOVE tinkering on clubs, whether it be reshafting or even just regripping and there is NOBODY in this area that does it.

I guess what I am getting at is how hard is it to start up, what do I really need and what advice does anybody have to get going? I welcome all thoughts whether it be positive or lets call it constructive criticism.

[LyleG]

It can get expensive and fast.

If you want to do it for golf courses you will need stock as customers dealing with golf courses will not want to wait a week for grips, shafts etc. So you will need a hearty supply and selection of both. You will need a supplier for parts, grips, components etc. Many suppliers require minimum orders to get trade discounts. Without trade discounts on your supplies its very hard to compete with internet pricing.
You will also need a good supply of specialty ferrules, adapters, oem specific grips as many oem clubs use proprietary parts. Many people also insist on OEM specific grips.
You will need equipment to fit people. Most golfers think you are low brow if you don't have a launch monitor now a days.
You will need demo clubs. People want to try everything before they buy it including shafts.
You will also need liability insurance, and that can be quite costly. Last thing you need is a head flying off and killing someone and you lose your home to compound the issue.

Without being full service people will come once and not come back. Most people know nothing of components, and have been drinking the OEM kool-aid for their entire golfing lives. They want the newest and greatest and you best have it in stock or they will go elsewhere.
It can be fun, it can make you a few bucks, and at times it can be a nightmare. Hack up some rich pricks FT-5 driver doing a reshaft and see how much you love tinkering then LOL.

[BigJim13]

It can get expensive and fast.

If you want to do it for golf courses you will need stock as customers dealing with golf courses will not want to wait a week for grips, shafts etc. So you will need a hearty supply and selection of both. You will need a supplier for parts, grips, components etc. Many suppliers require minimum orders to get trade discounts. Without trade discounts on your supplies its very hard to compete with internet pricing.
You will also need a good supply of specialty ferrules, adapters, oem specific grips as many oem clubs use proprietary parts. Many people also insist on OEM specific grips.
You will need equipment to fit people. Most golfers think you are low brow if you don't have a launch monitor now a days.
You will need demo clubs. People want to try everything before they buy it including shafts.
You will also need liability insurance, and that can be quite costly. Last thing you need is a head flying off and killing someone and you lose your home to compound the issue.

Without being full service people will come once and not come back. Most people know nothing of components, and have been drinking the OEM kool-aid for their entire golfing lives. They want the newest and greatest and you best have it in stock or they will go elsewhere.
It can be fun, it can make you a few bucks, and at times it can be a nightmare. Hack up some rich pricks FT-5 driver doing a reshaft and see how much you love tinkering then LOL.

I was hoping you would chime in, you brought up some good points that I hadn't thought about like keeping a certain level of stock. Maybe its just best to leave well enough alone and just tinker for myself and a few buddies...

[LyleG]

Maybe its just best to leave well enough alone and just tinker for myself and a few buddies...

Thats what I have gone back too. Just wasnt worth the trouble anymore.

[cashbassorass]

its gonna take $$$$$

[Mr_Smede]

Here's the way I did it. If you want to provide a service to golf courses then stock is definitely needed but, it can be accomplished by keeping it simple. Stay with steel parrallel tip shafts for both irons and woods and you've just cut the stock in half. You have both R and S and L and A on the same shafts. Price your services so you cover time and materials and then add a pick up and drop off service, the mileage is a tax deduction too. I went around to 11 courses and ended up getting the business from 8 originally and now it's down to 5 due to changes in the Pro and what they provide themselves. Grips are the most costly and hardest to forcast. I keep enough of 4 or 5 styles to do a few sets each in stock and tell them right away that I will order anything they want, same with graphite shafts. If they plan a little ahead I don't pick up the club until the shaft or grips are in. Alterations are where you'll make the best ROI. I offer a spring tune-up that gives them a full inspection, cleaning, loft and lie check and bending adjustment on the irons for $50. It's all labor except the expense of my loft and lie machine. Small ads in the paper for that have done very well and can provide the start up money for the start up inventory. If you're really interested, email me at "mr_smede@hotmail.com", I've been doing this for over 20 years and if you do good work, you'll have a steady supply of customers.

Good Luck

[BigJim13]

Here's the way I did it. If you want to provide a service to golf courses then stock is definitely needed but, it can be accomplished by keeping it simple. Stay with steel parrallel tip shafts for both irons and woods and you've just cut the stock in half. You have both R and S and L and A on the same shafts. Price your services so you cover time and materials and then add a pick up and drop off service, the mileage is a tax deduction too. I went around to 11 courses and ended up getting the business from 8 originally and now it's down to 5 due to changes in the Pro and what they provide themselves. Grips are the most costly and hardest to forcast. I keep enough of 4 or 5 styles to do a few sets each in stock and tell them right away that I will order anything they want, same with graphite shafts. If they plan a little ahead I don't pick up the club until the shaft or grips are in. Alterations are where you'll make the best ROI. I offer a spring tune-up that gives them a full inspection, cleaning, loft and lie check and bending adjustment on the irons for $50. It's all labor except the expense of my loft and lie machine. Small ads in the paper for that have done very well and can provide the start up money for the start up inventory. If you're really interested, email me at "mr_smede@hotmail.com", I've been doing this for over 20 years and if you do good work, you'll have a steady supply of customers.

Good Luck

While I would love to do this, and what you say makes sense. I would have to buy some equipment, mainly a shaft puller that is halfway decent. I don't have a loft/lie bending machine and those are more money than I can afford at this point. My main expereince is with regripping and reshafting some fairly simple clubs to reshaft. If some guy handed me an Ft-i like Lyle said, I would likely hand it back and say send it to Callaway. While clubmaking to me is a passion and seems to come fairly easy and natural to me (mainly because I am so anal about how my clubs look and feel) I think it may be best to just tinker...I dont know though...