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Bag Chatter: An Interview with Cut Golf

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Bag Chatter is a series of interviews that spotlights brands around the golf industry and the people behind them. We’re looking to make this a regular thing, so please comment and share through your medium of choice.

If you have a brand and are interested in participating in these interviews, you can email [email protected] for consideration. Today’s interview is with Sam Uisprapassorn (pronounced WEE-pra-pa-sorn), who is one of the partners behind Cut Golf.

Let’s start with an easy one. Tell me about Cut Golf. Where are you guys based? How long have you been in business? In what ways has it grown since you started? All that kind of stuff.

We are based out of Costa Mesa, California. We founded the company about a year ago and it’s been a very fun year to say the least. I’m an avid golfer. Every spare moment I have, I prefer to have a golf club in my hand. Basically, the way it all started was that I was trying to learn how to hit a cut shot and I honestly started losing a bunch of balls (you know how it goes). I just got tired of losing expensive balls and thought there had to be a way to trim out a lot of the excess cost and just provide golfers with a damn good ball at a reasonable price. So a bunch of guys that I run around with all banded together and decided we were going to do this. We all bring something different to the table in terms of our talents, backgrounds, etc. and it’s been a really great experience so far.

How did you go from, “I’m tired of losing expensive golf balls” to “I’m in the golf ball business now?” What did that process look like?

When the moment came that we all decided we were going to do this, we started shopping around for a manufacturer, which took quite a bit of time, but that was really the majority of what it took, I suppose. We told them what we were looking for as far as things like cost and performance, and they would all submit things that they could do on their end with manufacturing processes, dimple patterns, and things like that. It’s been a really fun ride!

In your opinion, what is Cut Golf’s secret sauce? Why would a consumer buy your ball over someone else’s?

We’re interested in a no-nonsense, no-frills approach. I didn’t slave away in my garage making golf balls or anything like that. I don’t profess to be someone like Dean Snell with decades of golf ball design experience (though I think his story is fascinating and cannot be ignored). I would never say our ball is BETTER. We don’t market more distance, more spin, etc. like a lot of people do. We just use different language. We just say it’s the best damn ball under $20. If that resonates with you, we’re your golf ball. What separates us from the majority of our competition is that we don’t have a huge budget. We absolutely cannot afford to pay people to play Cut, so we approached people on social media and just said, “Tell us what you think and tell your friends what you think.” Everything has really grown out of that, to be honest.

Sleeve of Cut Blue golf balls

Cut Blue golf balls, a 4-piece urethane cover ball at under $20 per dozen.

In your opinion, is it fair or unfair to lump companies like yours separately from Titleist, Bridgestone, etc? Are the direct-to-consumer folks like you, Vice, and Snell playing a different game than the big boys?

The Cut perspective is that we deserve a seat at the same table as the likes of Titleist because we’re a golf ball company. We’re here to grab a slice of that market… just like our counterparts are. That goes for us and Vice just as much as it does for Callaway and TaylorMade. Now, on the other hand, Titleist (for example) spends ridiculous amounts of money on R&D and we can’t compete with that. We just can’t. So I can understand why some people lump the direct-to-consumer folks on one side and the “big boys” on the other. But we are all fighting for the same consumer, so in my mind, I think that’s what counts.

Talk to me about your golf game. How would you rate your game today?

Well, I work a full-time job and I do the Cut Golf thing on the side, so I rarely get the chance to actually play golf anymore. They say the more successful you are in the golf industry, the less you get to play golf, and I have definitely found that to be true. My tee shot is mostly horrendous, so that’s what I always struggle with. My handicap is at a 16 right now, which is terrible. If my tee shot behaves, I’m in good shape. My iron play is pretty strong. My short game is good for the most part, but it comes and goes like most amateurs. All that to say… my game needs work. But it doesn’t mean I’m not having fun.

Where are your balls designed? By whom?

We worked with our manufacturer on that. We’re not really allowed to share any details about our manufacturer, but we developed the ball with them. Essentially what we did is we shopped around different manufacturers. When we chose one, they had an engineer on staff and that was who we went back and forth with. We played with the dimple patterns and the compression rate and all that until we got it right.

Cut golf balls current line up

Cut’s current golf ball lineup: Cut Blue, Cut Grey, Cut White, and Cut Red.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one album with you, what would it be? If this is too hard, I’ll let you slide with one artist’s music.

I used to work in the music industry out here in California. This is such a hard question. If I’m stuck on an island, I would say something like Jack Johnson’s music would be what I’d want to have around. If it’s only one album I can listen to for the rest of my life, though, I would have to say Hotel California, but that is a ridiculously hard question.

You know there will be people reading this that demand I ask the following question: What data do you have that supports claims of how well your golf balls perform? What do you have that you can share?

We did extensive testing on our balls. We tested four-piece urethane to four-piece urethane, three-piece urethane to three-piece urethane, etc. So we did apples-to-apples testing and to sum it all up… our balls are just as good as the competition, which is all we claim to be. At worst, we may be 5 yards off the competition. At best, we may be 5 yards better than the competition. All of that seems to be really dependent upon the specific player, but the end result is that we’re pretty much neck and neck on performance with our direct competition. And for the record, I would put it out there that if you’re the guy that hits Competitor A 5 yards further than Cut Grey (for example), I think that’s great. We’re not out to convince that guy that we’re better regardless. We genuinely hope everyone out there likes our product, but we also know that’s not realistic. So if you personally think Competitor A’s ball is better than Cut Grey, then go with Competitor A and have fun.

Trackman data comparing Cut Blue to popular four piece urethane competitor golf balls (names redacted)

Trackman data comparing Cut Blue to popular 4-piece urethane golf balls (names redacted). The top three rows are driver averages, the second three rows are 6-iron averages, and the bottom three rows are wedge averages.

Out of curiosity, is there anyone out there playing Cut golf balls on a regular basis that would turn some heads among readers?

Honestly, we’re not really looking to land a bunch of tour pros. That’s just not really our style. The most famous person I think I can come up with that plays Cut golf balls is Steven Haushka, who is the field goal kicker for the Buffalo Bills. He happens to be a good friend of one of our management partners. There’s also a relief pitcher for the White Sox named Chris Beck who hit us up on Instagram and we sent him some Cut balls to Coors Field to meet up with him out on the road. The thing is, though, we never sought those guys out and for me, that’s just so rewarding. We’re not necessarily looking to land Rory McIlroy, for instance. His livelihood depends on his golf ball, so if it doesn’t perform exactly how he wants, it’s a very different feeling for him than it is for most amateurs. He’s literally paying his bills with his golf equipment. I’m not going to try to offer him millions of dollars to play Cut golf balls. That being said, if he happened to try Cut golf balls and loved them and thought they were better than anything else he ever played, I would be pretty darn excited about that.

If you could sit down with a hero of yours (dead or alive) over lunch, who would it be and what would you ask them? Doesn’t have to be a golfer…

I would have to say Herb Brooks, who is one of the most iconic hockey coaches ever. He’s most well known for coaching the 1980 gold medal team in the Olympics. I’m a huge hockey guy. I would love to sit down with him and ask him, “Am I doing this right?” Not necessarily in hockey, but in life. Am I leading my company right? Am I doing my marriage right? Am I parenting my kids right? I would really like to ask him that question because I respect his opinion, but mainly because I would expect a guy like Herb Brooks to tell me the unfiltered truth and I think our society is missing a lot of that today.

Cut Blue golf ball - putter line

Cut Blue Golf ball: Putter Line

Tell us more about the company, about your lineup, and how people can find you on social media and the internet.

As far as social media goes, Instagram is our mainstay. @cutgolf is the main handle and @cutgolf_mgmt is the handle that the business partners use. Our twitter handle is @CUTgolfco. You can find us on Facebook as Cut Golf. Our website is www.cutgolfco.com, which of course is the best way to learn about our lineup and make a purchase if you so desire. Speaking of our lineup, we have a two-piece, surlyn cover ball in Cut Red and a three-piece, surlyn cover ball in Cut White. Our two marquis balls are Cut Blue, which is a four-piece with a urethane cover, and our latest product is a three-piece, urethane cover ball called Cut Grey. We just launched it last week and so far, we’ve been very pleased with the turnout. As always, though, whatever equipment you happen to be playing, get out there and have fun. That’s what it’s all about. That’s why we got into this.  We’re golf addicts just like our customers are.

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Peter Schmitt is an avid golfer trying to get better every day, the definition of which changes relatively frequently. He believes that first and foremost, golf should be an enjoyable experience. Always. Peter is a former Marine and a full-time mechanical engineer (outside of the golf industry). He lives in Lexington, KY with his wife and two young kids. "What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive." -Arnold Palmer

38 Comments

38 Comments

  1. Peter Schmitt

    Nov 10, 2017 at 7:56 am

    Glad to see this piece resonated with you guys. I’m biased, but I think this series is going to be fun for everyone involved. I had never met Sam before this, but he’s a great dude in my book now. Had a lot of fun with this one. More to come! Cheers!

    Also, I have to wish a great, big, happy 242nd birthday today to all the Marines out there past and present. Today is always a special day for us. Enjoy it. Semper fi!

    • freedy

      Nov 12, 2017 at 10:55 pm

      Rumor has it they are filing for Chapter 11 soon.

      • Justin dru

        Nov 13, 2017 at 9:18 pm

        Rumor is I’m going to be secretary of defense next month. They are one of the biggest growing new golf companies. Lol do some research my dude. #fakenews

  2. Justin dru

    Nov 8, 2017 at 5:13 pm

    So I’ve tried th greys and blues. Phenomenal balls. I was hesitant to try something new. That old “stick with what you know” always gets me. But I tried them and was blown away. Anyone that has a negative thing to say about how this ball performs has obviously never played it. I’m not a bad golfer myself. I was a B330 fan, and can get the ball to do most of what I tell it to do. But the new Greys that came out, to me, out perform the b330 (and RX). For the price and performance of these balls. It’s an absolute no brainer.

  3. Scott

    Nov 8, 2017 at 4:56 pm

    So, I have tried the Whites, Blues, and now the Greys, which are my gamer I might say. Overall I am super impressed by them, all 3 models. I am a friend of the brand and I know the owner. He is a super nice and humble dude but back to what I saw. I was a Srixon Q-Star and Z-Star guy before I tried these balls, so I went with the White which is closest to the Q-Star and I didn’t see a difference as far as playability. I have a habit of slicing off the teebox so I need something with lower compression but I also love the Z-Star but didn’t want to pay 45 a dozen so I tried the blue bc the compression rating was super close and really liked the blues, especially since it was urethane cover. Then they came out the the Grey, and OMG! I fell in love with these! I have never got a ball to spin as much as this one. It has a lower compression but has the urethane cover so I get the softer feel of the White, but the action around the greens of the Blue. It’s like butter! As long as these guys are in business, the Cut Grey will be my gamer!!!!!

    • mM

      Nov 10, 2017 at 2:45 am

      How much do you get for working for them? lmao way to go, Employee of the year!

      • Scott

        Nov 10, 2017 at 10:52 pm

        I get $0. How much do you get from Titleist for playing ProV1s? My guess would be -$50 a dozen. Bahaha

        • mM

          Nov 13, 2017 at 3:06 am

          Yeah, that made sense, what you said. It really did. You’re right, yeah, they pay me $50 a dozen, that’s what I get from them. Bwahahahaha. What’s it like to put your foot in it?

  4. bnr

    Nov 8, 2017 at 4:10 pm

    i got a sleeve of cut blue’s for 8 bucks (they give em to you for free, make you pay shipping) earlier this season and tried them out. my standard ball is either the prov1x or chrome soft. i’m a 5 handicap who’s hitting 8 iron from 150 and routinely hit driver 270 yards. for a 4 piece urethane, i found them to be incredibly firm and low spinning, worse than a top flite d2 feel or gamer. i respect what they are looking to do, but the cut blue doesn’t even come close to the vice pro, pro+, or pro soft. i wish them the best, but i think they ought to reconsider who they are marketing to when its called a 4 piece urethane. it did not meet my expectations of that description.

    • CB

      Nov 9, 2017 at 10:21 pm

      Well, that’s why they cost $20 a dozen, because it might be urethane, but that’s all it has, a fancy cover, but on the inside it’s not going to have the tech of a $45/dozen ball. People just don’t seem to understand that part.

  5. SK

    Nov 8, 2017 at 3:40 pm

    What kind of dimple pattern do you use for Cut Balls?
    Is there anything special in the ball that requires patent protection?

    • etc.

      Nov 10, 2017 at 3:04 pm

      I smell another Titleist Vx lawsuit coming…. lol

  6. Steve

    Nov 8, 2017 at 2:44 pm

    I really like this guy’s approach and attitude towards golf. It is all about having fun and finding the right ball/equipment/etc. for each person. For less than $20 a dozen, I would be the dumb one for not at least trying them out.

  7. mM

    Nov 8, 2017 at 1:46 pm

    Color for names for different types of balls? Dumbest idea ever. They’re totally confusing and hard to remember. Horrible. I already don’t remember what ball is the Premium 4-piece harder, lower spinning urethane one because it’s not labeled with a X. The other one should have been the S. Not colors that are different to the standard of Black and Red which have been the standard for decades. These kids are dumb. If the ball doesn’t perform, nobody will buy them. They will end up as range balls.

    • Scott

      Nov 8, 2017 at 3:52 pm

      So, have you thought that maybe they aren’t trying be like everyone else? Just a thought…Secondly, even if you think the colors are stupid, they made you remember the ball. Obviously you haven’t tried them because you said, “if the ball doesn’t perform.” I will say that the ball does perform and if you’re looking for more data on it, look at thehackersparadise.com. There are threads on there with lots of good data. Guess what I’m getting at is don’t bash something if you have never tried it.

      • mM

        Nov 9, 2017 at 3:05 am

        They’ve admitted that they don’t perform as well the others. By 5 yards. It says so right here in quotes. If the manufacturer is blasé and say “don’t play our ball if you don’t think it performs” why would anybody play it except to save money? Not for the performance, obviously.

        • Scott

          Nov 9, 2017 at 9:51 am

          And i quote, “At worst, we may be 5 yards off the competition. At best, we may be 5 yards better than the competition. All of that seems to be really dependent upon the specific player, but the end result is that we’re pretty much neck and neck on performance with our direct competition.” If you’re going to quote something, make sure you include all of it. The owner is saying that everyone plays different and balls react different for different people, so if it’s not for you, it’s not for you. He’s not going to go home and dry at night because his ball isn’t for you. All in all, don’t hate on someone that came up with an idea that you didn’t and it’s doing well. Like I said before, don’t hate on something you haven’t tried. It’s like saying you don’t like sushi if you’ve never had it, lol.

          • CB

            Nov 9, 2017 at 10:12 pm

            No, he’s definitely not going to go home and “dry” at night he’ll be wetting it quite a bit from all the drinking I’m sure lmao

            • Scott

              Nov 10, 2017 at 10:56 pm

              My apologies for autocorrect. “Cry”

              • mM

                Nov 13, 2017 at 3:07 am

                Nah, no need to apologize, you just can’t spell nor make any sense. It’s OK
                lmao

                • Scott

                  Nov 13, 2017 at 9:21 pm

                  I guess not making any sense includes knowing how to read because if that’s the case you sir, fall into that category as well. I mean since you said that they admit their worse than other balls, because it doesn’t state that all. But what do i know, I can’t spell or make any sense. But I’m also not the idiot paying $50 a dozen for golf balls.

        • Thomas A

          Nov 9, 2017 at 10:59 am

          The article doesn’t say that at all. They say that sometimes they are 5 yards shorter, sometimes 5 yards longer. They say they are as good as anyone, not better than everyone. Comprehension is definitely not your strong suit.

          • CB

            Nov 9, 2017 at 10:13 pm

            He doesn’t need any comprehension. He’s just trying to mock the company by slating its own claims, and he did it well.

    • Jack

      Nov 8, 2017 at 9:04 pm

      Sounding as asinine as you must really take effort. Their designs are great, love the logo and the alignment line’s clean look. Any brand’s lines takes time to learn, unless you do it by numbers, which in it’s own ways are not memorable.

      They have numbers to show they perform. I’m not sure why you are questioning that. If you get on a launch monitor and see differently then sure. If you are an exceptionally consistent ball striker and see differences in balls on the course then you can try that too. Maybe you like the feel of other balls around the green better, maybe not. Who knows.

      But to write them off and calling them dumb when clearly they went through the process developing their brand and product properly is just flat out wrong.

      • CB

        Nov 9, 2017 at 10:16 pm

        They’re just a bunch of rich kids who wanted to get some free golf time playing on some fancy courses by being in the “business” when they know they have no business making such claims with balls that “may be” performs for some but nor for others. That’s not how you sell things well and stay in business. They’re in it to write some golf off as business expenses for a couple years while they’re in business but will be gone in a couple when their company fails

  8. Alan Bester

    Nov 8, 2017 at 12:53 pm

    So the Cut Ball Company is pitching their balls on a low price to the golf market segment who are mostly recreational players. Good luck, sincerely.
    I say that because the big name OEMs are fighting for the big dollar upper crust country club golfers who have money to burn, likely because the lowball recreational market is collapsing.
    Looks cute having the company name in the alignment line, but doesn’t that distract from focusing on the line?

    • Thomas A

      Nov 9, 2017 at 11:00 am

      If you are distracted by lettering on an alignment line then you need a new hobby or new meds.

      • Dr.

        Nov 9, 2017 at 7:23 pm

        You are obviously ignorant about visual optics. The lettering interferes with visual perception and compromises the alignment line. Get an education because you reveal your ignorance.

        • CB

          Nov 9, 2017 at 10:19 pm

          He might be ignorant but he ain’t blind like you, Dr! lmao

          • etc.

            Nov 10, 2017 at 3:01 pm

            ooo ooo great teenage brainlet insult that makes your ao laugh and mess up!

    • Scott

      Nov 9, 2017 at 11:40 am

      If you have paid any attention to any factory alignment it has what model of ball it is. Just saying.

      • Dr.

        Nov 9, 2017 at 7:24 pm

        Your comment is not only incoherent, it’s inarticulate. Just saying.

        • Scott

          Nov 10, 2017 at 11:07 pm

          You are what’s wrong with golf and this country. Acting like you are high and mighty because you think someone is inarticulate. Glad that’s what gets your rocks off. You keep buying your $50 a dozen balls. Glad you can afford them. Some can’t afford them and some of us are just smart enough to not spend that much on gold balls. But you’re probably a rocket scientist that knows all by your name. My bad. I’ll just quit talking because I’m an inarticulate moron. Haha

      • mM

        Nov 10, 2017 at 2:47 am

        You should quit working for hard for them, Scott, just saying. lol

    • CB

      Nov 9, 2017 at 10:17 pm

      Bingo

  9. James Armour

    Nov 8, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    I found one of these on my local course in IL and played it a bit. Can’t be tons of those floating around here. Seemed decent from what I remember.

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Whats in the Bag

Max Homa WITB 2024 (April)

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  • Max Homa what’s in the bag accurate as of the Masters. 

Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Red 80 TX

5-wood: Titleist TSR2 (21 degrees @19.25, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 9 TX

Irons: Titleist T100S (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 620 (6-9)
Shafts: KBS $ Taper 130 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 50-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60)
Shafts: KBS $ Taper 130 (46) KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 135 X (50, 56), KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 125 X (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5.5 Proto

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

More photos of Max Homa’s WITB in the forums.

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Whats in the Bag

Bryson DeChambeau WITB 2024 (April)

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Driver: Krank Formula Fire Pro (6 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75g 6.5

Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver (11.5 degrees @10)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75g 6.5

  • Unconfirmed. We are working to gather details.

5-wood: Krank Formula Fire

  • Unconfirmed. We are working to gather details.

Irons: Avoda Prototype (5-PW)
Shafts: LA Golf Prototype

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (46-12S @45, 50-12S, 56, 60)
Shafts: LA Golf Prototype

Putter: SIK Pro C-Series Armlock/LA Golf Proto
Shaft: LA Golf C2L-180
Grip: JumboMax JumboFlat 17

Grips: JumboMax UltraLight XL

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash

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Equipment

Accra launches new GX wood and hybrid shafts

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Accra Golf shafts have long been synonymous with fitting, and the new GX line of driver, fairway, and hybrid shafts continues that legacy.

Since 2004, Accra has been making high-end performance golf shafts that use the latest in materials and design philosophy. Their group of around 350 fitters are some of the best and most highly ranked in the world. While you might see other brands on professional tours more often, there are plenty of touring pros using Accra products and winning.

Accra’s new GX line of shafts is designed to offer a consistent and accurate shaft to a wide range of players. The GX line consists of 3 different shafts in driver, fairway, and hybrid designs.

The Accra GX shafts are designed for fitters to dial in golfers to the perfect shaft for their swing. Accra included a ton of technology into the GX line including their S3 profiling, DyMatch, and Constant Flex technology. DyMatch has been Accra’s quest to ensure that all shafts in a family feel and perform similar from driver to hybrid or iron shaft. Typically shafts get stiffer as they go up in weight, but Accra’s Constant Flex keeps the flex of the shafts consistent so fitters and golfers can dial in the weight that the golfer need without have to work around a stiffer or softer flex. Accra worked with Cool Clubs to build out its S3 Shaft Profiling system that not only allows a quick and easy EI profile of any shaft, it helps with quality control to ensure shafts come out of production exactly as they were designed.

Accra GX Red 300 Series

GX Red is lowest launching and spinning option in the GX line. Driver shafts have fewer options with just the 360 and 370 models that come in at 63 and 71 grams. The GX Red is made for faster swinging, or stronger, players who require a stiff (M4) or x-stiff (M5) shaft for their swing. Fairway and hybrid models are also on the higher weight side with the fairway clocking in at 80g and 90g for the hybrid. Accra designed this series with one of the stiffest tip sections of any Accra shaft in the current line, and while it is built to control launch and spin, the Red 300 Series will still offer that smooth feel.

Accra GX Green 100 Series

If your swing usually works best with mid-launch and spin, then the GX Green 200 series might be the right shaft for you. Offered in more weight and flex options, you can get a GX Green in 52 grams and all the way up to 70 grams in regular, stiff, and x-stiff flexes. GX Green will give the player a smooth feel and transition from the handle down to the tip section while still providing great stability and consistency. Accra also focused on the energy transfer of this shaft, and golfers can see some increased ball speed compared to other shafts.

Accra GX Blue 200 Series

While the GX Blue 100 Series is the highest launching and spinning option in the GX lineup, it will still give golfers the control and consistency they need. Starting off at 40g, the GX Blue series puts an emphasis on lighter weight to allow players to swing the club faster, promoting more distance. Accra touts the stability of the GX 140 Blue driver shaft by stating that some long driver competitors have put it in play to try and gain every MPH they can. Matching fairway and hybrid shafts are both on the lighter side at around 60g for the fairway and 65g for the hybrid depending on the flex.

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