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Henry-Griffitts Keeps Rolling

Published

14 years ago

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Long before custom golf club fitting became mainstream a small company out of Idaho was preaching the benefits.  Right from their beginning in the early 1980's Henry-Griffitts' (an amalgamation of names of founders and PGA Pros Randy Henry and Jim Griffitts)  philosophy was that ALL golf clubs needed to be fitted.  With golf swings, abilities, and physical stature all very individual things, "off the rack" was just not in their vocabulary.  Lie boards and interchangeable clubheads for fitting are among the standards they were responsible for.

Turning to 2010, more than a quarter century has passed but the passion of HG remains.  The entire golf industry realized that maybe fitting WAS the way to help golfers get more out of their equipment and HG is still adhering to that policy – just as they have from the day they sold their first golf club.

We recently spoke with current Henry-Griffitts President Randall Henry, the son of Randy Henry, about the state of HG and what they have in store for 2010 and beyond.

Even in a time of turmoil in the golf equipment business they feel their approach has carried them through nicely. Henry says that because of that their market position does not vary much from what it has in the past.

"We still always try to think of ourselves as innovators and forward looking," he explained.  'We are still in-line with the certified teacher/fitters and very much believe that are key in the golf business.  They have a distinct knowledge and advantage  over somebody going online to buy clubs or somewhere else where that knowledge and experience is not available.  That is our market; we still only do custom fit golf clubs."

Henry says having a strong and stable relationships with the fitters and pros who sell their equipment has been a real advantage as the markets have ebbed and flowed.  "That is really the reason why we are still around, because we have found good people and they rely on us just as much as we rely on them.  We feel our teachers and fitters are the best in the world and they feel the same about us.  That is the relationship we have."

From an equipment perspective he says that symbiotic relationship has advantages for the consumer.  "They (the fitters) guarantee to give the best fit that they can and we guarantee that what they get is exactly what they order every time."

The company backs that commitment with a 100 day fit guarantee.  "We really encourage our customers to take a look at the clubs when they come in so they get exactly what they ordered," he explained. "That is how we differ; we make sure the people get exactly what they order, every time. Our quality control is second to none," he boasts.

Henrys says their customers are not numbers, they have been "names" from the very beginning and they choose to preserve that level of service.  Often the first time customer becomes a long-time customer and they want to ensure the interaction with the company is as good as it can be right off the hop.

As they move forward Henry says they are taking more steps to keep the communication with the fitters and the customers even more active.  It is all part of their focus on customer service.  "We like to think we'll go the extra mile – that the golfer not only gets a set of golf clubs but an evaluation system and an experience that shows them they are now in a relationship with Henry-Griffitts."

Although proud of their custom fitting heritage Randall says they are not bitter in any way that most major manufacturers have adopted custom fitting and stormed into their niche.  "It's just nice for the people like my dad and everyone at HG to see it being embraced.  From the start it was about the golfer getting to have a better golf experience so we think it is great to see."

On that note Randall also mentions that when he started out his father went to many major manufacturers to talk custom fitting and he was often dismissed and told that basically, "he was crazy," and they could never offer that.

In some ways they still don't, according to HG's President.  'They may offer club-fitting but what we do is the furthest extreme of it.  The same level of service that a tour player receives is what we feel the customers gets with us."

He continues, "Many of them have good fitting systems; it's just nice to see people realizing that equipment does affect motion.  That is always what we have said and the big boys are kind of jumping on board with that now."

Although they have plenty of laurels they could rest on HG is firmly focused on where they are heading next while still utilizing the traits that brought them to where they are today.

"We probably have more plans for 2010 than we have had since the early days," Randall claims.  "With the economy a lot of people are hitting the brakes but we plan to hit the gas."

At the PGA Merchandise Show next week they introduce a number of products across the board – a big occasion for them.  "We don't just come out with golf clubs because it is a new year; we come out with new products when we think it is better. We don't like to change every 6 months just for the sake of it; we do it when we feel there is something for the golfer to gain."

Plans for 2010 also involve growing their dealer network and getting more consumer recognition for what they offer and what their history has been.  "We are looking to grow in areas where we haven't been," says Henry.  He points out a focus on the American Mid-West (they have new production facilities in Ohio) and in Canadian markets as well.

Henry also lays out that the changes also involve a new look, including a fresh logo.  "There will be a lot of focus on cosmetics.  We will have a new look for HG, a little more modern."

He concludes with a promise, "There is a lot of new blood here and our staff are buzzing.  There will be a lot of new looks on everything for HG this year and I think everyone will like it."

——

This article provided to GolfWRX.com by Flagstick Golf Magazine – (www.flagstick.com)

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

Published

17 hours ago

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May 10, 2024

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Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

Published

18 hours ago

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May 10, 2024

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

Published

21 hours ago

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May 10, 2024

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With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

 

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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play? 

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week. 

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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