Tour News
The Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company Files for Bankruptcy
The Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to the Dallas News. The filing comes less than a month after the company announced a restructuring that saw its workforce cut by 30 percent.
The company was re-launched two years ago at the PGA Merchandise Show and was led by Terry Koehler, a golf equipment industry veteran. This summer Koehler stepped down as President and CEO. He was replaced by Scott White, who previously worked for both Callaway, TaylorMade, True Temper and the original Ben Hogan golf equipment company.
Ben Hogan gained a following with its forged irons models, which were labeled by loft instead of number (“20” instead of 3 iron, “42” instead of 9 iron, etc). It took the same approach with its hybrids and wedges. The loft-specific system was intended to allow golfers to create even distance gaps throughout their set to improve their scoring.
According to the Dallas News, Ben Hogan listed Perry Ellis International, which licensed the Ben Hogan name to the company, as one of its main creditors, owing the company $267,500. It owed its landlord $77,256.74. Ben Hogan listed both assets and liabilities between $1 and $10 million.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship
GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.
While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.
Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Michael Block – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Patrick Reed – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cam Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Josh Speight – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Takumi Kanaya – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kyle Mendoza – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Adrian Meronk – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jordan Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jeremy Wells – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jared Jones – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Somers – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Larkin Gross – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tracy Phillips – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jon Rahm – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Keita Nakajima – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kazuma Kobori – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- David Puig – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Ryan Van Velzen – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brad Marek – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rich Beem WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Phil Mickelson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Matt Dobyns – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Lucas Herbert – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jason Dufner – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Daly – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Taylor Gooch – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dean Burmester – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dustin Johnson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
Pullout Albums
- Ping putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Bettinardi covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cameron putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Max Homa – Titleist 2 wood – 2024 PGA Championship
- Scotty Cameron experimental putter shaft by UST – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – new Ping putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka’s new Cameron putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s Cobra bag and Aerojet driver – 2024 PGA Championship
- Super Stroke grip – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tiger Woods – 2024 PGA Championship
- Michael Block’s new TaylorMade “Proto” 7-iron, from address – 2024 PGA Championship
- Odyssey putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
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News
Photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
GolfWRX is live this week at the Wells Fargo Championship as a field of the world’s best golfers descend upon Charlotte, North Carolina, hoping to tame the beast that is Quail Hollow Club in this Signature Event — only Scottie Scheffler, who is home awaiting the birth of his first child, is absent.
From the grounds at Quail Hollow, we have our usual assortment of general galleries and WITBs — including a look at left-hander Akshay Bhatia’s setup. Among the pullout albums, we have a look inside Cobra’s impressive new tour truck for you to check out. Also featured is a special look at Quail Hollow king, Rory McIlroy.
Be sure to check back throughout the week as we add more galleries.
General Albums
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Monday #1
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Akshay Bhatia – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Matthieu Pavon – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Keegan Bradley – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Webb Simpson – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Emiliano Grillo – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Taylor Pendrith – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Kevin Tway – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
Pullout Albums
- New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rory McIlroy – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Eric Cole’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Custom Cameron putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Matt Kuchar’s custom Bettinardi – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Justin Thomas – driver change – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rickie Fowler – putter change – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s new custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Tommy Fleetwood testing a TaylorMade Spider Tour X (with custom neck) – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Cobra Darkspeed Volition driver – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying about our Wells Fargo Championship photos in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).
Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.
We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Pierceson Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kris Kim – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- David Nyfjall – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Adrien Dumont de Chassart – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Jarred Jetter – North Texas PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Richy Werenski – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Wesley Bryan – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Parker Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Peter Kuest – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Blaine Hale, Jr. – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kelly Kraft – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Rico Hoey – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Pullout Albums
- Adam Scott’s 2 new custom L.A.B. Golf putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Scotty Cameron putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Ben Griffin playing Maxfli golf ball
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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Mike t
Feb 4, 2017 at 8:30 am
Sorry to see classic clu makers gone. The big boys with their marketing prevail.
ivor robson
Feb 4, 2017 at 1:07 am
I could never buy a club with “ft worth” stamped on the hosel. My good friend mr. Langer played his irons until there were no grooves.
Harry
Jun 19, 2017 at 9:15 pm
Don’t mess with Texas, brother.
Kourt
Feb 2, 2017 at 7:04 pm
I really liked the ft worths. They were a fun club to play. But the cost to manufacture every club head from 21-61, 40 clubs, vs 10 clubs in a traditional 3-lw had to have been insane. Would have been better to just manufacture 3-lw clubs and then bend them to specified loft and stamp the new loft onto the club. The V-sole was functional and cool but not a remarkable technology by any means. If they just stayed with the ft worth model only instead of rushing to make the ptx’s against manufacturing every loft, and then the hybrids and hollow irons, I think they could have done just fine. Slow growth with only a set of classic ben hogan blades and sold to the select market that already knew their name. Would never have been a big booming company but I think they could have sold a lot of clubs and a much higher profit margin. And kept the price to $119 a club instead of $150-$180 depending on shaft choice. Thats just absurd.
Mat
Feb 1, 2017 at 8:36 pm
Wasted opportunity. Stood out with nothing but loft stamping.
The industry is littered with advertising. If you don’t have a big ad budget, you darn well need to be doing something unique and doing it very well. Would have been better if they’d partnered with Grenade or something so you could have at least a decent lineup.
larry fox
Feb 1, 2017 at 7:34 pm
Does anyone know the difference between the Hohan apex irons with the red line and #’s and the green line and #’s? I emailed the hogan company and a nice lady called me back but said that the company had changed hands so many times that no one there knew the difference! Looking for a friend
Jim
Feb 7, 2017 at 9:41 am
Used to mean lie angle from factory – like special ordered. Green used to be 2 up – at least in earlier Hogan incarnations
Kromulous
Feb 1, 2017 at 9:14 am
Liquidation sale coming up? I would be down for buying some heads.
Brian
Feb 1, 2017 at 3:21 am
Shame, Ft Worth irons were the best irons I’ve ever hit. Didn’t much care about the lofts on the clubs ( done for consistent gapping from club to club ) but the feel, trajectory , and accuracy were, in my opinion, the best on the market.
S Hitter
Feb 1, 2017 at 1:07 am
Callaway should just buy these remaining patents and copyrights and use it for their own as they already did with the Apex name. Not that Callaway needs any more stuff
Scud Missile
Jan 31, 2017 at 11:38 pm
At least they saved money on research and development by ripping off the Adams Idea Pro 😉
ubrgolfer
Jan 31, 2017 at 10:00 pm
Their irons were ok but their hybrids literally whistled when you swung it. How does that get passed testing? Knew right there they were doomed.
The dude
Jan 31, 2017 at 9:57 pm
First set…Apex 2’s….RIP
Cotton
Jan 31, 2017 at 9:55 pm
I feel shocked
S Hitter
Feb 1, 2017 at 1:07 am
Nice sarcasm
KK
Jan 31, 2017 at 9:17 pm
Old and clumsy-looking clubs in 2016? Come on, man.
Bowdog78
Jan 31, 2017 at 8:49 pm
#1 problem with Ben Hogan. No one under 55 recognized what they were to the industry. And last time I checked the seniors do not push the needle in club sales. Callaway tried failed. Now this.
Tom
Feb 1, 2017 at 11:57 am
damn millennials
Matt
Jan 31, 2017 at 8:00 pm
Not shocked. I question how much longer PXG and Miura will be around. Golf is holding on but not sure how many are dropping $2500 on irons every few years.
S Hitter
Feb 1, 2017 at 1:08 am
PXG and Miura are not the same as the re-branded Hogan that this was
gunmetal
Feb 1, 2017 at 1:41 pm
Strictly numbers wise, PXG and Miura have to sell about 1 set of irons for every 4 Hogan would need to. Plus the pockets Parsons has allow him a little more freedom so to speak.
There’s clearly a market for the ultra expensive clubs. One guy on WRX commented “I only play clubs that other people can’t”. PXG and Miura aren’t competing with Titleist, Ping, and Callaway. Hogan was. That’s the problem.
TexasSnowman
Jan 31, 2017 at 7:24 pm
They were so close with the loft system …..Revised Business Plan and Formula for success: Allow consumer to decide what loft they want for each iron, and what number they would like stamped on the sole. 23 degree 6 Iron? No Problem. You now hit your six iron longer than anyone in your foursome. Would have been a big seller.
Hennybogan
Jan 31, 2017 at 5:52 pm
The problem was not the product, they made quality clubs for a reasonable price.
They failed in getting their product out to the green grass accounts. Instead of providing demo clubs to the pro-shops, they followed the typical selling model the major club manufacturers use….. requiring shops to purchase A minimum amount of clubs and demos before they could open and account. As a new company this did nothing to make them stand out and shops just went with what they know already sells. Budgets are budgets …….for a shop to bring in the Hogan Company, another company would have to be to cut out.
Giving demo clubs out early on would have brought down profits initially but would have made a huge difference in getting clubs in the hands of consumers and gain some traction in the market
Jim
Feb 3, 2017 at 1:25 am
For as long as I have been doin’ golf business, I have never understood the idiot MBA’s that CAN’T get their heads out of their butts….my firsr run in with this intractable penny wise dollar stoopid stupidity was back in 80’s. Bridgestone’s first big leap into the US market – Precept EV extra spin balls were amazing! We couldn’t keep ’em in stock. After six months we had too many people to count that wouldn’t tee up anything else – didn’t even want to try anything else…before that first year, our indie shop was the biggest seller in the country (in a wealthy golf area too).
We’d receive 24 new Callaway GBB drivers, immediately cut the shaft shaft off, install AJ Tech’s and put em on the floor for 599. They were selling as fast as we could build them – people didn’t even ‘demo’ them….
in comes our Bridgestone rep, with a forged Ti driver for 599 (their clubs were still unknown here) and tells us how awesome it is, etc…we hit it on our SOTA “launch monitor” (then) and it was great. He said since we were killin it with the balls, the conpany was hoping to begin to introduce clubs and we’d be one of their select shops to “INTRODUCE THE CLUBS into US market”….Sounds pretty important – right? We tell him sure – give us a couple and we’ll put em peoples hands – we’ll make sure to get it in peoples hands….
To which he says I can get ONE DEMO if we order a dozen….
WTF?! People are sending their wives in to grab the reshafted Callaway – ’cause their buddy had it, and he wants me to have to explain his club to someone whose’s never heard of it (cause we’re their BEST account) and I have to PAY for the friggin demo – or buy a dozen and only get ONE?!
Not much after that RAM comes in with a $900 multi-piece plasma welded blah blah blah (FIRST EVER @ THAT KINDA MONEY) awesome new hi-tech driver and pulls the same BS – buy it so I can let people hit it…
IF you have something that good – you truly believe in, how can you NOT give a couple to your TOP TRUSTED ACCOUNTS to get into THEIR top players/buyers hands?
unbelievable
Tim
Jan 31, 2017 at 5:45 pm
Did not follow the lead of Ely Callaway, come out with a $199 driver that cost $15 to make and use all the profits to pay Pro’s to play the club (different shaft of course)…How long till Tour Edge bits the dust not paying pros…soon we will see maybe four or five names on tour…remember everyone knows you cannot go from a 15 handicap to a 10 without playing the same clubs (Name on club) as pros.
Kromulous
Feb 1, 2017 at 9:10 am
LOL, sad but true.
Fitz
Apr 25, 2019 at 5:55 am
TE growing, TV ads, Sr tour too.
JThunder
Jan 31, 2017 at 4:43 pm
Sorry to see them go, though I wonder if they were content to be the niche company they were destined to be, or if they were drinking too much of the modern corporate conquer and smash Kool-Aid. Not a stretch when we see Miura going down that path. Golf isn’t likely to regain the bubble numbers of TigerMania in the near future. Companies need to dial back their expectations without going bankrupt or laying off scads of people. (I mean, Hogan wasn’t paying big money to any tour pros, were they?)
It would also be nice to see the Golf Media get a clue. I have several friends who would call it “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy”. The Golf Media (present company NOT excluded) have been telling people for 20 years that the game isn’t worth watching unless Tiger is in contention. They’ve been bemoaning the ball, the grooves, the long putter, “the game’s gotten too easy for the pros”, “they hit the ball too far”, “too many people are shooting 59”, etc, etc. Meanwhile “the game is too difficult for amateurs”, “pace of play is too slow”, “it’s too expensive”, “it takes too much time”. Well, the Media has spoken, and unfortunately, people listen. The Media has more or less told people to stop playing and stop watching golf. Two decades of sensationalism and heavy-petting the Tiger, while the manufacturers, courses and design firms, apparently entirely ignorant of all history, saw money dancing into their pockets for the rest of time.
Jim
Jan 31, 2017 at 4:38 pm
saw ads recently seeking reps in Met section…doubt loft vs number had anything to do with this. Simple case of bad management/planning
Irons were (are) very nice. Gave em all a good workout @ 2015 PGA show demo day. IF we hadn’t dumped Nike 5yrs ago – and ‘survived quite nicely – we probably would’ve taken them in. Shame they couldn’t / didn’t fill that gap in shops
…bad timing…
rex235
Jan 31, 2017 at 4:32 pm
They were always RH Only…and proud of it.
Johnny
Jan 31, 2017 at 4:28 pm
Yea, I still haven’t figured out what the big deal was about having lofts instead on numbers on the irons. Of course, the wife will tell you that there’s a lot of things I haven’t figured out.
gwillis7
Jan 31, 2017 at 7:25 pm
lol, nice
Jordan
Jan 31, 2017 at 4:00 pm
I would love to see these guys in the Shark Tank. “Our clubs use a patented labeling system aimed at creating true distance gaps”
Mark Cuban: “So you’re just putting lofts on there instead of numbers?”….”I’m out.”
TigerArmy
Jan 31, 2017 at 3:25 pm
Amateurs at work. They never understood the market.
Kirk Noyes
Jan 31, 2017 at 5:58 pm
seriously? Do you actually know anything about the industry? This company was comprised of some the the longest running careers in the industry that were here WAY before your “tiger army”. Do some homework on something before saying Amateurs at work. I know one of the employees who went back and he was with the Hogan company when Mr. Hogan was still running it. He knew loads more about clubs and the game itself than most of the kids working in it today. I think it was the consumer who never understood the brand. It was a damn good product.
The dude
Jan 31, 2017 at 9:55 pm
Most kids today barely know who BH was…….
robin
Feb 15, 2017 at 12:58 pm
You’re right
Charles Bartholomew
Jan 31, 2017 at 3:22 pm
Glad I got a set when they were still in business. Sad.
NolanMBA
Jan 31, 2017 at 3:15 pm
Bummer. I loved how they labeled their irons with loft *
Matt
Jan 31, 2017 at 2:36 pm
what a shame. They made great irons and loved their hybrid. Hope to still see them making clubs going forward!
Dat
Jan 31, 2017 at 2:17 pm
Newcomer in a cut-throat business, declining industry, 0 distribution and no marketing. That had chapter 11 written all over it. Real shame because I heard they made good stuff.
DrRob1963
Jan 31, 2017 at 2:45 pm
Great clubs, too. I bought a set when they were first available – best set I’ve ever had, and still hitting them! RIP.