In the Studio with Jesse Ortiz

Fall in Northern California signals shorter days and less intense sunlight. The smell of woodburning fireplaces fills the evenings. Although we enjoy some of the best weather of the year in October, clearly the season to enjoy playing golf is winding down.

However for equipment designers, it is kicking into high gear. I travel to Asia about three to four times a year. Living on the West Coast is an advantage, but it’s still a 14 hour flight and a 15 hour time change. I’m not getting any younger, and the recovery time is taking longer. Still, it is a necessity to be ther this time of year. It’s the final walk-through before the flipping the switch on full production on the new models for next season.

With leadtimes running nearly 12 weeks for product, manufacturers must book capacity at foundries now, to have product for assembly in late January so they can deliver in early march. Since I keep my models longer than my competitors, not every October is hectic, but this one has been. I’m introducing a new collection of drivers and wedges.

When all the foundries were in the US, production seemed to be easier to schedule. The Japanese and European markets have long been supplied by the Asian factories, but today, we are all using the same sourceing partners. It’s all about economics. I wish it weren’t, but American consumers want innovation and quality at inexpensive prices.

Now you may think that a $400 driver or a $200 hybrid is not cheap, but if the components were were made in the US, they would be nearlu double the price…and the extra cost would not be lining my pockets! Precision tooling and part manufacturing in the US is more costly than what consumers wish to pay for a golf club.

Nearly all of the companies have agents in place at the factories that represent them to oversee QC and production issues on a daily basis. This may sound like a good idea, but familiarity breeds complacency, and often the ‘in-house’ agents form loyalties that supercede those of their US employers. I prefer to be hands on and get into the machine shop and onto the production line to inspect the parts and instruct the workers how best to finish them.

Over the years, many of my techniques learned from my persimmon days, have been taught to the various factories, making their way into my competitiors’ products and improving them. Polishing techniques and metalurgical designs have become the melting pot that is the Asian production of golf parts to the world.