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How I Turned One Idea and My Unbridled Enthusiasm Into a Golf Revolution
Barney Adams with John Steinbreder
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The founder of Adams Golf and the inventor of
Tight Lies, the most popular fairway wood of all time, tells his
rags-to-riches story.
In the early years of Adams Golf, entrepreneur Barney Adams labored in
obscurity. He collected six patents for his golf products, manufacturing
fine equipment but enjoying no sales. Everything changed for him and his
company in 1996, though, when he invented the Tight Lies fairway wood.
Working as a custom fitter, his customers repeatedly asked for a club
they could play from "long iron" distance, from 180 to 220 yards to the
green. Adams knew the technical secret was to lower the club's center of
gravity. He did this by designing the traditional head shape upside
down, which not only lowered the center of gravity, but also increased
the hitting surface. The result was a club that was easier to hit, and
suddenly Adams and his club, after years of diligent work, became
overnight sensations.
As lean as those early years of Adams Golf were, the amazing success of
Tight Lies more than made up for them. Sales skyrocketed beyond Adams's
wildest expectations, and earned Adams Golf two placements on the Inc.
500 Fastest Growing Small Companies list, an Industry Week Top 25 Award
for Growing Manufacturing Companies, several golf industry awards, and
led to the largest IPO in the history of the golf industry in 1998. This
is Barney's unvarnished story of how he made this happen, and how you,
too, can make your entrepreneurial dreams come true.
About the Author
Barney Adams is the founder of Adams Golf and the inventor of the Tight
Lies fairway wood, which sparked a revolution in golf. He lives in
Dallas, Texas. John Steinbreder is a senior writer at Golfweek and the
author of several books, including Club Life: The Games Golfers Play. He
lives in Redding, Connecticut. |
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