When you look at golf equipment manufacturers, three companies vie for the title of the biggest.
Callaway, TaylorMade, and Titleist cater to every level of player from driver through to putter.
The big three also hold the largest market share in golf ball sales.
One crucial factor that is sometimes overlooked is that Callaway, TaylorMade, and Titleist spend the most on research and development, so it’s not by chance that these companies dominate across so many fields.
The next tier of manufacturers would comprise Cobra, Mizuno, Ping, and Srixon.
These four companies enjoy huge success on the world’s tours, and their equipment is enjoyed by thousands of players across the golfing world.
The beauty of golf today is that there are numerous smaller companies achieving major successes, introducing innovative designs to the market through extremely clever founders, such as Sam Hahn of L.A.B. Putters and Olly Longlands of Sink Putters.
LA Golf is another company that’s breaking through into the limelight.
If you haven’t heard of LA Golf before, don’t worry, we’re going to share with you:
- The Story Of LA Golf
- Product Philosophy - How LA Golf Is Finding Its Niche
- LA Golf At Nine By Nine Golf
The Story Of LA Golf
Reed Dickens is a man with a proven track record of success.
Dickens was a co-founder of Marucci Sports and helped to transform the baseball market. His target was Louisville Slugger, the most successful baseball bat producer for a number of years.
Marucci Sports went on to break Louisville Slugger’s dominance by focusing on what the player wanted in a bat and creating custom-built bats based on their feedback.
The trust that was built up between the players and Marucci Sports lies at the heart of how this unknown newcomer could quickly challenge the establishment.
Marruci Sports was eventually sold for $200 million, leaving Dickens to turn his attention and expertise to his other passion in life. Golf.
Dickens took the initiative in 2018 by buying what remained of Matrix shafts and using what was left as the foundation to build LA Golf.
Dickens also opted to employ the model that had been so successful in baseball; LA Golf was going to disrupt the golf market through its relationships with star players in the game.
Product Philosophy - How LA Golf Is Finding Its Niche
So, how can Dickens and LA Golf start to take on the powerhouses of the golf industry?
The first area to focus on was the equally competitive shaft market. Fujikura and Mitsubishi Chemicals are arguably the two biggest targets to shoot at in the composite graphite market.
Fujikura, in particular, is currently on a high; all four men’s majors have been won by players using the extremely popular Ventus shafts in their drivers and fairway woods this year—pure marketing gold.
LA Golf had a strong starting point with its purchase of Matrix shafts. Matrix shafts had developed a strong following through products like the Matrix Ozik range. Building on the technology that went into products like the Ozik could help LA Golf find a foothold in the market.
The next step LA Golf has taken could be classed as a little unconventional, but it has proven to be highly effective.
Most brands look to establish their credentials through player endorsement deals. Getting a PGA Tour star on board is not cheap, and it still doesn’t guarantee success in the long run.
LA Golf’s approach is different. They are not seeking player endorsement deals to promote their products.
LA Golf has opted to go down the tried-and-tested road, which brought them success in the baseball bat market. Bring in golfers at the outset to help design products in the first instance, and then take those products out into the wider marketplace for consumers to purchase.
Two players who came on board quickly were Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson. DeChambeau and Johnson weren’t just allowed to design their own shafts; they were given equity in the business.
What they built, and how successful those products are in the marketplace, has a direct impact on their investment.
DeChambeau and Johnson have statistically been two of the longest drivers of the golf ball on any tour for nearly 20 years. Johnson was consistently in the top 10 longest drivers from 2008 to 2020.
DeChambeau’s transformation into a long drive competitor and tour player is well documented. Although DeChambeau has eased back on some of the more extreme measures he was taking, he still managed to average just over 330 yards when he has competed in this year’s major championships.
Bringing DeChambeau and Johnson on board has not only given LA Golf exposure in the professional game, but it’s also accessing both players’ knowledge of hitting the golf ball vast distances to create products that can help every level of golfer.
A further serious coup for LA Golf came when current world number six, Collin Morikawa, opted to put one of the company’s putter shafts into use in 2022.
Again, Morikawa was not coerced into putting the shaft in play; he believes that the LA Golf shaft is simply the best shaft available to help his putting.
It’s not just the men’s game that LA Golf is focused on; Michelle Wie West has been brought on board to help build products specifically for the women’s game.
Wie West has the same vested interest in the products that she is helping to design, as she too has invested in and now part-owns LA Golf along with DeChambeau and Johnson.
With such star power on board, what products can LA Golf bring to the table? Does what DeChambeau and Johnson have created filter through to be an option for the everyday golfer, or is LA Golf still more suited to a niche market?
We can answer those questions by looking at the DeChambeau and Johnson signature shaft offerings we stock in Nine By Nine Golf. Through these two lines, we can delve deeper into the design philosophies and technologies used in LA Golf shafts.
LA Golf At Nine By Nine Golf
In today’s game, we hear many players talking about speed training.
Speed training is the process of increasing overall clubhead speed. The subject came up in a YouTube video with Rory McIlroy and Grant Horvat earlier this year.
McIlroy talked about speed training in a way where he wasn’t worried about where the golf ball ended up; he just wanted to max out his speed.
McIlroy is, of course, referring to standing on a practice ground or driving range where the outcome of the shot is of no consequence.
Over time, if you train consistently, you should notice increased distance on the course.
However, you can’t hit the ball all over the course and expect to score well.
Other problems associated with swinging the club hard are:
- Consistency of strike location
- Overall shaft stability
- Managing spin and launch rates
LA Golf believes it's created the solution to these issues. How have they achieved this? Let’s start by taking a look at their signature Bryson Series wood shafts.
A carbon composite shaft is made up of many layers or flags of carbon composite and resin materials. Adding more layers or flags creates a stiffer profile shaft, which, in theory, can make it more stable for faster swing speeds.
LA Golf has focused on creating a highly stable shaft in three distinct ways:
- Multi-Material Structure
- Proprietary Anti-Vibration and Dampening Technology
- Strengthened Internal Structure
Multi-Material Structure
LA Golf has blended high-modulus carbon fibre, graphene, and boron to create a strong, robust structure at the heart of each shaft.
Proprietary Anti-Vibration and Dampening Technology
Helping to minimise unwanted vibrations throughout the shaft helps to improve feel and consistency in every swing.
Strengthened Internal Structure
The multi-material base is shaped into a 16-sided structure, using LA Golf’s groundbreaking HD-tooling process. The HD Tooling process is unique to LA Golf and helps to deliver strength, durability, and feel through each shaft.
The Bryson Signature Series is designed for low spin and low launch, which are crucial attributes for players with faster swing speeds, where overall distance can be lost if the ball is launching too high and with too much spin.
Three weight options add flexibility to the shaft range - 55g, 65g, and 75g to cater for differing swing speeds and come in a variety of flexes from ladies through to tour stiff.
If you prefer to deliver your power a little more smoothly into the ball, you might be tempted by the Dustin Johnson Signature Series might be more to your liking.
Including the same internal technology, the Dustin Johnson series features a higher balance point, giving a smoother feel, thanks to the shaft being developed on a consistently-tapered mandrel.
Counter-weighting is built into the shaft, helping to create more feel throughout the swing and deliver power more smoothly.
If you like your golf shafts to stand out from the crowd, you’ll appreciate the striking translucent blue finish.
We see the same three weight and flex options as in the Bryson series.
So far, you might be thinking that LA Golf shafts are niche products designed for the fastest swingers.
However, LA Golf understands that we don’t all generate 120 mph clubhead speeds.
Depending on what publication you read, the average driver clubhead speed for amateur golfers is between 80 and 95 mph, and LA Golf has created a solution for players in this bracket.
The LA Golf A Series is designed to the same standards as the signature series we’ve already covered, stability and feel being the key drivers at the heart of the A Series.
The big difference is that the A Series offers three profiles tailored to playing abilities.
If you are a player whose swing speed sits at the lower end of the spectrum, the high launch, mid spin shaft will help you get the ball launching correctly with the ideal spin profile to maximise your carry distances.
The Mid shaft suits players who generate more clubhead speed but still offers enough forgiveness in its mid launch, mid spin profile to optimise launch and spin numbers.
The aggressive swinger is catered to the Low shaft. The Low shaft is a low spin, low launch shaft designed to help faster swingers control unwanted excessive launch and spin from their driver.
The A Series is offered in shaft weights as low as 40g up to 80g to cover the broadest range of players, and flex options from Ladies through to Tour Stiff.
As an independent fitter, we have the freedom to stock what we believe to be the best manufacturers in the game at the Nine By Nine Golf studio.
What does that mean to you? It means when you come for a fitting, we have a range of heads and shafts that can be custom-built to help you shoot better scores.
What we like about LA Golf shafts is the attention to detail that’s gone into the production of its shafts. We like the idea that LA Golf has brought in Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson to provide direct input into what they feel makes golf shafts perform to their best.
We believe that with the signature series, we have a strong option for players who generate high clubhead speeds who covet feel and stability to help them swing as fast as they can and keep the ball in play.
We also like the fact that LA Golf has compelling options for golfers with less power who are looking to maximise their driving potential through the custom-fitting process.
If you want to hit longer, straighter drives, speak to one of our dedicated PGA professionals, who will be able to help you find the perfect LA Golf shaft for your game.