This month we check in with Ari Techner, President of Scratch Golf, which manufactures wedges, irons and putters. Many of you know Ari, perhaps through a GolfClubAtlas event, from a fitting or running into him as he traverses the country. He started Scratch in 2003 with Jeff McCoy because of a perceived lack of quality wedges. I can attest to that having bought a wedge in that timeframe from a name brand company only to find that its loft was more than two degrees off its specifications.
Ari brings many points of view to bear in this month’s Feature Interview, including that as a hickory player, a historian who appreciates how the game has evolved and as an equipment craftsman. He has quite a collection of persimmon drivers to boot. Aware of all this you know he isn’t some panic merchant regarding his score – he sees and treats golf as a game, which immediately makes him a friend of mine. Throughout this Feature Interview, he stresses one point above all others: get fitted! Though we are all keenly aware of strides in technology, many of us fail to get properly fitted - a huge unforced error, especially given the investment of time and money we pour into the sport.
Part of Ari's persimmon collection.
Noel “Tuco” Freeman witnessed first-hand the benefits I have derived from a properly fitted 53 degree Scratch wedge three weeks ago at the 11th hole of the Cal Club where a back left hole was tucked around the brow of the hill. My approach, expertly compressed by the wedge, went long left and spun back to a scant 12 feet. On the other hand, Noel was thrashing about like a broken dishwater in the back bunker. At first he dislodged sand but no ball. Next, he tragically bladed a shot of the worst sort that whacked the flagstick and dropped in for a most undeserved par.
He had the gall to make me putt my 12-footer to win and I obligingly missed.
Scratch did its job by producing a wedge for my emotionally challenged swing, a mellifluous sweep, not a gouge. That I was not playing with a gentleman is my own fault.
ANYWAY, architecture and equipment are inexorably linked. Ari highlights that with a description of how his playing tactics change at the first at Sweetens Cove (he is a co-founder) whether he is playing hickories or modern. There are many ways to play the game and this month’s Feature Interview is geared toward making sure that you get the most enjoyment from it.
Best,