This is where the beauty and genius of Ben Hogan Golf Equipment enters the fray.
I kid you not because having been management and a Director of Golf Services at a course I’ve budgeted for Pro Shops and seen the wholesale prices. Depending on where you live and what kind of course it is the mark-ups for profit margin can be anywhere from 15% on some things to as much as 35%. To seal the deal regarding the high prices you have to factor in that your local shop pays a wholesale price per product and they have to see a profit on the goods. It seems that prices are a large part of the golf dialogue. Instead of it truly being about the products themselves the equipment has gotten to a point where the retail prices have become somewhat astronomical. As I’ve elaborated in other articles…golf is at a weird crossroads. This background leads us to what the real point of this article is about.
Hogan himself would’ve been delighted that these clubs would bear his name. I was more than happy to cover all of the above in 20. The following year the company brought along the VKTR hybrid, PTX irons and the Ft. Like a “Phoenix” rising from the ashes Ben Hogan Golf Equipment was back bearing a line of beautiful irons (Ft. At the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show it became official. The transaction took place, the name was resurrected and the company launched in 2014. Koehler was intent on starting a line of equipment bearing the name. The name lived on but the premium golf equipment did not.īen Hogan Golf Equipment as we know it in 2019 surfaced when a long-time admirer and fellow Texan Terry Koehler (formerly SCOR Golf) approached the president of Perry Ellis about purchasing the name. In 2012, the name would be sold to Perry Ellis International who produced apparel, accessories and golf balls under the name. The brand saw a carousel of ownership that included Top-Flite and it was in 2003 when Callaway Golf bought the name. Eventually to all but disappear from the golf industry. Hogan would pass away in 1997 and what was once a maker of the finest golf clubs simply strayed away and drifted into the fading sunset. Models like the Apex, Apex II, Medallion, Edge, and Radial to name a few.
Hogan would create some of the most iconic irons that we’ve seen to date. That letter was the beginning of something beautiful. That letter seen below was dated October 5th, 1953. Hogan would “pen” a letter confirming rumors stating his intentions. However, what we often forget was that he was an entrepreneur and that he wanted to start a golf club equipment company. We also know him because he came back after a horrific car crash and would later win the 1950 U.S. Of course, his swing is what we recognize mostly and perhaps his driver’s cap. I want to talk about the latter of that legendary list up above. Every one of them no longer amongst us but their names and legacies still live on. Names like Old Tom Morris, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan. In the history of the game there are certain names that need to be a part of it.