Feb. 28, 2005 – Frank Boynton, Sr. and Stan Thompson will be inducted posthumously into the PCS Clubmakers' Hall of Fame at the 14th Annual PCS International Symposium and Expo in Louisville, Ky., at the Saturday, March 5, 2005, Awards Banquet. Boynton is famous for finishing woods used successfully on the professional golf tours. Thompson is most noted for his invention of the Ginty golf club.
Starting with its first inductees in 1994, the Clubmakers Hall of Fame is the Professional Clubmakers' Society's (PCS) effort to recognize the skilled craftsmen who made lifetime contributions to custom clubmaking. The induction of Boynton and Thompson brings to 28 the legendary clubmakers honored by the golf industry's only independent, individual professional organization of custom golf clubmakers.
Previous PCS Hall of Fame inductees are William Auchterlonie, Mario Cesario, H.A. (Bert) Dargie, Sr., Howard Delaney, Robert Forgan, Hubby Habjan, Bill Hardy, Elmore Just, Ralph Maltby, James McEwan, Peter McEwan, Sr., Robert Mendralla, Tom Morris, John Ofer, Willie Park, Jr., Carl Paul, Toney Penna, Hugh Philp, Bernie Porter, Joe Powell, Irv Schloss, Gene Sheeley, Kenneth Smith, Ralph G. (Tug) Tyler, Don White, and Jack Wullkotte.
The 14th Professional Clubmakers' Society (PCS) International Symposium and Expo is the world's largest independent gathering of professional clubmakers and component suppliers. It will be held at the Galt House Hotel, Louisville, Ky., March 3-6, 2005. Planned by and for PCS members, the PCS Expo is open to all professional clubmakers. Special discounts are available to first-time, non-member attendees who are sponsored by PCS members. To arrange attendance, please contact the PCS Headquarters (800-548-6094, membership@proclubmakers.org).
Working from shops located to serve PGA Tour professionals, first near Cleveland and later Tucson, Boynton had an ability to put the roll and bulge on the face of a persimmon driver exactly how the pro wanted it, which he accomplished strictly by feel. Among the pros he served were Sam Snead, Miller Barber, Don January, Peter Oosterhuis, Lee Trevino, Tom Weiskopf, Bobby Nichols, Dave and Mike Hill, Charlie Sifford, Pete Brown and Homero Blancas. A testament to his ability was his nickname, "Senior," which was instantly recognizable among Tour players.
He was a proponent of club fitting and always sought the best state-of-the-art equipment for gauging swing speeds and setting loft and lie angles. He carried many brands, but only sold a set after a fitting, customizing the clubs to each golfer. Once, when a customer demanded an off-the-rack set of clubs, Boynton drew him a map to a discount store. He retired from full-time clubmaking in 1980.
Thompson began his clubmaking career working for the Kenneth Smith Golf Company in Kansas City. He moved to California and started his own company in 1947, first in Beverly Hills and then Culver City. He died in 1995. Among his creations was one of the first single-lever mechanical swing machines.
In 1973, he created and patented the Ginty, for which he is most known. The Ginty was described on the stanthompsongolf website as a "laminated head trouble club consisting of a 7 wood head with a 4 wood shaft length. The story goes that while out boating he thought of using a metal keel attached to the club to help cutting through deeper rough like a boat keel cuts through water. Several subsequent patents dealt with the ability to add more or less weight to the clubhead and with bolting the keel face plate to the club."
Expo attendees will hear from a diverse line-up of clubmaking experts at the educational seminars. Nike lead club designer Tom Stites will present Clubhead Physics Made Simple. Callaway consultant, John Axe, Ph.D., will speak on Impact of Ball on Clubface; Making Clubs with a Higher MOI (moment of inertia); a Review of Golf Balls. The Submission and Ruling Process for Golf Equipment will be presented by Carter Rich, U.S. Golf Association manager of equipment rulings. Noted independent club designer Tom Wishon, President, Tom Wishon Golf Technology, and PCS Certified "Class A" Clubmaker Martin Brouillette, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, will address advanced fitting information in their seminar presentations.
Clubmaking workshops are scheduled for presentation each day, Friday-Sunday, and each workshop will be repeated so attendees can participate in both.
Friday afternoon, March 4, former PCS Clubmaker of the Year Barry Harris, PCS Professional "Class A" Clubmaker, Wilson Sporting Goods, Malaysia, will review the Wilson Approved Fitting System. The other workshop will be Tech Talk led by Britt Lindsay, The GolfWorks.
Saturday afternoon, March 5, Ken DuFresne, Tot'in Bonz Golf, will discuss Fitting Golfers with Physical Disabilities. Jeff Sheets, Golfsmith International, will cover Grinding and Polishing Techniques.
Sunday afternoon, March 6, the 2004 Top Shop Award winners, PCS Certified "Class A" Clubmaker Eric Burch, Parfection Golf, Rockford, Ill., and PCS Professional "Class A" Clubmaker Pat Kennedy, Burlington, Vt., will conduct a virtual tour of their shops. The popular Four Corners Workshop will focus on demonstrations of hands-on bench skills. Featured will be:
• Finishing Thru-Bore Drivers by PCS Professional "Class A" Clubmaker Ryan Blevins, Broken Stix, Seymour, Ind.
• Measuring Grips and Grip Installation and Removal with Compressed Air by 2004 PCS Clubmaker of the Year Jerry Hoefling, Sr., PCS Professional "Class A" Clubmaker, The Club Doctor, Saginaw, Mich.
• Adjusting Loft/Lie Angle on Irons by PCS Certified "Class A" Clubmaker Baron Horne, Louisville, Ky.
• Adjusting Loft/Lie Angle on Putters by PCS Certified "Class A" Clubmaker Dave Malthouse, Clubfit International, Louisville, Ky.
• Finishing Ferrules by PCS Certified "Class A" Clubmaker Jim McCleery, McGolf, Waverly, Ohio.
Two pre-Expo tutorials will be offered all day on Thursday, March 3. One presents the basics of clubmaking and club repair and serves as a tutorial for the PCS Clubmakers Certification Exam. The other presents the basics of club fitting and serves as a tutorial for the PCS Club Fitter Certification Exam. An additional registration charge of $125 applies to the Thursday tutorials. Please contact PCS to register (1-800-548-6094 or membership@proclubmakers.org).
PCS, an independent professional society of more than 1,000 clubmakers, offers three certification exams that combine a written exam and a hands-on skills test. It is the most rigorous, continually updated certification process in the clubmaking industry. PCS members pledge adherence to a strict Code of Ethics that prohibits knowingly selling or representing counterfeit components or golf clubs. As independent Golf Equipment Professionals, PCS members can recommend any combination of components that best fit an individual golfer's swing. PCS members' expertise provides customers with Tour Fitting for Any Golfer.
The PCS Expo attracts more than 300 professional clubmakers and 60 component and clubmaking supply vendors to the annual event. The PCS Expo stresses interactive exhibits where clubmakers can meet in-depth with component vendor representatives and test new equipment. Hitting nets are available for demonstrations. Also included in the program agenda are social events, an Awards Banquet, and a party held at the Louisville Golf manufacturing facility, which affords clubmakers a hands-on tour of the largest surviving persimmon-head production facility in America.
Contact:
Kim Pappas
kim@proclubmakers.org
