Olympia club maker celebrates 31st anniversary

The economic downturn has taken its toll on the nation’s small businesses and the small club makers around the country have disappeared in staggering numbers.

The Golf Club Company in West Olympia has been a standout survivor and is now celebrating its 31st year in business.

The golf shop was started in Southern California in 1970 and moved to Olympia in 1980. Don Mysorski bought the shop outright in the early 90s and has continued the personalized service while expanding the retail portion of the shop.

At the age of 14, Mysorski started working for the legendary PGA and Senior PGA Tour player Jerry Barber (1961 PGA Champion who played on two Ryder Cup teams) at the Griffith Park courses in Southern California, working in the range and later in the pro shop. A scratch golfer, Mysorski had limited success in local tournaments.

He went on to secure his undergraduate degree at USC, where he did his masters and doctoral work as well.

After a stint of seven years as a psychologist and marriage and family counselor, Mysorski decided he wanted to get back to his passion and bought The Golf Club Company in 1992.

The shop has seen several changes over the years but at its core still specializes in building custom clubs. Mysorski sells a variety of brands but his irons are all KZG, a brand that makes pro-line custom club parts and only sells to master club makers. According to Mysorski, the brand is played on all of the major pro tours but does not pay any player to use them.

For those who are name-brand oriented, Mysorski carries five of the major name clubs as well, and has a custom programs set up with each of them so that each set is individualized to the player.

There is no doubt that having clubs custom fit to a player is an advantage for all golfers, but there is also a monetary advantage to be had. According to Mysorski, he is able to sell his clubs for about half the price of the big-brand names.

Club fitting has evolved over the years, as technology has become an intricate part of the process. “The club fitting process takes about an hour,” says Mysorski. “We individualize the process, and everyone who is fitted comes out with a solid understanding both of their technology and their fit and how these are likely to have an effect on their game. We don’t think one-size fits all.”

For those who don’t want to take the time for a full fitting procedure, Mysorski says he can offer a speed fitting process that can be done in around 10 or 15 minutes.

Full service repair and regripping are other services of The Golf Club Company. “We can do a complete regripping in under an hour,” states Mysorski, “and the cost is usually $5 per club installed.”

The Golf Club Company also carries a full complement of golf accessories from bags to pushcarts.

Their website is www.thegolfclubco.com. The shop is located at 2423 Harrison Ave. NW in Olympia.

The phone number is 360-352-1331.