Golf Club Design
Golf Club Development
Sourcing & Consulting
Zevo Golf
Model: ZV-2 Irons
Material/Mfg: Investment Cast 431 Stainless Steel
Introduction: 2005
The Zevo ZV-1 irons were a very simple yet contemporary set when they were launched and were probably the best value for the dollar in the entire golf industry. Golfsmith purchased the company in the summer of 2004 and by late winter we had the ZV-1 irons launched. I I loved these irons and will still pull out a set of these on occasion and take them to the driving range. They were clean, simple, no-nonsense in their design and a good cross between a game forgiveness and game improvement iron. The ZV-1 irons marked the transition to wider soles for the industry. Prior to their launch (aside from the Founder Club Judge Strong irons) the sole widths were always widest with the wedges and became progressively narrower towards the long irons. The ZV-1’s were at the forefront of changing that concept. Traditional long irons had lower lofts making it more difficult to get the golf ball airborne. The wider soles of the Zevo irons shifted the center of gravity lower in the club head making it easier to lift the ball and impart more backspin to it for higher flying long irons. Zevo had a wing-based logo that I adapted to the ZV-1 irons (and ZV-W women’s irons). Unfortunately that logo would be tossed for an uninteresting new logo created by Golfsmith.
Model: ZV-2 Drivers
Material/Mfg: Investment Cast 17-4 Stainless Steel with 6061 Aluminum Hosels
Introduced: 2005
One technology that was inherited with the Zevo purchase was the interchangeable hosel design on woods that Zevo equipment fitters used in their customization process. With all of the custom fitting we had focused on at Golfsmith it seemed natural for us to expand beyond the original Zevo fitting system. I started by creating a family of stainless steel woods and near the tail end of the design process was informed there would be no fitting system. With heads already tooled for an interchangeable fitting system I continued on using the customization adaptors into permanent clubhead features. The Zevo woods had also been designed for weight customization in the trailing edge of the skirts. I completed the “fixed weight” design by popping a logo medallion over the original weighting cavity. So much potential, so many plans, and little technical progress in the end.
Model: Up-and-In
Material/Mfg: Investment Cast 431 Stainless Steel
Introduction: 2006
Whoever wants to focus on the design merits of a chipper? Normally I’d shy away from such a task but really did like the way our inexpensive Zevo Up-and-In chipper turned out. The alignment system on the face and crown made this club easy to square up. Its head weight, loft and length specs made it easy to handle and one heck of a ‘cheater’ club from off the green.
Model: Compressor Woods
Material/Mfg: Investment Cast 6-4 Titanium (drivers), 17-4 Stainless Steel with Aluminum (fairways)
Introduction: 2005
Zevo had introduced their Compressor Woods at the 2003 PGA Show. A year later the company was for sale and Golfsmith purchased their inventory and other assets. I took the original 400cc Compressor and inflated it to 450cc while changing the internal composition of the compressor device. Originally produced from fibrous Zylon I was able to engineer the production costs down after experimenting with an assortment of materials used to lock the crown and sole together. After numerous failures using aerospace grade aluminum I was able to take a heat treated titanium rod and cinch the soleplate to the crown which locked the body from any flexure at impact. The byproduct was a low spin rate driver with an impact that could be heard from three tee boxes over. Thus began the transition to a new generation of loud sounding drivers.