An unexpected week from one of the little guys of clubmaking: Adams Golf

Let us be honest…there are no little guys of clubmaking that sponsor professional golfers. Certain companies might choose to spend their marketing dollars in specific ways that do not include pro tour sponsorships, but there are no little guys anymore. They all have money, they all have R & D and they all the opportunity to have one of their players rise up and triumph during a given week on one of the major US professional tours. After all, there are four of them.

Maybe it’s my memories of the small Texas company that came of age, then fell off, then returned again, during the 1980s, 90s and 20s. The iconic Barney Adams, making reliable claims that his clubs could help the average and senior golfer first, that keeps a special place in my jaded emotional state for that company. Barney is long gone, but the name remains. After the weekend of February 17-20, Adams Golf can only wish that the Nationwide Tour had contested a tournament somewhere in the world. The Panama Claro Championship came a week too late.

You see, children, Yani Tseng triumphed at the Honda LPGA Thailand event, Aaron Baddeley won the Northern Trust Open at Riviera on the PGA Tour  and Berhard Langer captured the ACE Group Classic on the Champions Tour. As I glanced through one of the omnipresent “What’s In Your Bag?” columns that review winner’s club choices during the week of light, the name Adams came back, over and over. Save for a wedge and a putter, Baddeley’s bag is filled with that company’s clubs. Tseng, the hottest name in golf (can she come back this week, down 6 heading into Sunday?) carries PW through Driver from the Adams’ family, while Langer abandons the company only for wedges, putter and the 3-5 irons.

We’re used to seeing the bigger spenders in the news. “T” had the #1 ball count this week on this, that and the other tour…"N” won its second major championship of the season…and on and on. For Adams to have staff players win the day on three major tours, however, is something of an Idea that may never come again.