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The How
So the decision was made to give it a go, and we clicked into gear.
Instantly we were super motivated to crack on, get organised and begin designing and producing cool putters.
Running our business all these years meant that I have personally handled 1000’s and 1000’s of them in that time.
That experience helps me understand the type of putters golfers prefer.
I was heading the design job and bursting with confidence.
BUT....... that didn't last long, because turning an ‘idea’ of a putter drawn on a piece of paper into an actual putter would become a big headache.
I thought it might be a bit tricky but hadn't figured out just how tricky, and how much was involved.
It was practicalities time and I was clueless. We all were actually.
I didn’t know any engineers
- I didn’t know how to design them in a way that engineers could produce what I saw in my minds eye
- I didn’t know where to buy the best quality materials, (so that ours would be as good as those made by the best putter manufacturers in the world)
- I had no idea how to find companies that would mill them for us
- I didn’t know how to buy shafts and design grips and headcovers either
- .....and I had no idea of how much it would all cost
Bugger, the realities hit home and we didn't know if we were dead in the water before we even began.
The Way
So with the realities bearing down on me mostly, I started out by hiring a couple of freelance putter designers.
That didn’t turn out well at all.
It was tough to get my ideas across to them in a way they could reproduce what I was imagining. Months were lost trying to get tweaks both big and small sorted out.
Change of plan needed.
After hitting this roadblock, it became clear that one of us had to learn how to design using 3D modelling software.
I put my hand up, it had to be me.... and I am pretty 'sloooooooooow' to tell you the truth
I needed to be able to figure out how to do something like this.....
How Long
It took maybe 12 months to get a decent understanding of the modelling app. I spent 100’s and 100’s (maybe 1000’s) of hours of trial and error. Just me and my ipad.
Cock ups, miss-haps, deletions by mistake... my stress levels went 'keeeeerpow' every day (more on that later on)....and this was just one of the many many jobs that needed to be done.
Kept on and on at it though, and after a few months using that 3D modelling app managed to make something that looked like a putter (told you I'm sloooooow:-)
In the meantime the others began to do the legwork, finding out how to get the heads, grips, headcovers produced, how many we had to make, and how much it would cost.
More headaches.... this was going to cost 'a lot' (for us anyway). I had to constantly tell Tracy (my missus) where money went as the £1000's disappeared. Confidence took another dive.
...at this point I had to remind myself what we were doing all this for.
Who benefits from PSYKO putters
Reminding myself of the 2 most important reasons for doing this helped me keep going.
Something real & lasting for Marcus & the Mental Health Charity we support called COMBAT STESS.
The bonus would be if enough of you like what we are making too,
Making Progress.
Finally, and over 1 year in, a few Prototypes were delivered. It was an exciting time to have the real things in our hands at last.
So the next job was testing them and I got really scared again. How would they putt?
During the following months we spent 100's of hours putting (with our eyes shut mostly) and comparing our PSYKO's against all sorts of Scotty Cameron’s, Bettinardi's, Piretti’s, Evnrolls, Odysseys, Pings .... etc
Very quickly, the clouds of doubt parted and confidence increased again, because we genuinely couldn’t tell the difference.
The feel off the face, the roll. It confirmed the decision not to take shortcuts anywhere, and use the same production techniques and machinery as the big manufacturers.
We were determined to get the physics spot on..... the weight and lie. Using the best materials, the top milling machinery and great engineers.
Good decisions.
In the early months I remember once speaking to an engineer saying to him that I wanted 'twisted necks, welded to the heads'.
He looked at me like I was mad, because no other manufacturer makes putters like these in any number.
Well, we've done it, and we began to believe that we had got quite a bit right...... so far. There was now such a buzz around the office.
Might we actually have something golfers will like?
Whats Next
We already do a ton lot of putter customising, milling and engraving using the best Mopar metal engraving Lasers.
Going forward, and with all these experiences under our belt now, we’ll be able to produce putters that have the greatest attention to detail of any that are currently bring produced.
That's where our focus is, and its very exciting.
More & more putters are now in the works. I’m on a roll I want to bring out several new models each year. .... and we can do that.
Family Business
This is a family business.
We don't have to think about pleasing anyone else, except our customers.
The big brands have to achieve predictable results, and stick to their corporate/brand ethos.
They cant take too many chances. So they make variations around standard models using the same materials, often changing small items such as weights and different style necks.
Then produce them en mass, as that's the cheapest way.
We can be very flexible, react quickly to trends if we need to and make something new in just 3 months
We don't have to be concerned about pleasing anybody else but you, so if we want to make putters out of Mokume-Gane, Titanium Damascus or any other metal we can
We only need to sell enough putters to be able to do it all again.
........and finally
The Name
Why call it PSYKO of all things? I am happy to say it has nothing to do with Marcus.
Its ME....... well sort of!
You see, I have suffered from intense panic attacks, anxiety and bouts of depression for over 30 years, and because of that I haven’t been able to do the things with him that I would have liked.
The name PSYKO then is a blunt reminder of myself, who I am, my differentness...... BUT it also reminds me, that sometimes life is just hard'... and its not just me its hard for me. Many many people have difficult minds.
If you have any understanding of anxiety or panic, you will know that when severe, the mind loops thoughts of death and disaster, recalls past humiliations, despair and defeat, and imagines impending doom
You will also know that emotional distress robs a person of most of their 'thinking' ability.
If you haven't experienced severe mental Health problems (I hope you haven't), then these are just words that sound like wild exaggerations.
We want PSYKO to contribute and help those people most in need.
As we start out, we will donate £10.00 for every putter sold to Mental Health charity COMBAT STRESS to help raise awareness of the effects that too much stress has on a persons emotional wellbeing.
Thanks for reading.
Mark Holloway
