A few months ago I was walking the floor at the PGA Merchandise show and ran a buddy of mine who was with the founder of Kronos Golf, Phillip Lapuz. I instantly recognized him from his appearance on ABC's Shark Tank several years ago.
If you don't know his company, they are making some of the finest-crafted putters in the world. Their Hintori design caught the eyes of the golf industry when it was displayed at the British Golf Museum in St. Andrews several years ago.
Phillip told me about a new project that piqued my interest. In 2018 their goal is to innovate the putter world by creating 100 new designs and having them all 3D printed. He is taking feedback from the entire golf community and will showcase the new designs on their website and events around the world.
Whenever I discuss companies on this site I try to focus on things that are unique and different - this certainly fits the mold. 3D printing has come a long way over the last 10 years, and it will continue to change manufacturing significantly over the next several decades.
This is an interesting project that could showcase how it will affect the golf world.
Why Are They Doing This?
There is no question that putters are a personal statement for many players, and there is more and more of a thirst for custom manufacturing.
The golf world is notorious for being late to the party with technology. In this instance, Kronos is trying to get ahead of a trend that they see coming. Their team believes that putting manufacturing will drastically change in the next 5-10 years. Being able to quickly make prototypes and have them printed on demand will give golfers more options.
More importantly, Kronos believes that 3D printing will also open the door for true customization for putter fittings. Being able to control length, lie angle, weighting, alignment, offset, and a whole other host of specs will get the exact right design personalized to a golfers tendencies.
Watch these two videos to get a better idea of the project and the potential of this manufacturing process:
Follow Their Journey
I love seeing projects like this where people are really thinking differently and trying to push things forward. Kronos is documenting their journey to reach 100 designs on their video blog so you can follow along as new designs come out.
If you have feedback for them don't hesitate to reach out!
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