Golphin Ltd. (golphin.com), an award-winning Scottish-based company which designs and manufactures specialized golf equipment for children, announces that its GFK line of equipment now is available for purchase at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, in Sacramento, Calif. In the Haggin Oaks Golf Super Shop, parents, instructors, program directors and junior golfers can see and experience the superior quality of Golphin’s popular line of clubs for boys and girls.
“We are pleased that Haggin Oaks, America’s most-awarded golf facility, is leading the way in California with Golphin clubs for kids,” said Calum McPherson, founder and managing director of Golphin.
Golphin equipment, introduced into North America earlier this year, is being discovered by countless families and teaching professionals coast to coast for its leading-edge design, which provides young players with immediate success and confidence. Golphin recently partnered with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) to enhance the junior-golf instructional initiatives provided by LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals (LPGA T&PC).
“The Haggin Oaks Golf Super Shop is excited to be the very first account in California to bring on the Golphin line of junior equipment,” said Ken Morton Jr., vice president of retail & marketing for Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. “From its oversize heads to its lightweight design, we feel that it is going to make for a wonderful set of clubs for kids to learn to love the game of golf through programs such as our Tots on the Tee program, various disabled youth programs, junior camps and our upcoming foster kid junior golf program, currently in the planning stages.”
About Haggin Oaks Golf Complex
The Haggin Oaks Golf Complex features two championship golf courses, a world-class teaching facility and a practice facility with a 100-stall lighted driving range, five practice greens and two bunkers.
The clubhouse and facilities at Haggin Oaks also include the largest and best-stocked pro shop in the U.S. The Haggin Oaks Golf Super Shop has won numerous awards, including the coveted Golf World Top Public Golf Shop Award.
In keeping with the traditions of growing the game and providing the best learning environment for players of all ages, Haggin Oaks offers a more flexible, beginner-friendly golf course in the Arcade layout, with a choice to play nine or 8 holes. In addition, the Complex provides a three-hole academy site for use with The First Tee program, Special Olympics and other programs designed specifically for golfers with disabilities.
About Golphin
Golphin, founded in 2012 in Scotland, the Home of Golf, was inspired by Calum McPherson having observed his son’s difficulty playing golf with cut-down clubs and having set a goal to make golf more enjoyable for juniors. Research and development in 2012 led to the design of prototype equipment in 2013, and Golphin was launched officially in 2014 at the Scottish Golf Show.
Golphin clubs, designed to benefit children ages three through 10, were developed in partnership with PGA Professionals and the biomechanical department at Strathclyde University, in Glasgow, using technology transfer from the aerospace industry. They are 22% lighter and 35% larger than most junior golf clubs, making it easier for players to swing, control and hit. A radial profile was added to the sole of the clubs to provide greater forgiveness for differing lie angles and to accommodate children’s various address positions and heights.
The GFK line of Golphin product selections is based on the height of each individual child. The model numbers correspond to the appropriate age ranges (i.e., “GFK324″ corresponds to children ages three to four, approximately). GFK 324 clubs are for children 39-43.5″ tall; GFK 526 clubs are for children 43.5-48″ tall; GFK 728 clubs are for children 48-52.5″ tall; and GFK910 clubs are for children 52.5-57” tall.
The Golphin Coaches Pack, designed for teaching professionals to provide equipment for potential new golfers at clinics and lessons, consists of 14 clubs: four high-loft drivers, six 7 irons, two “Swedgers” and two putters – including several left-handed clubs. Individual GFK sets include one driver, one 7 iron, one “Swedger” and one putter.
Golphin has a powerful strategy known as “Beginners to Winners,” with GFK specifically designed for beginners and Golphin Advanced (to be launched in May 2016) designed for junior golfers who aspire to elite performance. Golphin Advanced clubs will be for children ages seven through 12.
Recognized for its outstanding concept and designs, Golphin won two prestigious awards in 2015: the inaugural Scottish Sports Business Innovation Awards, presented in March in Glasgow, Scotland; and the 2015 HSBC Golf Innovation Award, presented at the HSBC Golf Business Forum in November in Shanghai, China. Also, Golphin was selected by the R&A for inclusion in its Swingzone area at the 2015 Open Championship, played at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland.
Duncan Weir, director of golf development for the R&A, said, “The high quality and versatility of the Golphin GFK range is very impressive. It is certainly well geared for getting youngsters into golf and helping to address the undoubted participation issues the sport is currently facing.”
The McPherson family has a rich heritage in golf-club design and manufacturing, with over 50 years of experience, spanning back to the 1960s when the family business manufactured club heads for various brands, including John Letters, Wilson and Ryder. Its latest innovation is a hybrid of golf and aerospace technologies – hence Golphin’s capability of helping kids get the ball airborne quickly.
For more information, see golphin.com.
