Jason Larsen

I like building golf clubs because it saves me money and I get to work with my hands.

My thoughts on golf club selection...

After my gifted set of (expensive) Callaway clubs was stolen, I followed the advice of a friend of mine to see a specialized golf club fitter.

His theory was that for 99% of golfers, the club doesn't matter nearly as much as the fit. So, why not get clubs that fit really well and save on the components - spending where it makes the most sense?

I'm not a great golfer, but I went from posting consistent 90s to occasionally breaking 80. The clubs he built gave me confidence, and they work just as well (if not better) than the expensive Callaway set I had before.

So then I looked at what the material cost was... and it's astoundingly affordable.

So now I like to build clubs for fun.

Resources

Where I order my components: Monark Golf

Other potential sites for components:

• Pro Series Golf - very old-school site, but I'll likely order from them someday.
• The GolfWorks - they only sell Maltby heads, which are supposedly amazing, just a little more expensive.
• Value Golf - close to Monark Golf for pricing and inventory. I'll probably order from them someday.

If you're interested in building, you'll need some basic tools / supplies. Try searching YouTube for "golf club building supplies" or "golf club building 101" - there's enough on there to learn. TIP: don't get sucked into spine alignment and swing weight stuff - it's not worth fussing with if you're building your own clubs

What's in my bag now (as of 2025):

• Driver: Integra Graph-Ti 9° with UST Mamiya ProForce V2 Tour Flight Stiff Shaft
• Fairway Wood: Heater BMT #4 with iDrive Tour 3.5 White Graphite Shaft - cut to Stiff Flex. I can't find the "3.5" white version that I have anywhere
• Hybrids: #3 & #4 Heater BMT Hybrid with iDrive Tour 3.1 White Graphite Shaft
• Irons 5-PW + 50° AW, 55° SW, 60° LW: Heater BMT II with Stepless Steel Shaft (PrecisionFM), although I think it's basically this shaft.
• Putter: Snake Eyes Tour Platinum White Head 7811 with a flexible graphite shaft (to encourage slow, steady pace) and a Super Stroke 65 1.0 Putter grip.
• Grips: All grips (except putter) are Lamkin Wrap-Tech Oversize - these are no longer made, and I can't seem to find them for sale anywhere!

My recommendations:

• If you've used only the stock grips with golf clubs, try a thicker grip. You'll be able to control the club more.
• If you build your own clubs, don't go down the rabbit hole of spine alignment or worrying about swing weight. Just build a couple clubs, see how they feel, and go from there.
• Don't spend a lot on tools or supplies. If you're only building one set or the occasional club, a pipe-cutter, hacksaw, and vice is really all you need for tools.
• If you have a small air compressor (I was gifted one of the handheld ones), try installing grips using that. It's super easy.