Scratch News - 2006 Archives
Eugene, OR, December 11, 2006 Scratch Golf Clubs congratulates Tom Johnson on his 8th place finish at the PGA Tour Qualifying School, earning him his PGA Tour Card for 2007.
Johnson's game improved dramatically after he switched to Scratch Golf Wedges late in the 2006 Nationwide Tour season. A talented young player with an admirable swing, tempo and rhythm, Johnson struggled to find consistency through the first 21 events of the season, making only eight cuts while struggling with his consistency.
After placing three Scratch Golf Clubs in his bag at the Oregon Classic in Junction City, OR, Johnson made the cut in four of five events down the stretch out on the PGA's Nationwide Tour, including finishing tied for 4th at the Palmetto Pride Classic and tied for 6th at the Oregon Classic.
Using wedges made by the Scratch Golf Clubs Tour Department that suit his Driver/Slider swing and divot pattern, Johnson jumped up 51 places on the Nationwide Tour money list in just five weeks and took that momentum into the PGA Tour Q-School to earn Exempt Status on the PGA Tour for 2007
We at Scratch Golf Clubs are very proud to have had a hand in helping Tom Johnson get to the PGA Tour for 2007, Scratch Golf Clubs co-founder and CEO Ari Techner stated. I would like to not only congratulate Tom for earning his 2007 Tour Card but would like to thank him for choosing to use Scratch Golf Clubs equipment with so much at stake. We wish him all the best for what will be an exciting 2007 for Tom, his friends and family. With his swing, ability and mental toughness, I am certain that Tom will be very successful on the PGA Tour for years to come.
Eugene, OR, November 27, 2006 Scratch Golf Clubs (www.scratchgolf.com) premium equipment was in the bags of the American Junior Golf Association's (AJGA) 2006 Boys and Girls Rolex Junior Players of the Year which was awarded last Sunday at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet held at The Cloister in Sea Island, Georgia. The Girls Player of the Year used her Scratch Golf irons and wedges to earn three AJGA victories and four more top-three finishes. The Boys Player of the Year relied on Scratch Golf wedges to earn five National junior golf victories and five more top-10s. At the 2006 U.S. Junior Amateur at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, this Player of the Year used a Scratch Golf Clubs 54 degree wedge to hole out from 104 yards en route to his victory in the most prestigious junior event in golf.
We at Scratch Golf Clubs would like to congratulate the 2006 AJGA / Rolex Boys and Girls Junior Players of the Year, Scratch Golf Clubs President and CEO Ari Techner stated. We are very happy that these two outstanding champions have each chosen use our products. It is an honor to know that these two great players like what we are doing and we wish them well as they head off to their respective universities and, most likely, on to successful professional careers on the PGA and LPGA Tours. These two tremendously gifted golfers have great futures ahead of them and we at Scratch Golf Clubs wish them all the best.
Eugene, OR, October 31, 2006 Scratch Golf Clubs (www.scratchgolf.com) earned its second consecutive top five with a tie for fourth at the PGA Nationwide Tour's Miccosukee Championship which was held at Miccosukee Golf & Country Club in Miami, Florida. The fourth place finisher had 3 Scratch Golf wedges in his bag to help him get up and down an impressive 28 times during the four day event. He also jumped from 53rd to 41st on the Nationwide Money Leader List heading into next week's PGA Nationwide Tour Championship which will be held in Richmond, Texas and will have great bearing on which Nationwide Tour players will go on to play on the 2007 PGA Tour. Scratch Golf Club's finish was its second consecutive Tie for fourth in as many weeks. These finishes were earned by different players on the Nationwide.
“We are really pleased that there has been such a buzz about our wedges as we head down the home stretch of the Nationwide Tour, Scratch Golf Clubs President and CEO Ari Techner observed. Tom Johnson, who earned a tie for fourth the weekend before last, and Dan Olsen, who has been with us all year, have both really been influential among many of their fellow Nationwide Tour players in terms of getting many of them to try our stuff. We appreciate Tom and Dan's efforts and are thankful to all the players who have given our wedges and irons a try. We at Scratch wish them all well in Richmond, Texas during next week's PGA Nationwide Tour Championship.
Eugene, OR, October 23, 2006 Scratch Golf Clubs (www.scratchgolf.com) earned their highest finish to date on Tour at the PGA Nationwide Tour's Palmetto Pride Classic at The Daniel Island Club in Charleston, South Carolina. Nationwide Tour Player Tom Johnson used his Scratch Golf Clubs 48, 53 and 59 degree wedges to make 5 birdies en route to a final round 69 and a tie for fourth place, which was also Tom's highest finish ever on the Nationwide.
We congratulate Tom for his second top ten in the last three weeks since placing Scratch Golf wedges in his bag, Scratch Golf Clubs President and CEO Ari Techner stated. Tom is a great player with a beautiful swing and it gives me great satisfaction to know that he feels so confident in our products that he has chosen to use them with so much at stake. We at Scratch Golf Clubs wish Tom all the best at the last two events of the Nationwide season which will take place over the next three week. If he keeps playing well it seems possible that he could get a win and earn enough money to get to the PGA Tour for 2007 or at least earn an exemption to the Nationwide again. Whether it happens this year or shortly thereafter, I am confident that Tom Johnson will be on the PGA Tour. He is an outstanding player and we are proud he uses Scratch Golf wedges.
Eugene, OR, September 25, 2006 Scratch Golf Clubs (www.scratchgolf.com) earned another top ten on the PGA’s Nationwide Tour yesterday at the Oregon Classic at Shadow Hills Country Club in Junction City, Oregon, outside of Eugene. Nationwide Tour Player Tom Johnson had 48, 53 and 59 degree Scratch Wedges made for him on Tuesday before the event and put all in play Thursday to earn his highest finish ever on the Nationwide Tour with a tie for 6th. Johnson shot the low round of the tournament with a 66 on Sunday and told Scratch Golf Clubs that 4 of his 7 birdies on the day were set up by his Scratch Golf wedges. On Thursday Tom chipped in from off the green with his 59 degree Scratch wedge. Scratch Golf Clubs CEO and Tour fitter Ari Techner fit Tom Johnson and several of his other Nationwide competitors earlier in the week at Shadow Hills, where Scratch Golf Clubs was a local sponsor. Scratch Golf Clubs Master Grinder Jeff McCoy was on hand to custom grind their wedges and Johnson, like several others, were impressed enough to put Scratch Wedges and/or irons into play. Scratch Golf Clubs will be in attendance at the next Nationwide Tour stop in two weeks in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
We at Scratch Golf Clubs are proud to congratulate Tom Johnson on his best finish ever on Tour at the Oregon Classic, Techner stated. We are, of course, very proud of earning another top ten on Tour but it is really more gratifying to know that a great young talent like Tom Johnson felt strongly enough about the difference our forged 1018 Carbon technology makes in his bag that he put us into play with very little practice and with so much on the line. I'm confident that Tom's success will lead more and more players to try our products and, in fact, we made wedges for 11 other guys this week. I'm looking forward to going to Rancho Cucamonga in two weeks for the next Nationwide event. Thanks to all of the guys using or trying Scratch Golf Clubs.
Eugene, OR, September 21, 2006 Scratch Golf Clubs (www.scratchgolf.com) will have 13 wedges and/or irons in play this week at the PGA Nationwide Tour's Oregon Classic which is being held at Shadow Hills Country Club in Junction City, Oregon. Local Oregon golf professional Brandon Richardson, whose home course is Shadow Hills, qualified for the Oregon Classic with a back nine 29 at last week's qualifier at the highly regarded Trysting Tree Golf Course in nearby Corvallis, Oregon. Richardson uses a full compliment of Scratch Golf irons in his bag and will join Scratch Golf Clubs staff pro Dan Olsen and three other highly regarded Nationwide Tour players, who carry Scratch Golf wedges in their bags. Scratch Golf Clubs Master Grinder Jeff McCoy, as well as CEO Ari Techner, COO Chad Techner and Nationwide Tour Rep Paul Friedrich, have been present all week at the Oregon Classic and McCoy personally built wedges for many of the top Nationwide Tour players, many of which will be experimenting with the wedges over the next few weeks and have indicated that they have never received so many options in terms of sole grinds to fit their particular swing types.
It's been a great experience working with these top players during their practice rounds here at Shadow Hills, McCoy commented. The feedback has been extremely positive and, for many of these guys, they had no idea that softer wedges, with customized sole grinds were even available. It's been rewarding to see the light bulb go off in their heads as it has for the other pros like Dan Olsen who have already discovered the advantages of Scratch Golf Club's unique technology. We appreciate everyone's interest, positive response and, of course, we wish everyone well here at the Oregon Classic. We are proud of what we have to offer touring professionals and, especially, the average golfer when it comes to game improvement as relates to wedge and iron play.
From The Floor of The PGA Fall Expo in Las Vegas, September 13, 2006 Scratch Golf Clubs (www.scratchgolf.com) announced today from the floor of the PGA Fall Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, the official launch of its JLM wedge series. Scratch Golf Clubs, which was founded in 2003, has made over 3,000 custom sole grind wedges for golfers from all over the world. Founding partners Ari Techner and Jeff McCoy have created an extensive group of loyal followers with their unique approach to what many consider the most important scoring clubs in any golfer's bag.
Techner, Scratch Golf Clubs's President and CEO, identified what he felt was a serious void in the market place, a lack of high quality, forged wedge offerings from which golfers could choose. While many manufacturers offer forged irons, to date less than 20 percent offer forged wedges. The irony, according to Techner, is that golfers would be better off with cast irons and forged wedges, as it is in the wedges where most golfers would truly benefit from the feel that forging can provide. McCoy, Scratch Golf Clubs's master grinder and the most active of only a few master grinders in the United States, has provided Scratch Golf Clubs with his very rare grinding talents which have enabled Scratch Golf Clubs to provide an almost 100% customer satisfaction rate by matching a golfer's swing characteristics to a grind that will improve the performance of that golfer's wedge play.
Based on the thousands of custom wedges Scratch Golf Clubs has built over the past three years, five sole grinds were chosen for the JLM series to fit what Scratch Golf Clubs has identified as the three main wedge swing types based on a golfer's angle of attack and divot pattern. The unique performance benefits of Scratch Golf wedges are defined not only by the ability to create a sole grind to fit these swing characteristics but, just as importantly, by the fact that Scratch Golf wedges are forged from a softer metal, forged 1018 Carbon steel, than any other manufacturer currently offers. The feel a golfer experiences when he hits a forged 1018 Carbon steel Scratch Golf Club is often all a golfer needs to experience before making the choice to purchase a Scratch Wedge. It is for this reason that Scratch Golf Clubs will have a booth on the floor of the PGA Fall Expo at Equipment Testing Center (ETC) station # 16.
“We at Scratch Golf Clubs are very proud to announce the launch of our ‘JLM’ wedge series,†Techner stated. “I am so fortunate to have Jeff McCoy as my partner here at Scratch Golf Clubs. He is truly a genius in terms of his ability to look at a golfer’s swing and divot pattern and then provide a sole grind on a club to help that golfer maximize pure, clean contact through impact. From the thousands of custom grinds Jeff has done for our customers over the past 3+ years, we have identified five grinds that will fit over 90% of golfers and, as such, will improve their wedge play dramatically. Combine this with the fact that we use heads forged from 1018 Carbon steel from the renowned Ishihara foundry in Japan and I can assure you that you will not find a better wedge on the market today. Using our easy to follow fitting guide, golfers can very easily identify themselves into one of three categories: ‘Sweeper/Slider’, ‘Driver/Slider’ or ‘Digger/Driver’. Once that is done, if a golfer picks up an appropriate wedge to fit his swing type, the soft forged 1018 Carbon will give him a feel and accuracy that he will fall in love with. We literally have to replace demo clubs from our regional rep’s bags almost every day because people want to buy the demo off of them immediately once they have tried it. We are very confident that placing a ‘JLM’ series wedge or wedges in a golfer’s bag will immediately improve his or her short game. I highly encourage anyone in attendance at the Vegas Show to come by our booth at ETC # 16 and hit a Scratch Golf wedge. There is nothing else on the market today that is comparable.â€
PGA Nationwide Tour Player and Scratch Golf Clubs convert Dan Olsen recently had this to say about Scratch Golf wedges:
Scratch Golf wedges truly offer advantages that other wedges on the market do not. While the grind of Scratch wedges and how they suit each golfer's particular swing characteristics is important, the key to that performance edge is in the soft, forged 1018 carbon steel. The forged 1018 gives you a sound and feel like nothing else I have experienced. With today's golf balls getting harder and harder, you need a softer wedge to give your hands the response they need to make the shots necessary within 120 yards of the hole. Scratch Golf wedges have given me back that feel that I have lost. While other manufacturers have been moving toward cast wedges and make them with harder and harder steel, Scratch Wedges with their forged 1018 Carbon steel give you that feel back. I am so pleased to have discovered Scratch Golf Clubs. They make the best wedges in golf bar none.
Scratch Golf wedges will be on display and available to demo at the Equipment Testing Center on the floor of the PGA Fall Expo at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, booth ETC # 16 on September 13th and 14th. Scratch Golf Clubs President and CEO Ari Techner, as well as Vice President of Sales and Corporate Communications Steve Zunich and COO Chad Techner will be in attendance to demonstrate product, answer questions and assist with the opening of new accounts. Scratch Golf Clubs JLM Series wedges will be available to attendees for a special Personal Use Discount Price which can be obtained by visiting the Scratch Golf Clubs booth.
JLM Series Wedges MSRP
$199.00
Eugene, OR, August 29, 2006 Scratch Golf Clubs premium wedges (www.scratchgolf.com) earned a top ten finish last weekend at the PGA Nationwide Tour's 2006 National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic. Held at the very difficult Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, West Virginia, Dan Olsen carried Scratch Golf wedges in his bag en route to his second top ten finish on the Nationwide Tour this year. Olsen's sizzling 31 on the front nine during Sunday's final round put him in contention to win (he was tied for the lead at one point) and secured another top ten for the Nationwide Tour's # 3 player on the Driving Distance leader list. Dan Olsen is one of a number of Nationwide Tour players that currently carry at least one Scratch Golf wedge in their bags.
On his way to next week's PGA Nationwide Tour event in Highland Heights, Ohio, Olsen gave his perspective on Scratch Golf wedges:
Scratch Golf wedges truly offer advantages that other wedges on the market do not. While the grind of Scratch wedges and how they suit each golfers particular swing characteristics is important, the key to that performance edge is in the soft, forged 1018 carbon steel. The forged 1018 gives you a sound and feel like nothing else I have experienced. With today's golf balls getting harder and harder, you need a softer wedge to give your hands the response they need to make the shots necessary within 120 yards of the hole. Scratch Golf wedges have given me back that feel that I have lost. While other manufacturers have been moving toward cast wedges and make them with harder and harder steel, Scratch Wedges with their forged 1018 Carbon steel give you that feel back. I am so pleased to have discovered Scratch Golf. They make the best wedges in golf bar none.
We at Scratch Golf Clubs congratulate Dan Olsen on his impressive performance at the Pete Dye Classic last weekend, Scratch Golf Clubs Founding President Ari Techner stated. Dan was the first Nationwide Tour player to try our wedges in competition which means a lot to us. He is an exciting player who uses his outstanding length off the tee to tremendous advantage and, as such, is very reliant on his wedge game to score. It means a lot to us that he trusts our wedges week in and week out with so much at stake. I am certain that his performance in West Virginia will really start Dan on a roll as the season winds down and, of course, we wish Dan continued success.
Eugene, OR, August 22, 2006 Scratch Golf Clubs (www.scratchgolf.com) announced today that its wedges were in the bag of Esteban Toledo, who tied for 23rd at last weekend's PGA Nationwide Tour event, The Northeastern Pennsylvania Classic which was held at Glenmaura National Golf Club in Scranton, PA. Scratch Golf Clubs forged wedges have captured the interest of growing number of the PGA Nationwide Tour players this year and more and more players on all Tours are relying on Scratch Golf wedges as the season heads into its stretch run.
Our congratulations go out to Esteban Toledo, Scratch Golf Clubs Founder and CEO Ari Techner stated. It is an honor to have a PGA Tour veteran think so highly of our products that he would place them in his bag. Paul Freidrich, our Nationwide Tour representative, has reported an increase in interest from the players in our wedges as the season winds down. With players trying to position themselves on the Nationwide Money List to earn exemptions either to the PGA Tour or for next season's Nationwide, they are looking for help with their short game and more and more guys are trying Scratch Golf wedges. It is an exciting time for us and we thank all players on the various PGA Tours that have tried our product for their continuing interest. I know that Scratch Golf Clubs forged wedges can truly help them score better.
Eugene, OR, July 25, 2006 Scratch Golf (www.scratchgolf.com) wedges were in the bag of the winner of last weekend's 2006 US Junior Amateur (www.usjunioram.org). The victor used his 54 degree Scratch Golf wedge to hole out from 104 yards for an eagle on the 9th hole at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club en route to his 3-and-2 match play win. The US Junior Amateur is the most prestigious junior event in the world and was won 3 times consecutively by Tiger Woods in the early nineties. Other notables who have won the event include David Duval, Gary Koch and Gay Brewer. Earlier in the season, the 2006 US Junior Amateur Champion carried Scratch Golf equipment in his bag during wins at the American Junior Golf Association's (AJGA) Rolex Tournament of Champions as well as the Thunderbird Invitational. Ranked # 1 by the AJGA, this young champion is one of several junior amateurs that have discovered the advantages Scratch Golf wedges can provide to a competitive player. Scratch Golf wedges are also used by the AJGA's # 1 ranked Girls Junior Amateur.
Earning a victory at the prestigious US Junior Amateur is a very proud moment for all of us here at Scratch Golf, Scratch Golf CEO Ari Techner stated. We really are pleased that so many great players from the Junior Amateur ranks believe in our products and choose to use them with so much at stake in these tremendously stressful tournaments that they play. With our ever-increasing presence on the PGA's Nationwide Tour and our debut at the PGA Tour's B.C. Open last weekend, it has been a great week for our young company. Our most sincere congratulations go out to the winner of last weekend's 2006 US Junior Amateur. Our appreciation goes out to all of the players on the various Tours that are trying and using our products.
Eugene, OR, July 20, 2006 At 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time, Scratch Golf wedges made their debut at the PGA Tour's B.C. Open which is being held at the Atunyote Golf Club today through Sunday in Vernon, New York. The noon tee off time for a former PGA Tour exempt and current Nationwide Tour player marked the debut for the Scratch Golf premium forged wedges on the PGA Tour. At press time, the golfer was already 3 under par through only 6 holes at this week's PGA Tour stop with his Scratch Wedges.
We are very proud to mark this milestone for our company, Scratch Golf Founder and CEO Ari Techner stated. We at Scratch Golf wish all the participants at the B.C. Open well but it is nice to have a special rooting interest this week. I imagine we'll be watching the B.C. Open this weekend with at least as much interest as we have in The British Open, which is obviously the tournament that will garner the most attention. It is a proud day for all of us here at Scratch Golf.
Eugene, OR, July 19, 2006 Scratch Golf announced today that it has hired Steve Zunich as its Vice President of Sales and Corporate Communications. Scratch Golf (www.scratchgolf.com) is a premium equipment company that features wedges with 5 different grind configurations, one of which should be a better fit for any particular golfer than the wedge that golfer is currently using. Scratch Golf wedges are forged from the softest steel used in any wedge or iron which results in tremendous performance and feel. Zunich was instrumental in bringing other young companies to prominence by setting up their distribution networks while simultaneously helping these companies develop their message and, therefore, their branding in the golf marketplace. The two most recent companies with which Zunich has worked are The Heavy Putter Company and AccuFLEX Golf Shafts.
We at Scratch Golf are thrilled that Steve Zunich has decided to head up our Sales and Communications efforts, Scratch Golf Founding Partner and CEO Ari Techner stated. Steve has experience in helping small but innovative companies get noticed in the marketplace and with key golf industry buyers. We have also been very impressed with Steve's honesty, integrity and ability to set out a plan of attack, which we as a company really need at this point in our development. We know that we have a unique and extremely well made line of products that will help golfers tremendously. With Steve Zunich on board, we are confident that the rest of the golf industry and the public will soon know all about Scratch Golf products as well. We could not be happier that Steve believes in us enough to join and lead our team. Steve is also the kind of upstanding person that we would like to work with for years to come.
I have been fortunate to have been able to work with some extremely innovative golf equipment companies over the last ten years and my good fortune is certainly continuing with Scratch Golf, Zunich commented. While there are many fine golf equipment companies out there, Scratch Golf may be the most innovative one that I have ever run across, which is saying quite a lot. I would compare it in terms of its pending impact in the golf wedge market to the explosive entry that Heavy Putter has made in the putter market over the last two years. Despite the fact that we are launching the OEM side of the Scratch Golf business, Scratch Golf has already made thousands of custom grind wedges over the past three years. In that sense, Scratch Golf is already a proven commodity with a loyal following. The current line of five different wedge "grinds" which we will be launching later this month was developed from over three years of fitting and creating thousands of wedges one wedge at a time. Once a golfer identifies his swing characteristics based on angle of attack and divot pattern, he can match the best Scratch Golf grind to his swing and he will see immediate game improvement in all of his wedges. Add to that the use of forged 1018 Carbon steel which provides the greatest feel in golf and what you have are wedges like no other that have ever been produced to date. I couldn't be more excited about working with this innovative new product line. I thank Ari and the rest of his team for giving me this opportunity and I would reflect his comments back to him that I plan to be working with Scratch Golf for a long time. The Scratch Golf team makes great products and they are a great group of people.
Eugene, OR, June 29, 2006 Scratch Golf today announced that it has hired The Z Group as its Public Relations consulting firm. The Z Group specializes in and is known for helping new golf equipment companies successfully launch their brands and establish footholds in the minds of golfers and golf industry buyers. The Z Group has successfully earned media coverage for other golf companies in Golfweek, Golf Digest, Golf World, Golf Tips and on The Golf Channel, to name but a few. Scratch Golf founding partner and CEO Ari Techner announced the move earlier today.
We are very happy to have The Z Group presiding over our Public Relations endeavors as we attempt to take Scratch Golf to the next level, Techner stated. Having built our reputation making custom grind wedges, we feel that if more of the golfing public was aware of what we offer and the benefits of having different grinds to match the many different types of golf swings out there, then more people would choose Scratch Golf as their wedge of choice. We are excited to have The Z Group be the firm that sends our message out to the Golfing World. The Z Group's expertise in bringing small companies the attention they deserve is just what we feel we need at this time and we at Scratch Golf are looking forward to working with them.
Scratch Golf is an exciting company that offers a unique line of products, The Z Group's Julia Angelen commented. Their current line of five different wedge "grinds" was developed from over three years of fitting and creating wedges one wedge at a time to maximize the golf club's beneficial characteristics to that particular golfer's swing. From this experience, five grinds were chosen from which most golfers should be able to find a fit for their swing. Add to this the fact that Scratch Golf clubs are forged from softer steel than is used by any other golf company and what you have is a line of wedges that will feel better and fit golfers better than anything they have ever used. We at The Z Group are very excited to tell the Scratch Golf story and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.
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