A year of uncertainty at Rife Putters has come to a promised end, having been acquired by American manufacturer, Innovex Golf. Former Rife chairman Jim Barfield, who remains with the new set-up as Head of tour operations, spoke to Robin Barwick

Chip Brewer, chief executive of Adams Golf, spoke to Robin Barwick about growing brand awareness in the UK, in collaboration with Yes! Golf

How did you end up being a supplier of yardage books to players and caddies on the European Tour?

I started as a player competing on various tours around the world before my putter and I had something of a falling out! When I was playing I always created my own yardage books, and then when I started caddying a few players asked if I could produce some samples. I was then approached by the Ladies European Tour to produce books for them, and it went from there.

Foremost Golf, the UK buying group with 1,000 member professionals, has taken the bold step of launching its own central online retail operation. Paul Hedges, chief executive of Foremost Golf, explains the rationale to Robin Barwick

John Andrew, founder and owner of Direct Golf and also owner of the John Letters brand, spoke exclusively to Robin Barwick about the growth of the Direct Golf retail chain.

Apparel brand Abacus enjoyed great success in the UK and in Europe in 2010, and Peter Bannington, UK sales and marketing manager, tells Robin Barwick about the Swedish brand’s plan for continued growth.

With the imminent arrival at retail of Ping’s new ranges, John Clark, Ping’s European managing director, spoke exclusively to Robin Barwick

Taking centre stage at retail at the end of August and in September is Ping’s new K15 range. How will K15 sit alongside the existing G15 and i15 lines?

The emphasis of K15 is really to maximise forgiveness, with its Straight Flight technology, and with the irons we are using a titanium face, so from a price point of view K15 irons are a little bit higher than G15 or i15. The K15 family of products will appeal to a significant number of golfers and we are very hopeful of what it can achieve.

David Scott is Manager at The Duke’s, St Andrews & Estates Landscape, and at the club’s parent hotel, the Old Course Hotel. He spoke to Robin Barwick about preparations for the fast-approaching busiest week of the year

How is business for TGI in 2010?

Business is going very well. Over the past 10 years we have enjoyed constant growth in terms of members, and at the moment we have 410 members in the UK and Ireland, but our membership is about quality rather than quantity.

Why was Foremost’s participation in the new Harrogate trade show with the PGA and TGI announced four months after the show itself was launched?

The idea of this show was originally something Foremost voiced to TGI five years ago. At the time TGI were not ready for the idea, and then about a year ago discussions started again. Unfortunately as the announcement approached there were still two or three key issues to resolve, and we ran out of time. We now have confirmation on those key points and we are very happy to agree the partnership and to move forward.

How did the creation of Slazenger Heritage Gold Label come about?

The brand is owned by IBML (International Brand Management), which also owns brands such as Dunlop and Kangol, and my colleague Chris Lee, who is a former creative director at Reebok, has obtained a top-level fashion license to launch Slazenger Heritage. Back in the 1970s and 1980s Slazenger was as popular as Pringle and Lyle & Scott, and there is room in the market for Slazenger to return.

In a slow economy you would expect premium shoe sales to suffer. Has that been the case for Ecco in 2009?

That is the case in a few isolated markets – but not all over – and we are doing great in Europe, and our Casual lines for men and women have been extremely successful. We are doing pretty well in Austria and Switzerland and we are particularly strong in Germany. We are extremely satisfied with our sales in the Netherlands but we have struggled a bit in Scandinavia.

At the beginning of this year you re-located from Uxbridge to Manchester and gave the company a new name. Has the transition been a success?

The move has definitely worked. A company in Manchester wanted to invest in our business [previously known as UK Golf Services] as a silent partner, and they had existing facilities and infrastructure in Manchester. It was not designed to be a cost-cutting exercise as such, but it made sense to move up to Manchester. One of the motivations for the move was that our silent partner has a lot of expertise in the clothing trade, and we are getting more into the clothing side with Stuburt.

Autumn 2009 is halfway through the two-year life cycle of Sunderland's Tournament Suit, made from Thermal13 fabric. Has it sold well so far?

The Tournament Suit is very successful. We measure ourselves against what we expect to sell, which is all you can do. The Tournament Suit has everything you would hope for from a top-end suit: it has the technology, it is very lightweight, comfortable and it looks great too. It is what the Great Britain and Ireland PGA Cup team will be wearing for The PGA Cup this month in Scotland.

Was I alone in feeling slightly wary of the prospect of a man approaching his 60th birthday hoisting the Claret Jug aloft at Turnberry? As Tom Watson strode on to the 18th green of the Ailsa Course on that Sunday afternoon, I couldn't help but reflect that something was not quite right.

The acquisition of the MacGregor brand is a major commitment for Golfsmith.

Yes it is. MacGregor has a heritage that goes back 112 years. It has a lot of history and more major winners than any other name. It was a very good-value acquisition in a slow marketplace, and with Golfsmith International taking charge we have secured a very strong future for one of golf's most famous brands. We are going to invest in the brand and take it forward, so particularly when times are slow, this is really good news in the trade.

How did you come up with the 2Thumb concept in the first place?

In 2004 I was looking for a way to ensure the putter head went back as straight as it possibly could, with as little rotation as possible. Having consulted engineers, it became clear that the wider the grip, the less clubhead rotation there would be and that the clubhead would remain more in line with the shoulders. Such a grip was not on the market so I made it myself.

How are 2009 bookings so far?

They are fantastic actually. We have introduced the new Preferential Stockists Programme and since then we have had excellent results in very tough times. When a lot of people are cancelling pre-bookings, we are picking up some good numbers and we are certainly on target.

You have added four new putters to your Signature range with Gel. Is the key new feature the shaft?

We have basically taken our putters a stage further. All four new models have been fitted with True Temper shafts that have a low torque point. If the putter head twists as it makes contact with the ball there is a loss of energy. So what I have created are putters that will minimise the twist. The aluminium insert allows more weight to be positioned at the heel and toe, which I have done with tungsten weights, and the low torque shaft also helps. We have made the inserts a fraction thicker to provide a softer strike and therefore more feel for the golfer, and the shaft's anti-vibration properties enhance the softer feel.