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I am not descended from a line of great golfers and craftsmen. I did however inherit the creative genes of my parents and absorbed their love for the game of golf. That talent and passion has taken me great distances in the business side of golf.
My paternal grandparents immigrated to Malaysia from China during the early 1900s, ran a successful business and my maternal grandparents were a mix of Chinese and Japanese.
When I was born in 1968 on the eve of our country’s 11th year of independence from British rule, my father celebrated my arrival with a round of golf. When I completed high school, I celebrated the occasion by taking up golf. In 1985, when I left for my undergraduate studies in San Francisco, my father celebrated my departure with a round of golf. Upon my graduating with a degree in Fine Arts and Advertising in 1988, my father flew to San Francisco for my graduation and we celebrated with a round of golf. Naturally.
By 1990 I was running my own advertising business. As Creative and Art Director, I managed a team of illustrators, photographers, designers and copywriters. As I worked hard, I played just as hard. While generating successful advertising campaigns for multinational corporations by day, in the evenings and weekends I was a very competent single-handicapper maintaining a steady 3. After all, the game of golf is what I have known my entire life from my father’s influence.
I was still very involved in the world of advertising when I discovered a roll of lead tape strips. I was thoroughly fascinated when I noticed how the little strips of lead were plastered to the back of pros' clubs and wondered if the lead tape actually helps correct a golfer’s swing.
My own experiment with lead tape lead me to conclude that these lead strips are not a swing cure and nor do they straighten out a full-blown slice. However, with advanced players whose shots start straight but curve slightly at the end, the lead tape can be used to fine-tune their ball flights.
Hence, my personal obsession began; To build a golf wedge with accuracy fit for an experienced player, yet forgiving enough for a new player.
I started by sketching images of wedge heads and created technical drawings on head shapes that I liked. My experiments on shaving off and shaping existing wedge heads showed that shape played a big part in the confidence of a golfer prior to swinging. If it’s too big, the golfer somehow senses the club is clumsy. Too small and they feel like they will mis-hit or slice the ball.
In an unexpected turn, I joined my father in his golf business in 1996. By 1998, I was developing my own line of components and clubs – Pro Drive Pathfinder series and Akagi Golf. When I became a father in 2000 (my father, now a new grandfather and experienced golfer of 40 years celebrated with a few rounds of golf using my new Akagi wedges!) - My creativity appeared augmented.
To me, the accuracy derived from the hand-calibration of the wedge coupled with the rounded leading edge works in harmony to create a club that provides consistent and accurate shots for my short game. Like any advertising campaign, the wedge had to help solve a problem and be relevant to the user.
Over the next few years, I managed to gain a respectable placing in the local golf circuit. I won club championships and also went on to win several major amateur competitions. All this, I accomplished with my custom Akagi golf wedges.
I’m a product designer at heart. The AKAGI Golf line is my personal vision. It represents my passion for the game and embodies all my technical ideas on what I want in my ideal set of golf wedges. I hope to share my passion for golf with you through this product.
May your round be quick and your birdies, plentiful.
Nick Teoh
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