Nearing the 75th Anniversary of Bobby Jones’ 1930 Grand Slam victory, Bobby Jones Golf Europe is pleased to announce the European launch of a new line of metal woods for men and women; “Bobby Jones by Jesse Ortiz – The Players Series”.
The Players Series bear the Jesse Ortiz name and will be unveiled at key events across Europe to selected guests, where Ortiz himself will be present to provide a personal overview on the designs behind the range. The clubs are handcrafted from the finest materials and produced in limited quantities.
Launched to the American market last year, the Players Series has already received high acclaim across the USA golfing industry. The USA PGA, in their December 2005 review of new products, voted the fairway wood the best in class (www.pgatour/story/9120263) and in the February 2006 edition of Golf Digest, all products featured in the ‘Hot list’ category (www.golfdigest.com/hotlist ).
Bobby Jones Golf Europe is headed up by industry veteran Dennis Otter who secured the European rights to exclusively market the new range. He commented, “In all my time working within the golf industry over the last 30 years, I have never been as excited by a proposition to work with such a brand; to work with Bobby Jones is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was not going to miss it – it is truly the equivalent of Aston Martin amongst golf brands and with a proven designer behind its designs, we have one of the most powerful brands in the marketplace.”
In November ‘05 Otter and his team secured a 10 year licence from The Bobby Jones Golf Company.
The Bobby Jones Golf Company (USA) was founded by Chairman and CEO Walter Rosenthal by an agreement with the family of Bobby Jones (a group known as ‘the Jonesheirs’). Rosenthal secured an exclusive licence from the Jonesheirs and partner, Hartmax Corporation (NYSE:HMX), the parent company of Hickey-Freeman, which produces the Bobby Jones apparel line. Rosenthal identified fairway woods, and expanding golf club category, as an opportunity to align with Jesse Ortiz, recruiting him as the company’s chief designer and as his partner.
“We have our eye on a booming segment – the fairway woods and hybrids,” stated Rosenthal. “If we provide the right quality products at the right price points, we will do fine.
“And to create this line of metals, we absolutely had to employ the master of fairway woods, the likes of a “Tom Ford” with Gucci. Fortunately there was a short list of one – Jesse Ortiz!”
While Bobby Jones was known for his incomparable brilliance on the golf course, Jesse Ortiz is recognised for his excellence in designing clubs. He is credited with much of the success of Orlimar, a company (known for craftsmanship and innovation) that his family owned for almost 50 years. Since 1998, over 700 PGA players have used clubs Jesse Ortiz designed while at Orlimar. In addition, during his tenure, worldwide sales at Orlimar exceeded 2 million clubs and peak annual sales reached approximately $100 million.
After these achievements, Jesse Ortiz left the golf business in early 2003. However he soon realised that he couldn’t escape his passion for designing clubs. “Creating and designing golf clubs isn’t my job, it’s my life,” he said. “I enjoy working with my hands, creating something beautiful – a product that’s special to some.”
In 1993, he officially opened his own company, The Ortiz Design Studio. After establishing his new business, he developed a line of woods that surpassed his previous successes – the TriMetals and the Hip-Ti driver. At this point, Jesse sought a quality partner and brand, deciding upon the Bobby Jones Golf Company.
The “Bobby Jones Players Series by Jesse Ortiz” for men are classically shaped, shallow clubs that feature the same construction as the limited edition, Bobby Jones Collection Series that Jesse introduced late this year. The Player Series will be smaller in profile, appealing to better players. All woods feature steel alloys faces milled for unparalleled performance and feel. The design will maximize ball compression and minimize spin.
The Bobby Jones Players Series by Jesse Ortiz for women are designed for mid-to-high-handicap women to maximize playability. Intended to create a 15-yard gap between clubs, this revolutionary set has the same technology as the men’s “Players” line, but in a sleeker, lower centre of gravity (CG) package.
Bobby Jones Golf Europe will assemble the full range of premium-quality metal wood, hybrids and drivers that will appeal to professional and amateurs alike. They will be available at premium outlets across Europe from April 2006. The company will also be designing and sourcing a range of including items such as bags, hats, gloves and other product lines under the exclusive license agreement with The Bobby Jones Golf Company.
The Bobby Jones Golf Company has an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with the Bobby Jones family heirs and the Hartmax Corporation for the use of the Bobby Jones name for golf equipment and golf accessories.
Bobby Jones Golf Europe www.bobbyjonesgolf.net
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