Mark Timms

Founder and CEO, Cool Clubs
Industry: Golf
Est: 2007

By Noelle Coyle

Passion is an important key to making a business venture successful, and Mark Timms parlayed two of his passions — golf and building — into the creation of his company, Cool Clubs.

After college, Timms began a career in banking, but he says he soon got bored with the industry. In 1990, he opened a golf store in Connecticut. He then moved to Arizona in 2000 and opened Hot Stix Golf, a high-end custom fitting company for golfers. At the end of 2005, he sold his majority interest in the company, left in April 2006, and started Cool Clubs in April 2007. The difference between the

two companies, he explains, is that Cool Clubs utilizes newer technologies.

The concept behind Cool Clubs is to help people play better golf and this is achieved by creating custom golf clubs. Aspects taken into consideration for each club include how fast you swing, whether you slice the ball or hook it, your height, and whether you hit the ball high or low.

“We try to match their swing characteristics to the club that’s going to help them the most, and that varies from person to person,” Timms says. “PING might work better for some people and Callaway’s better for others. … A lot of stuff affects which clubs you look at.”

The fittings available are driver, long game, iron and wedges, putting and gap. Each of the fittings costs $100 and lasts for one hour, except for the iron and wedge fitting, which takes 1 1/2 hours and costs $150.

The facility, which is just under 10,000 square feet, features four private fitting bays where customers’ swing characteristics can be evaluated. There are also two putter fitting studios, which feature eight high-speed video cameras that capture various angles of your swing to help staff create more precise club fittings.

Timms has built a strong reputation in the industry, which has helped produce a client list of who’s who in pro golf. Cool Clubs also sees more amateur players, Timms says, explaining that most of his clients are avid golfers, not those who play maybe once a month for recreation.

The company only had three employees when it opened, but it has already grown to 25, and Timms expects to be near 40 by the end of the year. A second location will be opening in July in San Francisco, and an additional two locations will open by the end of the year in undisclosed locations.

“Our mission statement is to play better golf and that’s really what we’re here for,” Timms says. “(We’re) not trying to sell you something you don’t need or something that doesn’t work. Our finished focus is to make them play better and they do.”

www.coolclubs.com