Dan Connelly
is one of only three in Canada
to reach prestigious clubmaking status
HAMPTON
- Dan Connelly has a very exclusive distinction when it
comes to golf, and it has nothing to do with his game
from tee to green.
The Hampton resident is one of just three people in Canada
to have successfully completed the Masters Program at
the GolfWorks Clubmaking Academy, regarded as a premier
technical program in golf club assembly, repair and fitting.
" There were only seven of us at the program, and
one guy came from as far away as Puerto Rico," says
Connelly of the four-day program he graduated from in
Ohio last month.
The extensive training program explored everything there
is to know about golf club design, clubmaking and fitting,
as well as allowing students to interact with founder
Ralph Maltby at his design studio.
A lover of the links since the age of 14, Connelly went
in search of a new set of clubs about six years ago, and
was surprised at what he found.
" I couldn't believe the cost of a high level set,"
he remembers. "I thought to myself that I was going
to try and build my own set."
When he walked off the green of the 18th hole after his
first round with a new set he had constructed, he knew
right away he was on to something.
" I could not believe the difference the way my game
instantly improved," he says.
Orders didn't start pouring in right away. But his dad
was his first customer, and his sister was soon to follow.
Last year, he made 30 sets from the shop just behind his
home for a wide range of golfers from duffers to low-handicappers.
" I get guys who are highly educated in the game
and play scratch golf who are just looking for an extra
edge," says the GM employee of more than 20 years.
" I get some other guys who come in and want something
so they can hit it as far as they can."
Having passed the Golf Clubmakers Association 394-question
exam with a grade of 92 per cent, Connelly says he's just
trying to "help people improve their game" by
customizing a set of clubs "to exactly what they
want."
As for the advancements in technology, Connelly "still
thinks a lot can be done" to improve the equipment
used by players at every level, from touring pros at this
week's Masters, right down to the weekend duffer.
But even the weekend duffer can hit it like the pros once
in a while.
"I've had three holes-in-one by people using clubs
I've made," he notes.
You may contact Dan at 905-263-8510
or visit www.danscustomgolfshop.com
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Apr
9, 2004
Brad Kelly, Sports Writer
Clarington This Week
Ron
Pietroniro, This Week photo
