Rees Jones, Terry Koehler, & Paul Grangaard

On this editon of Next on the Tee my guests are: world renowned golf course designer Rees Jones; Founder of the Ben Hogan Golf Company and master club designer, Terry Koehler; and Allen Edmonds CEO Paul Grangaard.

Rees Jones – Rees talked about the relationship between his father Robert Trent Jones and Bobby Jones. Though they aren’t related they did work together on Augusta National and other courses around Atlanta. Rees also shared stories about some of the over 225 courses he’s either designed or reconstructed including a couple of new ones getting lots of attention and praise. We also talked about how advances in equipment technology has impacted how he lays out and designs courses, how he goes about trying to keep maintenance costs low and a new computer device that tracks where players hit the ball on the course that could revolutionize the game.

Terry Koehler – Terry talked about how he broke into the golf club design business back on the ’80s with his Destiny putter that quickly started being was used by 30 Tour players. He also talked about his fantastic (my word for it) V sole wedge design that can help golfers hit better, more consistent shots from any lie. He told the story about the time he met Ben Hogan, why the Ben Hogan company and any small golf equipment company struggles to compete with the big boys, and much more…

Paul Grangaard – Paul talked about their wonderful line of golf shoes, some created in collaboration with Jack Nicklaus. He also walked us through some of the dress and casual shoes which are designed to last 20-30 years vs. shoes you buy everywhere else that last 1-2 years. We also talked about their wonderful discount program for military members, first responders and students, so they can have great shoes as they transition back to civilian life or go for interviews after graduation.