Riley Golf thrives after 25 years

Golfweek

Here in John Steinbeck country, just a stone’s throw from Cannery Row, Riley Golf is a small golf company with a long and illustrious history.

Before we explore Riley Golf, allow me to reminisce. After I became a golf writer in the 1970s, my best friend was Joe Powell, who started Joe Powell Golf in Sarasota, Fla., in pursuit of a singular goal – to make the best persimmon woods in the world. He was an artist, a sculptor of golf implements.

I was introduced to Ping’s Karsten Solheim back then, some 30 years ago, and at the same time I met John Riley Sr. The golf industry has had its share of Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid duos, and Solheim and Riley were out of that mold. They were maverick club designers, two golf geniuses who became best buddies. Riley went to work for Solheim in the 1960s, and some people will tell you that Riley’s influence led Solheim to leave his job as an engineer at General Electric and devote himself full time to Ping.

John Riley Sr. and John Riley Jr. in 1979

Riley, an Englishman, was a superb amateur golfer before coming to America in 1960. After he joined Solheim, the two of them began designing revolutionary clubs – perimeter-weighted, cavity-back, high-launch weapons that would pretty much forecast the future of the game.

Riley left Ping and created his own identity in the 1970s. It can be argued that he designed the first modern metalwood. Without taking sides, I will simply say that I am standing here looking at a U.S. patent issued to Riley on Feb. 13, 1979, for “hollow steel distance golf clubs.”

That same year, Riley Golf was founded. It remains one of America’s smallest golf club manufacturers – and clearly one of the most persistent companies in the entire golf business.

Many golfers have never heard of Riley Golf, but the company has been making golf clubs for 25 years in this seaside community just a few miles from Pebble Beach. The first headquarters for Riley Golf was directly on Cannery Row, the sardine-packing capital made famous by the novels of Steinbeck.

The sardines are long gone, and the old buildings of Cannery Row have been converted into shops and restaurants that attract millions of visitors a year.

And, oh yes, Riley Golf is still here. It moved just down the street, where it is run by John Riley’s sons, John Jr. and Andy. Riley Golf (www.rileygolf.com) sells clubs through green-grass shops and off-course retailers, although it relies mostly on direct sales to golfers.

John Sr. died of a heart attack in 1982 at age 52, but his legacy persists. His company is still humming along, and he is remembered as one of golf’s most influential club designers.

In an old airplane hanger in Salinas, Calif., Riley started the company that would become Lynx. With Carl Ross as president, Lynx became a huge success, largely because of the Master Model iron designed by Riley.

Today Lynx is owned by Golfsmith, the golf club component and retail conglomerate based in Austin, Texas.

After leaving Lynx, Riley founded a company called Pinseeker in Pacific Grove, Calif. The Pinseeker Bombshell, developed between 1976 and 1979, often is cited as the first metalwood. At the same time Riley was perfecting his metal club, Gary Adams started TaylorMade in 1979.

In the marketplace, it was Adams’ Pittsburgh Persimmon against Riley’s Bombshell. Adams won that battle by exhibiting a flare for promotion that Riley did not possess.

When Riley formed Riley Golf in 1979, he viewed it as a family business, according to John Jr. “He didn’t want investors and all kinds of people telling him what to do,” said John Jr., the company president. “He just wanted to concentrate on making great golf clubs.”

Today, it still is the preoccupation of Riley Golf. With a line of irons, woods, wedges and putters, the company concentrates heavily on proper fitting.

John Jr. is excited about a new proprietary graphite iron shaft, the DC Plus, which he says provides a higher trajectory and improved accuracy for many players.

With a unique 30-day program for demo irons, Riley will assemble a 6-iron and pitching wedge to the specifications of any golfer.

There is no charge for the golfer to use and compare these clubs for 30 days. “If somebody buys golf clubs from us, we want them to be absolutely just right,” John Jr. said.

In line with this thinking, there also is a 30-day return policy for irons or woods purchased from Riley Golf. If not satisfied, golfers can obtain a full refund.

“Word of mouth is what sells our product,” John Jr. said. “The clubs speak for themselves. My dad would have liked that.”

John Sr. also would have liked the sight of Jerry Cundari at last month’s U.S. Senior Amateur Championship. Cundari, who lives in Portland, Ore., is one of the best senior amateurs in the country. At Bel-Aire Country Club in Los Angeles, where carts were allowed in the Senior Amateur, Cundari was one of just two players to carry his own bag.

That bag said Riley Golf on it and was full of Riley clubs.

“What’s up?” I asked Cundari.

“These clubs are so good I went to work for the company,” said Cundari, who decided to help sell the clubs in Oregon.

Clearly I’m not the only person who likes small golf club manufacturers.

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James Achenbach is a Golfweek senior writer. To reach him e-mail jachenbach@golfweek.com.