The Wow Factor: How I Turned One Idea and My Unbridled Enthusiasm Into a Golf Revolution (Hardcover)

~ (Author), James Dodson (Foreword)
Key Phrases: golf equipment business, golf equipment industry, golf club design, Adams Golf, Pelz Golf, True False (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The founder of Adams Golf and the inventor of Tight Lies, the most popular fairway wood of all time, tells his rags-to-riches story.

In the early years of Adams Golf, entrepreneur Barney Adams labored in obscurity. He collected six patents for his golf products, manufacturing fine equipment but enjoying no sales. Everything changed for him and his company in 1996, though, when he invented the Tight Lies fairway wood. Working as a custom fitter, his customers repeatedly asked for a club they could play from "long iron" distance, from 180 to 220 yards to the green. Adams knew the technical secret was to lower the club's center of gravity. He did this by designing the traditional head shape upside down, which not only lowered the center of gravity, but also increased the hitting surface. The result was a club that was easier to hit, and suddenly Adams and his club, after years of diligent work, became overnight sensations.

As lean as those early years of Adams Golf were, the amazing success of Tight Lies more than made up for them. Sales skyrocketed beyond Adams's wildest expectations, and earned Adams Golf two placements on the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Small Companies list, an Industry Week Top 25 Award for Growing Manufacturing Companies, several golf industry awards, and led to the largest IPO in the history of the golf industry in 1998. This is Barney's unvarnished story of how he made this happen, and how you, too, can make your entrepreneurial dreams come true.

About the Author

Barney Adams is the founder of Adams Golf and the inventor of the Tight Lies fairway wood, which sparked a revolution in golf. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160239248X
• ISBN-13: 978-1602392489
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #670,648 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Exactly Wowed, September 15, 2008

By	R. Halvaks (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Barney Adams' determination and personal sacrifice is clearly articulated in the book. Following a complete accounting of how Adams Golf finds itself and reaches stability the book fails to take the next step in the life-cycle approach to strategic management with a discussion of how Adams has and will continue to re-event itself to prevent decline and future failure. Part Two "Inside the Golf Equipment Industry" was not very "inside".

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read with an excellent message, August 26, 2008

By	jark87 "jark87" (Flower Mound, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

As one reviewer already noted, the message regarding the WOW factor is simple, but too often overlooked. Anyone in sales or product development should ask themselves what their WOW factor is. Answer that question and you'll increase your market share, as Adams did.

Beyond the business case, the book was a fun and interesting read. I'm a little biased, as I was an early adopter of the Tight Lies club, so I immediately knew what Adams was referring to when I saw the title of the book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Barney Adams, August 25, 2008

By	Threeputt (Netherlands) - See all my reviews

Always nice to read about the golfindustry. Not just instruction or history is interesting so a nice read for all those who are interested in stuff like this.