Photographs by Charles Cherney
For Jason Hiland, running two golf companies just didn’t seem like enough. In Dec. 2018, the Hinckley, Illinois native and owner of club component seller Diamond Golf and discount retailer Hurricane Golf saw another opportunity to turn what began as a passion project into Hiland’s third venture called Sub 70 Golf, a custom clubmaker he created with a twist.
Instead of starting yet another club company with the hopes of selling into big box stores and green grass shops, Hiland decided to cut out the middleman and create Sycamore, Illinois-based Sub 70 with a direct-to-consumer business strategy that Hiland says allows golfers to buy high-quality custom clubs but at a lower price. No retailers, little advertising and no double-digit middleman markups.
“It was completely different in the sense that no one was doing it,” Hiland said. “PXG wasn’t doing it then, and being different was to our benefit. How can clubs be less expensive but better? We wanted to thread that needle.”
Though Hiland won’t reveal specifics, Sub 70 has found its niche in the club market with prices ranging from $65 per game improvement iron and forged irons for low handicappers starting at $145 per club. Other clubs range from $279 for drivers and down to $129 for fairway woods. Putters cost $179, wedges range from $105 to $135 per club. Sub 70 also sells bags and apparel. Iron sets run from $400 to $900. While the club heads are forged in China (as is the case with almost all heads), the clubs are custom-made in the company’s Sycamore headquarters just outside of DeKalb.
The products are sold online and by phone with custom fittings available at the company’s facility. Sub 70 offers a money-back guarantee.
But how is it possible for golfers to buy custom clubs over the phone or online? Simple, said Hiland. “People know their specs.” Meaning that many serious golfers have previously been fitted for clubs; they know the specific weight, flex and even brand of the shafts they want installed on their irons, drivers, fairway woods and hybrids, etc. “If someone contacts us who doesn’t know his specs, we tell him to find a local fitter and get back to us. If they live in the Chicago area, they can make an appointment and get fitted free of charge at our facility in downtown Sycamore.”