The Last Best Fit
Missoula’s Newest Hidden Gem for Golfers
by Melissa Dickson
Not every accountant living in a world of spreadsheets and numbers decides to leave the desk job behind at the ripe age of 30 to start a golf shop specializing in custom club fitting, but Johnny Robideaux just did.
Robideaux’s journey to the unassuming location where Last Best Golf Co. sits tucked at the corner of South Third Street and Orange Street right outside of downtown Missoula, has been long in the dreaming.
From what was just a side hustle in the garage after work became the first business venture for Robideaux, after spending almost three years leveling up his craft in his free time, starting with a homemade wooden vice, to now partnering with brands such as Cobra, Srixon and Cleveland, to name a few.
“I wanted really badly to work in golf again,” said Robideaux, on his decision to take the leap. “I worked at a golf store in college, and it was the most fun I’ve ever had working in my entire life.”
Robideaux co-owns the shop with Geoff McEvers, a longtime friend who wanted in on the business when the location became available. McEvers stuck by Robideaux’s side through learning how to club build in the early garage days, and eventually learned how to do it himself. When the two combined to join forces, a star was born.
Where McEvers has a separate full-time job, Robideaux has cleared his calendar for the near future to turn to growing the business. And though he said the experience he has in accounting is something he wouldn’t trade for anything, it is completely different work. “I’m moving a lot more, I’m working with my hands, and it allows me to be much more creative versus when I was a CPA,” he said.
A wandering passerby stopping in can expect to enter a golfer’s getaway, where rows of swag and golf accessories line the shelves at the entrance, and not hard to miss is the shining beacon that is the golf simulator, which Robideaux says is “hilariously large for this space,” accompanied by a plush sitting area to enjoy with some friends. Off to the side is where the fitting magic happens, where everything is available to a golfer’s equipment needs, whether a newbie or a seasoned player.
As for custom club fitting, it’s a craft that reaps small, but mighty results. Inconsistency and poor shots often come from compensating for poor equipment, but the goal, Robideaux says, is to fit someone to be as free from those compensations as they humanly can. “When you do that, the strike gets better,” he says. “They get more consistent. You trust the equipment under pressure, so you can just flat out enjoy playing a lot more.”
Robideaux explained how rewarding it feels to help people not only find their passion in the game, but also how his work can help them improve in ways they didn’t know possible.
“It’s not just going out and buying new clubs,” he says. “A lot of times it’s adjusting the current set of clubs they already have. I get text messages like, ‘Holy cow! This changed everything. Thank you so much.’ It makes me very proud of what we’re doing in here.”
The business maintains a supportive effort toward youth golf leagues, with junior discounts initiated storewide for those under 18, and an active presence in youth programs in general. A lot of golfers who Robideaux says he knows personally often say they wish they had started playing long before they did, noting that it’s important to encourage individuals to start as early as possible so they can play into adulthood, given the nature of a sport that spans generations.
Among the slew of golf accessories carried in the store is one of Robideaux’s own customer’s wife’s hand-crocheted golf club covers that she designs and crafts herself, called Little Stitch MT, adding a local charm to the inventory he carries, while benefitting another small business.
“I enjoy coming in here every day because we’re building something,” Robideaux said. “It gets a little bit better and better every day. It’s so much fun.”