FEATURE STORY

KZG's Hollywood HQ entertains golfers with custom-fit golf clubs

By Kiel Christianson,
Senior Writer

LOS ANGELES - From the outside, the boxy, windowless, white stucco building at 5125 Lankersheim Blvd. looks more like a KGB office than the headquarters of KZ Golf, aka KZG. But don't let the exterior fool you. Inside these vanilla walls lie enough golf toys to make a golfer feel as excited as a kid at nearby Universal Studios.

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KZG might not be a household name, but it is well-known to makers and fitters of custom golf clubs. Founded in 1998, the company focuses on building top-of-the-line equipment and training custom fitters to match clubs to golfers.

Walking through the massive inventory warehouse right here at KZG HQ, one sees thousands of clubheads, all sorted by weight. "This way even single head orders can be fulfilled to exact specifications," explains Derek Jennings, director of marketing.

Lalo Fregoso is KZG's master club builder, with 20 years experience. He builds at least 60 golf clubs a day by hand to exact specs.

"When we build the clubs here," Fregoso says, "every club is frequency matched, and the shafts are spined so that they all flex exactly as they should."

As you might imagine, one cannot buy KZG sticks off the rack. Fortunately, KZG has certified club fitters to serve golfers across the United States and Canada.

Even better, golfers living in or visiting the Los Angeles area can get fitted right here at KZG HQ. Steve Benzin, director of education and fitting, fits everyone from PGA Tour pros to university golf coaches to weekend hackers in the state-of-the-art fitting center. Adjacent to the dramatically lit display room, the fitting center features a launch monitor and other assorted fitting and measuring tools for golfers and their clubs.

A custom fitting can be had by making an appointment for $100 (50 percent of which is credited toward the purchase of any equipment). And once a player is fitted, there is never again a charge for any subsequent fitting.

"I don't sell a set of clubs unless I can do better than their current set," Benzin promises. He uses a player's current set of clubs (and the ball they use) as the baseline against which to compare performance of KZG's various lines. Raw fittings can be done, too, but they take longer, as there is no baseline.

Benzin notes that average golfers are especially intimidated by custom fitting, even though it is precisely these golfers who would benefit most from one.

"A big fallacy among high-handicappers is that their swing changes every day," Benzin explains. "This isn't true. Their tempo changes, but not their swing."

Another fallacy, says Benzin, is that fitting and taking lessons is a chicken-and-egg problem. "You should get fitted before lessons," advises Benzin. "Even the best pro can't teach you to get better results with the wrong clubs. The only way to play better golf is to have clubs that fit you."

Web: www.kzgolf.com Telephone: (800) 200-8800

And here, in this unmarked, unassuming building, a person can certainly find clubs that fit, no matter what sort of swing he or she may have. Going through a fitting here makes you feel like the whole company is focused on serving you - movie-star treatment for golfers.

August 6, 2007

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.