Scratch Golf announced the hiring of Don White as a master-grinder for the Chattanooga-based custom golf club company.
Few other grinders still active have such a list of clients as White who is a 2001 inductee into the Professional Club Makers Society Hall of Fame.
He has forged custom clubs for Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman Paul Azinger, Curtis Strange, Chi-Chi Rodriguez and others over the last 38 years while working in MacGregor’s custom line.
“With his experience, his knowledge, his ability to grind everything, we now have two artists on hand in Don and Jeff (McCoy),” said Paul Friedrich, Scratch Golf’s president of tour operations. “We’re really excited to have the expert craftsman of the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s.
“With Don on board, and what we have going on, we’re going to make a big jump into being one of the top original equipment manufacturers.”
Scratch Golf has also added 2004 U.S. Amateur champion and previously “logo-free” professional Ryan Moore as a part-owner. Moore used the Chattanooga-built clubs late last season including his victory at the Wyndham Championship.
“We all sat down and felt that this is a good direction to go in,” Friedrich said. “We were thinking along the lines of Norman and what he did for Cobra.”
White, 58, worked for MacGregor until its sale last May, and still isn’t ready to retire. He wants to continue what he considers artwork.
“I’m excited to get back into it,” White said. “It’s a young company and they have tons of room to expand and explore. They do that I truly believe in.
“Just changing a shaft or something, I don’t like that. I like to have a challenge.”