Tim Wright still works in “the lab,” a glorified garage in Kenosha where he assembles putters, one at a time, attaching the heads to hockey stick grips at all hours of the day and night. His boutique company, Caliber Golf, is pretty much a one-man show.
But, to paraphrase Chief Martin Brody in “Jaws,” he’s going to need a bigger workforce.
In the span of a few weeks, Caliber Golf has gone from an obscure little putter company to the talk of the PGA Tour. Orders are pouring in from Japan and Europe. The website calibergolf.com, which was getting 100 visits per day, suddenly is getting 2,000.
Tim Wright demonstrates his Caliber Golf “putting solution” in his putting lab in Kenosha.
Wisconsin.Golf photo / GARY D’AMATO
“It’s a labor of love but my wife says, ‘You’ve got to hire someone,’” Wright said. “There are people willing to jump in. Even the UPS driver. He said, ‘Tim, I will help you after my shift’s over.’”
Who doesn’t want to be part of the next big thing?
Caliber Golf’s stunning rise — more SpaceX rocket than hot-air balloon — started last month, when slumping Tony Finau, out of desperation, put a Caliber Golf putter in his bag. The six-time PGA Tour winner saw immediate improvement in his putting stats.
Ben Silverman borrowed Finau’s putter on the practice green, tried it out for a bit and called Wright.
“I didn’t know who Ben Silverman was,” Wright admitted. “He wasn’t on my radar. He reached out to me directly and said, ‘Hey, I tried Tony’s putter and I really think it will work for me. Can I send you two putters (for the hockey stick conversion)?’ He sent them to me and I shipped the putters back at the length he wanted. He said, ‘It’s going to be in my bag this week.’”
After practicing with the new putter for just a few days, Silverman debuted it at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship two weeks ago. He shot an 8-under-par 63 in the opening round and finished T-3 in the tournament. This was a player who had missed the cut in five of his previous six starts.
“The guy was totally dialed in on the greens,” Wright said. “He was dunking 40-foot putts. It was unbelievable.”
Caliber Golf got another boost when Finau, a Utah native, made a long putt during a timeout at the Utah Jazz home opener and triumphantly raised his hockey stick putter before dropping it and dancing on the court. ESPN personality Pat McAfee responded by pledging $1 million to the Tony Finau Foundation. The putt was all over social media, giving Wright the kind of publicity that can’t be bought.
“(That) weekend was the tipping point,” he said.
Almost any putter head can be used with Caliber Golf’s grip, which is a hockey stick that runs the length of the shaft.
Wisconsin.Golf photo / GARY D’AMATO
Adding to the tsunami was a favorable review posted to the influential golf website mygolfspy.com. After using a Caliber Golf putter for the first time, the author wrote, “I couldn’t believe it — I drained the first two putts I stood over, both for birdie. You honestly couldn’t make that up. It’s no exaggeration to say that Caliber Golf made a significant impact on my putting confidence.”
Wright said the secret sauce was that Caliber Golf putters are easier to aim, which helps golfers make more putts in the 4- to 6-foot range.
“I’m not paying Tony or Ben,” he added. “They found me, and they love the putter. They have a level of confidence on those 5-footers. That’s what’s given them an edge.”
Now, Wright’s biggest challenge is filling orders. He just got one from a top junior golfer in Japan.
“I’m in the lab right now,” he said.