Diamond Golf is Europe’s premier component supplier. Since 1978, our growth as the foremost authority on club making and repairs has earned us a reputation second to none for service within the industry.
The dominant focus for Diamond Golf is custom fitting – True, Complete, Total custom fitting. We supply the ‘nuts and bolts’ to golf professionals and club makers, which enables them to fit, build and repair any golf club. Our service is purely to the golf trade and we are always present to help and support their work.
Diamond Golf also offer training to assist the growth of their customers’ knowledge of modern club fitting and club making techniques. Diamond Golf is also an approved trainer to the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of Great Britain, regularly holding seminars and tuition classes at PGA outlets across the country.
HISTORY OF DIAMOND GOLF
During his five years as shop manager at the Oaks Park Golf Centre in Surrey, England, the company’s founder, Chris Treacy, had spotted a gap in the golf industry that needed filling – specialist supplies of club repair tools, machinery and components. It was then that Diamond Golf began life as Europe’s premier component supplier in 1978. As it began trading from Chris’ home in Worthing, England, Diamond Golf was essentially responsible for starting the repair supply trade in Europe.
As well as the growing need for club repair materials, Chris also recognised the need to teach club pros and their assistants how to make and repair clubs. In 1981, Chris headed to The Golfworks in Newark, Ohio, USA where he took a week long tuition course. It was on this training course that Chris made his first contact with Tom Wishon, his tutor for the week. Armed with these newly acquired skills, Chris set about starting his own hugely successful club repair school from new premises in Worthing.
By 1983, both Chris’ wife Janet and son Daren were employed at the still fledging company. Janet helped with administrative duties while Daren was learning the ropes as a workshop technician. Aged 16 when he joined, Daren was enrolled on a government YTS scheme where he was required to attend college for one day each week. After the four years of study, Daren emerged with a Diploma in Business Studies.
By 1985, Tom Wishon had joined Dynacraft Golf Products, based across town from The Golfworks in Newark, Ohio. Dynacraft were specialists in club head design and so Diamond Golf (now based in a larger premises in Storrington, West Sussex) began to buy club heads to compliment the growing range of shaft and grip components. This marked the beginning of the custom fitting side of the business.
During this period, Diamond Golf also became original distributors for major shaft and grip manufacturers, such as True Temper, Aldila, Grafalloy, Golf Pride, Avon and Apollo.
Daren became a partner with Chris in 1986 and the business was on the move again in 1988, relocating to an industrial unit in Arundel, West Sussex, allowing more space to house workshops, offices and warehousing. The business still operates from this unit today.
In 1989, Diamond Golf joined forces with Dynacraft Golf. Dynacraft, under the stewardship of now company President Tom Wishon, bought a controlling interest in Diamond Golf and the company began trading as Dynacraft Europe. This new structure afforded Diamond Golf a larger resource and the company expanded steadily through the 1990’s, adding several more world renowned manufacturers to the distribution portfolio, including UST, FM Precision, Lamkin and Winn.
In 1999, due to ill health, Chris stepped down as Managing Director, and handed Diamond Golf over to his son, Daren. Sadly, Chris passed away two years later in 2001.
Tom Wishon had moved on from Dynacraft to join Golfsmith in the mid 90s. He subsequently left them at the turn of the century and in 2003 started his own clubhead supply company called Tom Wishon Golf Technology (TWGT). 2003 was also the year that Daren Treacy bought back the shares owned by Dynacraft and so assumed 100% control of Diamond Golf once again.
Diversification into selling golf specific teaching and training aids began in the early 2000’s and has continued to strengthen year on year.
Dynacraft went into liquidation in 2005 and Diamond Golf was on the hunt for a new head supplier. Daren contacted Wishon and the subsequent discussions brought a new distribution arrangement, with Diamond Golf becoming a full line UK distributor for TWGT.
Recent years have seen Diamond Golf continue to add high profile brands to its range, the most prominent of which being Japanese graphite shaft manufacturer, Mitsubishi Rayon Composites.
In 2015, Diamond Golf launched DGI Academy – a prospectus of courses aimed at golf professionals of all experiences, dedicated to the arts of club making, club fitting and repairs. Based at their UK headquarters, the DGI Academy is comprised of a purpose-built workshop and classroom facility, with a state of the art GC2 Launch Monitor and HMT Head Measurement system by Foresight Sports.
In 2016, Tom Wishon announced his going into semi-retirement, and Diamond Golf became the official owners and operators of the Wishon Golf brand.
Today, Diamond Golf’s reputation for unparalleled service and supply within the trade is stronger than ever, with an ever-growing catalogue of shafts, grips, heads and various other essential golf components, tools, machinery and supplies.