PGF Celebrates 75 Years
PGF is proud to be celebrating 75 years of leadership and heritage in the golf industry. This month’s special anniversary edition of The Golfer Newspaper features an article looking at the proud history of the famous golf brand.
Throughout the world, golf professionals and amateurs have come to appreciate the many advanced technical features and design innovations that have given PGF an enviable reputation.
Founded in 1932, PGF is Australasia’s longest standing specialist golf manufacturing company. Originally East Brothers and then Precision Golf Forging (our middle name is Golf), PGF has continued to dominate the Australasian market for 75 years.
Old PGF Factory
So it’s not surprising for a company from these countries to be as successful as PGF when you consider the amazing success of Australian and New Zealand golfers over the past 60 years.
Australasia’s rich culture in golf continues and PGF is active in encouraging young golfers of today to follow in the footsteps of the past champions.
Indeed, a number of former and present world champion golfers had close connections with PGF. As a young boy, Greg Norman worked for PGF in Brisbane and won his first professional tournament playing with PGF clubs while Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle were closely associated with the company for many years. Both their names appeared on PGF clubs.
Ian Baker-Finch and Wayne Grady have been contracted to PGF and David Graham worked in the PGF Sydney factory and later, together with Eric Cremin, a former head professional at Singapore Island Golf Club, performed promotional work for PGF. More recently leading contracted PGF players have included Bradley Hughes, Russel Swanson, Rod Pampling, Paul Gow and Nathan Green.
Not only has PGF been a leader in the Australian golf industry, but for more than 40 years, has been exporting their Australian made clubs to South-East Asia, USA, the United Kingdom, the Pacific and through New Zealand where manufacturing has taken place at PGF’s Christchurch premise for over 40 years.
PGF is one of the most established distributors in the market place servicing over 1400 accounts throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The company has also appointed a European distributor based in the Netherlands.
While PGF’s core business has been focused on its own golf equipment, it has represented a number of sporting equipment and brands. They include Ben Hogan, RAM, IZOD Apparel, Robertson and Wilson, Dexter shoes, Bancroft tennis racquets and more recently Aureus and Sun-Ice apparel.
PGF’s tradition in club making continues today with the release of golf clubs like the new Status MK30. The Status name is an icon in Australian golf and around the world, a dynasty that spans 40 years. Throughout this time the brand has always been associated with game improvement, playability, technology, good looks and great value
Another focus for PGF in recent years has been a strong emphasis on junior and women golfers where it dominates the market with its Lady Futura and Junior Future Star products. The company is dedicated to creating golf gear that targets these niche markets. PGF’s women’s golf clubs are sold in three colours, pink, blue and purple to reflect the needs of today’s market while junior equipment is sold in three sizes for left and right-handed players.
In November of 2001, PGF International and New Zealand became wholly owned subsidiaries of Precision Golf Forging Ltd. With this change of ownership comes a great deal of expertise in all sporting fields, through which greatly experienced directors, existing and new and staff have been placed in key strategic areas. Combining this experience and value in human resource, company heritage, strong brand equity and consumer awareness, PGF is well positioned to dominate current markets and dictate further international growth and performance.
Article by Rob Vanderzalm for the Golfer Pacific Newspaper.