User:Barnyard69
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[edit] Barney Adams (Byron Hill Adams)
Barney Adams is an entrepreneur, the founder of Adams Golf Company[1], inventor of the Tight Lies® fairway wood, holder of several patents on golf products, and the author of The WOW Factor. Born March 24,1939 in Syracuse, New York, Barney's passion for golf came early in life, at age 14, when he began caddying at Onondaga Country Club[2] in Fayetteville, New York. Barney ("Barnyard") Adams attended Clarkson University (then Clarkson College) on an athletic scholarship, graduating in 1962 with a Business Management (BBA) degree. He is a notable alumnus of Clarkson University. After graduation, Adams worked for Corning Glass in various engineering positions, entered the supermarket industry in Southern California as an independent sales representative in 1969, then lead a Silicon Valley startup making microprocessors to reduce energy usage at the retail level. In 1983, Adams joined Dave Pelz Golf in Abilene, Texas. When the company closed, Adams bought the assets and started Adams Golf. He moved the company to Dallas, Texas in 1991.
Adams Golf began as a small company specializing in custom fitted golf clubs. He became associated with renowned teacher Hank Haney and set up a club fitting and repair shop at the Hank Haney Golf Ranch. Adams' Tight Lies fairway wood came from his custom club fitting environment and desire to improve the ball flight of his customers. The club became a huge commercial success as the result of a TV infomercial, with sportscaster Jack Whittaker as the host and narrator; Hank Haney, former PGA Player of the Year and Tiger Woods' coach; Bill Rogers, British Open winner and PGA Player of the Year in 1981; and LPGA Hall of Famer Carol Mann, as spokespersons.
In 1998, Wall Street beckoned and Adams Golf went public, achieving the largest initial public offering (IPO) in the history of the golf industry. Adams was selected Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 1999[3]. Although retired since 2000, Barney Adams retains the title Chairman of the Board.
Adams book The WOW Factor[4], released in May, 2008, is the story of how his entrepreneurial persistence and unbridled enthusiasm became Adams Golf. The book includes insight into the golf industry and advice to entrepreneurs.
Barney Adams continues to be an avid golfer but now pursues his newest challenge: salt water fly fishing.
