Byron (Barney) H. Adams (born March 24, 1939 in Syracuse, New York), is an entrepreneur, the founder of Adams Golf, inventor of the Tight Lies fairway wood, holder of several patents on golf products, and author of The WOW Factor.
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Adams began playing golfing at 14, caddying at Onondaga Country Club in Fayetteville, New York. Adams attended Clarkson College on an athletic scholarship, graduating in 1962 with a Business Management (BBA) degree and also became a member of Sigma Delta, a local fraternity on the Clarkson campus. After graduation, Adams worked for Corning Glass in various engineering positions, and then entered the supermarket industry in Southern California as an independent sales representative. He then led a Silicon Valley startup making microprocessors to reduce retail energy usage. In 1983 Adams joined Dave Pelz Golf in Abilene, Texas.
Adams book, The Wow Factor, is an insiders look at the golf industry and offers business advice to entrepreneurs.[1] Adams continues to be an avid golfer, but now mainly pursues his hobby, saltwater fly fishing.
When Dave Pelz Golf Golf Inc. went bankrupt, Adams bought the assets and started Adams Golf. Initially specializing in custom fitted golf clubs, the company rapidly expanded after the creation of the Adams Tight Lies fairway wood. In 1998 Adams Golf went public on Wall Street, with an initial public offering underwritten by Lehman Brothers. In 1999, Adams was selected as Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 1999.[2] Although semi-retired since 2000, Barney Adams retains the title Chairman of the Board.