Where Are They Now?

The golf industry hasn’t been immune to the recent economic downturn. Numerous courses and resorts have been shuttered or filed for bankruptcy and prize money on the professional tours has stagnated. And, of course, fewer people are playing the game. The worst days (we hope) are behind us.　

With the exception of industry juggernaut TaylorMade, golf club manufacturers have struggled as well. Too many product cycles and technology limits imposed by the game’s governing bodies have certainly hurt companies' bottom lines, but more than anything clubmakers, like everyone else, got caught in the financial tsunami—and some drowned.

Nickent Golf

Known for their easy-to-hit hybrids (not to mention a distinctive green colour scheme), Nickent Golf enjoyed success in the mid 2000s, in particular on the Nationwide (now Web.com) Tour. But its fortunes changed when the Global Financial Crisis struck in 2008.

In a bid to expand its footprint, the California-based company entered the market with irons, wedges and a pricey adjustable driver. Consumer reception was lukewarm to the big stick’s new and complicated technology, which included interchangeable shafts. Then the market tanked and the Southern California company filed for bankruptcy.

It had been a remarkably volatile few years for the company, who, at its peak employed 60 people. Sales tripled between 2005 and 2007, Jim Furyk stuck one of their hybrids in his bag and their logo was all over the Golf Channel.

After filing for bankruptcy in November 2009, Nickent laid off its remaining 22 employees. In the spring of 2011, the American big box store, Dick’s Sporting Goods, bought what remained and now distributes the clubs which bear little resemblance to the former brand. For starters, expert club designer John Hoeflich, who designed many of the brand's popular early models, now has no affiliation with Nickent 2.0.