It’s been 50 years since the affable Tom Crow, a former amateur golf champion in his homeland Australia, arrived in Carlsbad, Calif. and started Cobra Golf. At that point, he felt that the equipment needs of pros and serious amateurs like himself were being neglected. And that’s why he founded the small club company for better players.
His first taste of success came two years later, when he debuted the Baffler utility wood with a patented soleplate that was effective from deep rough. The soleplate featured rails that let it skim much more smoothly through turf, to ease the process for golfers of all skill levels to hit high and long shots. Crow revealed that he came up with the concept after watching catamarans navigate waves in Sydney Harbour.
