Equipment

Worldwide Golf acquires Edwin Watts Golf Shops

Published

12 years ago

Jan 30, 2014

Worldwide Golf, the largest golf specialty retailer on the West Coast, has acquired Edwin Watts Golf Shops, the largest golf specialty retailer in the southeastern United States.

In joining Worldwide Golf, Edwin Watts now operates alongside a stable of leading specialty golf retailers, including Roger Dunn Golf Shops, Van’s Golf Shops, The Golf Mart and Golfer’s Warehouse in forming a powerful national golf retail conglomerate.

Edwin Watts has a reputation based on its strong customer service, experienced club fitters and talented club repair staff. The retailer also touts a price-match guarantee on all new equipment and has earned the title of “America’s Golf Club.”

“This acquisition will also give Worldwide Golf a national presence in the very competitive golf retail landscape, as Edwin Watts Golf provides us with the leading Southeast golf specialty retailer and rounds out our formidable stable of brands that now operate from coast to coast,” said Al Morris, president of Worldwide Golf.

As part of the acquisition agreement, Worldwide Golf will operate 45 stores in 13 states and will retain the Edwin Watts Golf Shops name. Additionally, Worldwide Golf will operate the five Uinta Golf Shops in Utah and rebrand those stores back to the original Uinta Golf name.

The most noticeable change consumers will notice will be the implementing of Worldwide Golf’s 90-day, 100 percent satisfaction guaranteed policy. The policy will be implemented immediately in all Edwin Watts locations in-store and online. Customers are able to try new equipment for up to 90 days with the option to return it for a full refund if they are not fully satisfied with the product.

For those wondering what this acquisition means for the average golfer, the answer is probably not much. After all, the retail prices are still determined by the manufacturers. However, golfers can now take advantage of Worldwide’s (or any other golf retailer’s) customer satisfaction policies. The sales associates at stores that have these kinds of policies are extremely knowledgeable about equipment and are trained to give you the best possible recommendation based on the information you provide them about your golf game. Furthermore, these policies allow you to try equipment under the conditions in which you normally play.

It’s easy to swing well in the simulators many stores have or putt well on the store’s Augusta-esque artificial turf greens, but will you trust the equipment when you are put under a little bit of pressure? Will that putter still roll the ball the same way when you take it outside? How does that set of irons perform when you get in thick rough? Will that wedge dig too much when you hit it on real grass? There’s only one way to find out!

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Grant Shafranski

Grant Shafranski is the Program Director for the First Tee of Minneapolis and Head Teaching Professional at Hiawatha Golf Club in Minneapolis, MN. He is a Level 2 PGA Apprentice following a successful amateur career where he played collegiately at Division III University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN).

9 Comments

Chris

Feb 16, 2014 at 7:58 am

If I recently bought the X2 Hot Pro and feel like I made a mistake in my choice….does the 90 day policy apply to new iron sets as well? Or is there limitations to it

Reply Report comment
Mike

Jan 31, 2014 at 11:11 am

i’m in utah and the uinta stores were just bought by edwinn watts a couple years ago and rebrand to reflect the change. i’m surprised that after all that they’re going to just change the utah stores back to uinta. i live right in between two of these shops and both have several simulator bays which are usually all out of service. whenever i ask if they’re planning to repair them, i’m get this question in response..”do you know how much these cost to repair?!” hopefully the big boys that just bought them will invest in something useful rather than just the sign out front.

Reply Report comment
- markb
  
  Jan 31, 2014 at 4:38 pm
  
  Good news Mike. The rebranding back to Uinta from EW is GREAT for us in Utah. One of the reasons why those simulators were always “broken” is that the EW staffers were so disillusioned with the change and fear of impending liquidation that they had all but given up. Now they have new life, are hoping for a return to the old Uinta policies (specifically with regard to used equipment buybacks) and things are definitely upturning.
  
  The Orem store just picked up a new GC2 monitor and there are lines to use it. Of course, they only want to let you use it if you’re fitting for new clubs, but a sawbuck can usually buy you time if they aren’t busy.
  
  The used club bins (always Uinta’s strong suit) are starting to fill up again with decent and decently priced stuff. My store had a full stock of just about everything newly released from Apexes to Tour Preferreds. I couldn’t be happier and who knows, in my giddiness maybe I’ll stop buying clubs on-line at half off.
  
  Reply Report comment
Tony Lynam

Jan 31, 2014 at 6:14 am

We have two Edwin Watts here in the greater Tampa area, with one in Tampa closing down (a huge Golfsmith was just down the street). The other Edwin Watts is in the Tampa suburb of Brandon. It is small, run down and has hardly any product in the store. The sales associates there for the most part are stuck up and have attitudes. I recently ordered a pair of golf shoes from Edwin Watts and received, after about three weeks of waiting for them, the wrong color, style and size. It took over a month to get it straightened out as it turned out the shoes I originally ordered were not even in stock to begin with. Golfsmith’s retail store here is the best. They have huge hitting bay’s and the sales associates are helpful and friendly and the store is always well stocked. It did not surprise me that EW went under and was acquired.

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Bob

Jan 30, 2014 at 7:56 pm

The 90-day return policy will give you back full amount spent in store-credit, but not a full refund. There is a difference. It’s still a great policy.

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Dakota

Jan 30, 2014 at 2:11 pm

I would love to have one in our area have to drive an hour to get to either Golf Galaxy or Golf Smith.

Reply Report comment
- Billy
  
  Jan 31, 2014 at 1:32 am
  
  Best in the business policy. I don’t even bother to shop at PGA, Golfsmith or any golf retailer anymore.
  
  The golfsmith near me is the size of a pro shop. Horrible service as well.
  
  Reply Report comment
t

Jan 30, 2014 at 12:53 pm

Golfsmith hq is located in Texas

Reply Report comment
michael

Jan 30, 2014 at 12:00 pm

thats funny they just closed down I beleave 2 in dallas texas, seems golfsmith is more popular and has more stores through DFW.

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Equipment

Putters that never made it: Check out some of the best tour builds that didn’t make the cut

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2026

Alistair Cameron

Arguably, the best perk of being a professional golfer on the PGA Tour is the ability to request or even just be handed pretty much any club you could think of. It happens more often than you think, usually with putters around the practice green from one event to the next. Come Wednesday, the Tour bags lining the edge of the putting surface become resting places for fallen flatsticks that never made the cut.

So let’s take a look at some of the best we’ve seen out on Tour this year that never made it to the competition. (You may notice none of Hideki Matsuyama’s custom Scotty Cameron putters made this list. There are too many.)

Let’s start with this custom Damascus Milled Odyssey Rossie made for Ryo Hisatsune. Featuring a single line and the short-slant hossel, we’ve seen plenty of Number 7 and jailbird heads featuring the Damascus Milled insert, but this is the first and only one we’ve spotted in a Rossie. Hisatsune primarily putts with an Odyssey Black Series iX #9, but we have seen him recently with a TaylorMade TP Collection SOTO, so there could be potential that the Damascus Milled Rossie could end up in the bag.

Everyone wants to be Cameron Young right now. We’ve had Justin Thomas and Tom Hoge both game the Scotty Cameron 9.5R prototype. Well, for the PGA Championship, Brooks Koepka nearly joined that list after requesting the same style of putter, with the full-length alignment line. But the Scotty Cameron reps took the request a step further and made one specially for Koepka with a Teryllium insert, similar to one in his previous Newport 2 gamers. The reason why this one didn’t go into play, though? Because it was too heavy.

Harry Hall was the third-best putter on Tour last year, so when Bettinardi made him a custom proto, you know it was going to be good. The custom BB28 blade features VDF face milling, a custom-welded single-bend shaft, and the owner’s initials – HH – on the sole of the putter. Hall, who usually games an Odyssey O-Works #7 W, has dabbled with a TaylorMade Spider Tour X already this year. Maybe there’s a chance this Bettinardi might make his bag.

Honestly, this one doesn’t need a description. It’s Kieth Mitchell’s custom Scotty Cameron Napa. One Scotty Cameron face stamp, two Scotty Dogs, two Scotty Cameron 7-Point Crowns and one Circle T. That is all. Oh, except for the Cashmere Cameron headcover.

Finally, and just for fun, how about we pour one out for this TaylorMade Spider Tour X made for Scottie Scheffler in its new torched finish. It’s unlikely we’ll see a putter change anytime soon from the best golfer in the world. In fact, he hit just two putts with it on the Harbour Town practice before going back to his trusty gamer.

Whats in the Bag

Patrick Reed WITB 2026 (May)

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: Titleist GT3 (9 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 130 M.S.I. 70 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X

7-wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X

Irons: Grindworks PR-202 (4), Grindworks PR-101A (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 Tour Rack (52-10 Mid), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-08M), SM11 (60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Tour Rat 1.5 Tour Prototype

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

See more photos of Patrick Reed’s clubs here.

Equipment

Which of Tiger’s major winning irons are your favorite? – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

In our forums, our members have been discussing their favorite major winning irons used by Tiger Woods. WRXer ‘golferdude54’ kicks off the thread saying:

“Mizuno MP 14/29. Titleist 681T. Nike Forged Blades. TaylorMade P7TW.

Among these irons that helped Tiger win 15 majors, which is your favorite in terms of looks?”

And our members have been naming their favorites and why in response.

Here are a couple of posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

SwingBlade: “I prefer the early blades he played and the more recent TM TW’s especially because after Tiger had his major behavioral setbacks, part of Nikes support payback was making Tiger play a Nike putter and cease using his beloved uniquely customized Scotty putter.”
ProjectX: “This (Nike Forged Blades) and there’s not even a close second.”

Entire Thread: “Which of Tiger’s major winning irons are your favorite? – GolfWRXers discuss”