Yamada
山田
In the northern part of Japan’s main island Honshu lies the town of Yamagata. The city is home to one of the most legendary putter craftsmen, Mr Tohru Yamada.
Yamada-san is a skilled jazz musician, who in the early 80’s during a musical study trip to the United States by chance came across handmade putters in the city of Los Angeles.
Fascinated by these products he decided to learn all the required skills to build the best version of the most important golf club in the bag: The putter.
He began studying design, milling, welding, grinding, even computer programming and CAD/CAM techniques. And has so during the last forty years become one of the world’s most highly regarded masters of his craft.
Every single Yamada putter is made by Yamada-san himself.
All of them are true pieces of art and fit perfectly into the carefully curated Dragon Golf Family. In his forty years of putter production, Yamada-san has created more than 250 different putter models.
The current line up consists of 10 – 15 putters. All clubs vary in balance and weight. Every golfer will find his perfect match.
In Yamada-san’s own, humble words: „I make simple, good putters. I do not make toys.“
With his vast experience Yamada has created a putting philosophy which he calls “Dream 54”. Why Dream 54? Well, the world record for the lowest round of golf (played on a Par71 course) is 55 shots. Scored on the River Oaks Golf Club in Edmonton, Oklahoma. This record is held by Australian Pro Golfer Rhein Gibson – and of course, he used a Yamada Putter (Model: Emperor) to score this incredible number.
When in 2013, the former president of Japan, Shinzo Abe, visited Barack Obama, he presented the US President with a gift of Japan’s „national heritage“ to help build diplomatic relations – a Yamada Putter.
Back then, the story goes, there was merely one small problem. The chosen putter was only on offer as a righthanded model. So, it took a little bit over six months to manufacture the Lefthanded putter. But you may not worry.
Nowadays most models are readily available in a bit shorter time – and even some models for right and left-handed players – thanks to Barack Obama.
Yamada – the legendary Putter Maker.