Mizuno has unveiled the latest incarnation of its European Tour Workshop at the 2010 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club. The Mizuno workshop has serviced the clubs of the Europe Tour's leading professionals since its introduction in 1986.
Driving through the Wentworth gates to The European Tour’s flagship event at 5.00pm on Sunday 16th May, the third version of Mizuno’s workshop made a striking entrance. At 16 metres long, 2.5 metres wide and 4 metres high, in a sleek white and blue livery, the new workshop makes a clear statement of Mizuno’s intention to remain a conspicuous factor on the Tour.
The larger vehicle has been designed to accommodate the changes that Mizuno anticipates on tour through its official tenure, until 2024. Increased storage capacity for up to 2,500 shafts, 8,000 grips and 100 sets of iron heads, means that the new vehicle will be able to service every possible equipment tweak and new club request.
The workshop’s increased office space and enhanced wireless communications are designed to allow faster feedback information to Mizuno’s R&D facilities. Swing DNA data of Mizuno’s contracted players can be studied in comfort on either of the 40” or 32” LCD screens. Mizuno’s players can watch their tournament live in HD on the workshop’s satellite connection, watch films on Blu-ray or use the built in PS3 – while their clubs are being built.
Andy Kikidas, Tour Operations Manager for Mizuno, hosted an informal opening ceremony for the spectacular new Workshop on Wentworth Club’s driving range on Tuesday, with Mitch Haseyawa, Head of Mizuno, Neil Coles, Chairman of the PGA European Tour Board of Directors and George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour joining Mizuno Tour Professionals Markus Brier, Luke Donald Daniel Vancsik and Chris Wood to officially open the new workshop.
Kikidas said: “There’s been an explosion in the number of new shafts and grips we need to stock to give our players an edge – the storage requirements on us are far greater than in the past. As a minimum our players work their way through two sets of iron heads a season – just through increased wear and tear. The European Tour is now a 12 month affair and these guys are hitting thousands more balls each season in search of perfection.
“On top of that, the workshop now has to act as a mobile office for Mizuno, our players and their agents. The old workshop was designed for an analogue age – this new model is all digital and ready to take us through till 2024.”
The state of the art Mizuno workshop is a far cry from the early days. The concept was a vision of Coles to provide the Tour with a mobile factory, and the Mizuno workshop heralded a new level of professionalism on The European Tour. The project started in 1984 when Coles and St. Georges Hill clubmaker, Barry Willett set up a temporary workshop at The Open in St. Andrews. Previously competitors were restricted to the services offered by local professionals. Most would choose to visit Willett and his clubmaking team at St. Georges Hill pre-season to fine tune their equipment.
The success of the 1984 Open equipment facility persuaded Coles that a mobile facility to follow the players on The European Tour would help to close the gap in standards between European and the US PGA Tours. To turn his vision to reality Coles needed the backing of a major sponsor. Coles met with Mizuno whose Japanese imported blades were increasingly popular amongst the Tour’s professionals. Mizuno embraced the workshop concept as the ideal way to launch its brand to the European market. Barry Willett was recruited to marshal the service with the support of two Japanese technicians and driver Pat Dent.
The trial period was quickly forgotten as the new Mizuno workshop became a fixture, providing a complete equipment service to all players on the tour, regardless of their personal sponsorships and equipment affiliations.
“I still have very fond memories of the days in the early eighties when Barry Willett and I discussed the possibility of bringing Barry’s expertise on to the Tour,” said Coles. “Until then, the club repair operation had been limited to St.George’s Hill but that was impractical to players playing in tournaments all over the continent.
“Barry eventually sourced the first truck and I was delighted to bring Mizuno on board as the sponsor. Pat Dent was hired to drive around Europe and we were off and running! The workshop was an instant hit and I think it’s fair to say that we started a trend which others have copied. The Mizuno team from Japan brought manufacturing and technical expertise and the sponsorship has become one of the most enduring on The European Tour. I feel extremely proud to have been associated with the start of Mizuno’s involvement and I wish everyone involved in this third workshop good luck in the future.”
Speaking at the opening of the new Workshop, O’Grady added: “The European Tour’s relationship with Mizuno is our longest running agreement and is a great symbol of the professionalism and standards that we set on The European Tour.
“The Mizuno Workshop elevated the Tour, and all of the manufacturers are still trying to follow the Mizuno model on Tour. We thank Mizuno for their support and the consistently high standards that they have brought to The European Tour over the last 25 years.”
About the Mizuno Workshop
• Introduced in 1986 by Neil Coles and Barry Willett.
• Contracted as Official Workshop to The European Tour until 2024.
• The Official workshop provides a complete equipment service for all the players on The European Tour.
• The workshop open from 9-00am to 5-00pm from Tuesday to Sunday at each event.
• The workshop plays a key role in the development and testing of Mizuno equipment.
• The workshop provided a platform for Mizuno irons to become the most played on tour.
• The workshop visits 25 events a year.