myOstrich Golf

[gwog]

Sad news from a great company in Maine. Tim has run an awesome business for a long time and has been a friend to many of us "on line" golfers. Here's the e-mail:

Dear myOstrich Golf Customer,

The recent two year down turn in the golf industry has taken a toll on many suppliers and component manufacturers in the golf industry. Reduced staff, overall lower inventory levels, margin erosion resulting in limited profits and a general drop in sales has forced many out of business, and others to take often drastic actions to keep their business healthy.

myOstrich Golf has not escaped these ravages of the current economic climate, and we have suffered our own reduction in staff, salaries and service in reaction to the economy.

After some serious soul searching, we have decided to make a dramatic change in our business model in order to stay healthy for the long run. Tim Hewitt, our principal owner and Master Clubmaker, has taken a short term contract position with a Fortune 500 company in the Semiconducor industry starting in mid March. Tim will be living overseas during this assignment, and though he will still be available through the magic of the Internet, he will no longer be available on site to oversee daily operations.

The result of this change is that we will be temporarily suspending our custom clubmaking and component warehouse operations. Though we will keep other aspects of the business operating normally, what this means to you is that we will be updating our online store, changing to primarily a drop ship operation for component sales where our suppliers have agreed to support our new model, and we will ship the hard to find products that we single source, once a week from our existing warehouse.

Support and direct sales will not longer be available through our toll free number. We will provide support primarily via email and sales through our website. We do understand that this is not the way some of you prefer to do business and we are sorry, but this is what we are going to have to do for the short term.

We will have to restrict some of our International Sales, as not all of our suppliers will drop ship internationally.

Though we understand that this will negatively impact your experience shopping at myOstrich Golf, as our near legendary Customer Service and shipping speeds will no longer be operating as usual, we will continue to do our best to provide you with quality golf components at competitive prices. We are NOT closing the doors, we are simply restructuring the business in order to survive a horrific economic slump that is now in it's 26th consecutive month as we have been measuring the recession.

Our new online store will be in production in the next few weeks, and we look forward to continuing to supply you with the quality components that you have come to expect from us - even though our business model will have changed.

Over the next two weeks we will operate normally. Any online orders placed will ship from our warehouse with our usual efficiency. Backorders or partial backorders will be filled if possible, and customers who will not have their orders filled will be notified and the appropriate refunds issued immediately. We will not drag you out for weeks and then cancel your order - we'll let you know immediately if we cannot fill your order or can only fill a partial order over the next two weeks.

Be sure to check out the Clearance and What's New sections of our current online store as some of these items will not be available in the new store. If you are contemplating Custom Club orders they should be placed in the next few days, as we will only be able to fill a limited number of custom club orders in the new store. The details of what we will be able to offer as assembled clubs are being worked out now for the new store.

We know you have a choice when it comes to your suppliers in this industry, and though we hope you will stick with us through this trying time, we do understand that some of you will not have your needs met by our new business model. We understand, and we hope we can win you back when we are able to return to our standard warehouse distribution model after this recession ends, where we stock all 1400 SKUs, in quantities where we can fill your order immediately and ship the same day you order.

We want to thank all of you for your support over the past decade, and we hope you can continue to find a reason to shop with us in the future.

We will of course let you know when things are back to normal at myOstrich Golf, and we really do appreciate your support - past, present and future - and hope you understand how difficult it is for us to make this change.

With warm regards,

Tim and Wendy Hewitt
myOstrich Golf

[Chucker]

That is sad news. I wish Tim and Wendy the best and hope things in the golf industry turn around very soon.

[gwog]

That is sad news. I wish Tim and Wendy the best and hope things in the golf industry turn around very soon.

I ditto that ten fold. I always admired the way Tim handled himself on line. When others were using the forums to push product, Tim was there to provide information and help. If a sale came as a by product it was a plus.

[Lefty]

Sad to hear this. Although I've never personally dealt with Tim via business, I always got the impression that he was very much interested in helping people get stuff they needed, be it with both equipment and sound fitting advice.

I wish him well in his new endeavor.

[LowPost42]

Of all the companies, I would never have guessed MOG would have to move this drastically.

I wish for nothing but the best for Tim, Wendy, and all those in their employ. I guess I'd better stock up on ferrules now!

[Spartan]

It's too bad it's come to this. While I haven't ordered anything in a while (from anybody) MyOstrich is always my first choice. Best of luck to Tim and here's to things returning to normal ASAP.

[MetsFan]

I have never dealt with a better mail-order company than MOG, in any industry. Their service is simply amazing. And I totally agree with how Tim purports himself online in golf forums.

I hope they can come out of this restructure stronger and better than ever and I wish both Tim and Wendy the best of luck.

[Rumboy]

I agree with everyone here.
Top drawer guy and wife as well.

Hopefully, unlike some other places that basically closed the doors and disappeared, his new model will allow him to "hang in there" until times change for the better.
It is better than sinking money (perhaps by taking from his other businesses) into a losing proposition.


Golf is his passion, not his sole livelihood, hence the job in his field (engineering)
I feel bad for his employees

[thewitt]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

What this move will let me do is keep two people employed while I go make some money... I happen to be very good in manufacturing systems deployment, so the company that is paying me to move to Malaysia is going to get their money's worth - and they know it - so it's a win-win.

Whether or not we'll bring the warehouse business back online sooner than when I return will depend in part on whether or not my son is willing to take on the responsibility. Though I have great employees, there is no one that I can trust as a business manager while I'm away. It's just the way it is unfortunately.

I hope to be back among you as a key supplier sooner than later - but rest assured I appreciate all your support over the years, and will return when the timing is right.

-t

[gwog]

I hope to be back among you as a key supplier sooner than later - but rest assured I appreciate all your support over the years, and will return when the timing is right.

-t

Thanks for stopping in Tim. You'll be missed, but we'll be here when you're ready to reopen the doors

[indacup]

Tim has, and will continue to be great for the industry...hopefully, this will be a very short hiccup and he'll be back ASAP...the industry needs him.

[thewitt]

Thank you Rory. I appreciate the sentiment.

-t

[mickeygoo]

Good luck, Tim. I've always appreciated your willingness to share your golf knowledge to all.

Have fun in Malaysia, be safe, and keep in touch.

[Supp]

All the best Tim. Hope the golf biz turns around quickly.

[testwigs]

Very sad news indeed, I hope nothing but the best for you Tim and have enjoyed doing business with you. I hope things turn around for you and MyO!