'MY CLUB HAS ONE RULE: DON'T SPOIL ANYONE ELSE'S FUN'

US Marine Bob Parsons made his billions selling internet domains, then founded Parsons Xtreme Golf, bought his own golf club and set about rewiring the game

- KIT ALEXANDER

A self-proclaimed golf nut who couldn’t find clubs he really wanted, Bob Parsons founded Parsons Xtreme Golf to “design and develop the finest golf clubs ever played”. He’s done pretty well, too, first offering super-premium clubs with super-premium price tags and now selling individual clubs for less than mainstream brands.

He’s just opened his first shipping centre outside the USA, in Surrey, saying: “The opening of PXG UK is not only a testament to how far we’ve come, but also a statement about where we are heading. As we grow, we want our customers to have the best possible experience end to end. That means their clubs are built right and ship fast. The new centre enables us to do both.”

That’s the now, then, but here’s the story of how he got here – in his own words.

My road into golf hasn’t been quick or easy. I set up Parsons Xtreme Golf in 2014, but my involvement in golf goes back to my childhood. I grew up as poor as a church mouse in a blue-collar neighbourhood of Baltimore. My parents were gamblers – cards, horses, bingo, you name it. So that meant we had nothing. As I got older, if I wanted anything I had to hustle for it. From the earliest days I was running errands, mowing lawns, shovelling snow, serving newspapers, construction work... all sorts.