Thwack Sporting Co. founder with his son dressed as a caddie

A Love for the Old Game

I’ve always been drawn to the older, more tactile side of golf—the feel of a persimmon wood, the simplicity of a blade, and the character of a hickory-shafted club. While much of the modern game continues to move toward more technology, more data, and equipment designed to eliminate every imperfection, I’ve found myself appreciating the parts of golf that still require feel, creativity, and connection.

The idea for Thwack Sporting Co. began to take shape after a Fried Egg Golf trip, where I met several golfers who shared that same appreciation for the traditional side of the game. The conversations weren’t just about scores or equipment. They were about why we play, the courses that stay with us, and the satisfaction of using something with history, character, and purpose.

When I returned home, I started working on an idea for a different kind of alignment stick—one that felt less like a piece of plastic training equipment and more connected to the clubs and traditions that made me love the game in the first place.

That idea became Thwack Sporting Co.

The name comes from one of golf’s simplest pleasures: the unmistakable sound of a well-struck shot. A thwack is direct, satisfying, and difficult to mistake—the kind of sound that tells you what happened before you ever look up. It felt like the right name for a company built around feel, simplicity, and a more traditional connection to the game.

Each set begins with American hickory and is finished by hand with traditional Irish linen thread. The natural grain, wrapped texture, and small variations from one stick to the next are intentional. They are reminders that these are not mass-produced accessories. They are functional golf tools made with the same appreciation for material, craftsmanship, and character found in persimmon woods and hickory clubs.

Thwack exists for golfers who believe equipment can be useful without feeling disposable—and that sometimes the simplest parts of the game are the ones worth holding on to.

Rooted in West Virginia

That appreciation for honest materials and traditional craftsmanship is also closely tied to where Thwack began.

Thwack Sporting Co. was created in West Virginia, a place where working with your hands, making use of what is around you, and building things to last still mean something. Hickory has long been part of life throughout Appalachia—used for tools, furniture, walking sticks, and, of course, the hickory switches many of us were warned about growing up.

That connection made American hickory a natural choice. It carries strength, character, and a little bit of the region’s history in every piece. No two sticks have exactly the same grain, tone, or markings, and that individuality is part of what makes them worth making by hand.

The thread wrapping also draws from the outdoor traditions found throughout Appalachia. Its texture and detail bring to mind wrapped fishing rods, hand-tied flies, and the practical craftsmanship passed down by people who took pride in making ordinary objects both useful and beautiful.

Thwack is not meant to be a souvenir of Appalachia or a piece of forced nostalgia. It is simply shaped by the place it comes from—its materials, its pace, and its belief that something made carefully can still have a place in the modern game.

Made by Hand

The belief in making something carefully is at the center of every Thwack alignment stick.

Each stick is prepared and wrapped by hand in small batches rather than produced on an assembly line. The process is deliberate, from selecting the hickory to applying the linen thread and finishing the details of each set. It takes more time, but that time is part of what gives every pair its texture, character, and connection to the materials.

Because hickory is a natural material, no two sticks will look exactly alike. Grain patterns, color, and small markings will vary from one piece to the next. The thread wrapping may also carry the subtle differences that come with being finished by hand. Those variations are not flaws to be hidden—they are part of what separates a handmade golf tool from something stamped out by the thousands.

The goal is not to create something too precious to use. These sticks are made for practice tees, putting greens, golf bags, and wherever else the game takes them. They are meant to work, develop character, and become more personal with time.

At Thwack, made by hand does not simply describe how the product is assembled. It reflects the kind of golf equipment we believe is still worth making: useful, considered, and built with a little more soul.