Adam Jefferson from Mulligans Clubmakers

I suppose what separates us has to be the workshop, we’re engineers; we pretty much work on anything from today’s equipment, all the way back to the hickory-era. We offer refinishing, rebuilding, stamping, I’d say just about everything you can think of. And to the highest standards we can attain; it’s taken years of refinement, to get all of the tooling in the workshop to a point where you can replicate processes identically, but it really is very rewarding. 

Hogan’s philosophy was pretty simple though. Whilst he was a ferocious tinkerer, he appreciated that the equipment does a smaller amount, and the rest of the game falls to the golfer themselves. It’s more about how you practice, your concepts, and your passion for the game, that’s what it comes down to: the craft and the spirit, things that can be diminished by modern equipment and consumerism.

So whilst the workshop is unmistakably the heart of the shop, our upstairs practice fairway and fitting studio compliment our philosophy well; understanding swing mechanics and equipment together is so important to improving. That’s why we also offer coaching and club fitting; finishing and building  clubs can only ever be one part of the journey, and without levels of swing understanding you’re really searching for answers in the dark. 

Where did the inspiration come from to create this space?

We were very lucky to come by such a beautiful building in this location. And it has taken an immense amount of work to get the shop looking like it does now; the building is over 120 years old, but that provided a lot of inspiration for the shop’s style. 

It’s cheesy, but most of my inspiration comes from minimalism: I love how well-made things ‘used to be’, and how things can be reworked. Most of the shop is built with reclaimed or repurposed hardwood, and other things we restored and fabricated to fit. Very Mulligan’s. It’s all really an extension of our philosophy towards golf; if you have the right tools, use high quality materials, and practice your craft, the result will be a beautiful product (no matter how long it takes). 

I’m extremely grateful for my time in Bayswater (Adam spent many years working with Kari Lajosi; owner of Lajosi Putters, one of the only people in Australia to be crafting and customising putters by hand). Growing up around a brilliant designer like Kari allowed me to see how many genuine golfers are out there that value crafted, quality clubs.

Mulligan’s isn’t just about upcycling great clubs, tell us more about these beautiful blades.

We stock Miura heads from Japan, they’re unmatched in terms of quality and beauty, I think. They have such tight tolerances from the factory that when fitting and building sets the overall process is close to perfection. 

And we shape some of our own heads out of blank forgings we source from Japan. What I like about being able to make our own clubs is offering a truly personalised experience. We get to invest time talking to golfers about what they’re looking for which informs a range of decisions in terms of bounce, shape, offset level, top line and toe box. Not to mention finishes, custom lofts and stamping; it can be a very unique experience for the golfer.

Tell us more about the workshop space.

Designing and building it was one of the best experiences of my life. It was complicated to fit all of our tools into a heritage building like this one, where space is at a premium, but we have everything a golfer could need here to restore, customise or build the perfect set of golf clubs. 

The entire style of the shop started here, in the first few days of renovation. I got that old window opening and we ended up knocking off most of the render with a hammer and a hand chisel. It took half a day but it was a light bulb moment as the whole feel of the space changed. We carried those design elements throughout the shop, and we did eventually get some power tools.

*The doorbell rings and some post arrives for Adam…

Adam: Who’s it for?

Matthew: For you from Scotland.

Adam: I know what that is. That’s Mackenzie’s plan of the old course to hang over the fireplace. That’s the key feature of the upstairs members area.

What part of the restoration process gives you the most joy?

The finesse of grinding and hand detailing. Every time I get an opportunity to practice and I feel like I’m in a flow, I love that feeling. It’s a lot like playing good golf. And it’s great to be passing that onto others now within the shop.

For me, it’s paramount to preserve the original shape of the club when restoring, leaving as little trace of restoration as possible. The ability to softly blend damaged edges, trying to recreate the existing surfaces the way they looked originally, that’s the craft . If a club’s shapes and lines look like they did from the factory, then I’ve done the best job I can do. 

What’s the plan for the space upstairs?

It has been great to develop our practice fairway and fitting studio upstairs. Like everywhere in the shop, it was originally a fairly small space, but we’ve renovated it to really fulfill a golfer’s practice, coaching and fitting needs. 

We’ve engineered custom fitting equipment to really dial in a golfer’s specifications, which combined with our access to the workshop really gives golfers a complete experience when they are testing different club options. 

Though it’s no substitute for playing on course, having a practice space was essential to the culture we’re trying to build within the shop. Whilst you can’t literally ‘dig it out of the dirt’ upstairs, like Hogan did, through technology you can understand some of his secrets. 

What’s making up the dream bag?

I definitely prefer a smaller, low-offset look; I think every golfer should understand their general profile preferences at address. I’ve used a set of Miura Baby Blades for a long time, and I’m still using older Vokeys and Pro Vs from a decade ago. My putter is a copper-insert Lajosi Kari made for me a good while ago, absolutely beautiful. I haven’t really changed shafts or heads dramatically in over 10 years, which I think really helps.

At the top I’ve got a couple of Titleist 906’s, one of the best fairway woods ever made. I’ve had mine for over 15 years. Older heads like these can still stack up from a speed standpoint; if you can manage spin through technique and shaft, there really is something to be said for familiarity with what you’re using and cohesion throughout the bag. Jack Nicklaus used the same 3 wood to win all 18 of his majors.

It can take thousands of shots and hundreds of clubs to assemble a set that plays perfectly together. And I’d be lying if I said my clubs were perfect; I always seem to be working on one thing or another, it’s definitely a golf thing.  

What type of golfer is Mulligans catering for?

All golfers, some just don’t know it yet. The golf equipment world can be a kind of Ferris wheel, and the internet has changed access to information in a dramatic way, particularly from a marketing standpoint. Navigating this world can be really challenging for golfers, but by investing time and building relationships with golfers we can better assist them on their journey. Whether that’s a simple loft/lie adjustment, a restoration, or a full bag assembled through years of consultation and working together, it’s all part of what makes us unique.

And I suppose I personally dislike the idea that golf is perceived as an expensive game that takes a long time to play. We’re really trying to help simplify the game and always keep the focus on the sustainable enjoyment for golfers, bringing people back to the essence of the game and it’s beauty. 

Where do you see Mulligans 10 years from now?

Hopefully doing something very similar, still helping golfers love the game.

If I was dreaming for a moment, we’d love to keep growing our presence in content creation and education. I love the impact people like Erik Anders Lang and Rick Shiels have had on growing the game in those areas; I can see a space for clubmaking to be pushed more to the forefront. 

But I do love the Parable of the Mexican Fisherman. It describes a holidaying investor, after some inquiry, trying to persuade a local fisherman to grow his business by working much longer hours, growing so big as to sell the business for a huge profit. “And then what?” asks the fisherman. “Then you can retire and fish whenever you like,” says the investor. The fisherman replies simply: “But I don’t understand, I do that already”.  

So in a way, that’s kind of how I feel. Our team here is always growing, and we love helping golfers on their journey. As long as we’re doing this and doing it the same authentic way, that’s kind of all that matters.