Otey "III" Persimmon Driver

Handcrafted by John Hayes - Limited Pre-Order

LIMITED PRE-ORDER. Each driver is turned, finished, and assembled by hand after you order. 50% due today, 50% due at completion before your driver ships. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for production and delivery. Thank you for waiting on real work. - Otey & John Hayes

There was a time when a driver was a piece of wood a man chose, shaped, and trusted. Persimmon does not forgive a lazy swing and it does not flatter a bad one. It tells you the truth, and when you find the middle of it, you feel something no titanium face has ever reproduced.

This is that club, built the way it was built the first time. Otey Crisman has been making golf clubs by hand in Selma, Alabama since 1946. For this release we partnered with John Hayes, one of the few craftsmen still turning persimmon drivers to the old standard, to produce a strictly limited run under the Otey name.

Every head is turned from a single block of persimmon, hand shaped, hand finished, and hand assembled. No two are identical, because no two pieces of wood are.

The Maker: John Hayes builds persimmon woods the way the trade demanded before the trade disappeared. Each head passes through his hands from raw block to finished club: shaping, weighting, face fitting, insert work, and the long finishing process that gives these drivers their depth. He is not a factory. He is a craftsman, and the number of clubs he can make in a year is the reason this run is limited.

Persimmon Head Turned from select persimmon, the traditional wood of the American driver. Dense, fine grained, and acoustically alive, persimmon delivers a feel and a sound at impact that modern materials imitate and never match.

Hand Rubbed Finish Built in multiple hand applied coats and cut back between passes, producing the deep oxblood depth you see in the photographs. The grain is not printed and it is not hidden. It is the wood, brought up by hand.

Black Fiber leading edge protects the leading edge and turf line while adding sole weight where it belongs. Fastened with brass screws and stamped with the Otey script and SELMA, ALA., the same mark that has been on our clubs since 1946.

Scored Face with Brass Face Screws The face is hand scored for grip on the ball and set with brass face screws, a traditional persimmon detail that reinforces the striking area and centers mass behind impact.

Crown Medallion The crown carries a brass "III" medallion, marking the third generation of the Crisman family name on the clubs. It is small, it is quiet, and it is the whole point.

Performance A persimmon driver rewards tempo and center contact. The ball comes off with a low, penetrating flight and a sound you will hear again in your head on the walk to it. Off center strikes give you honest feedback, which is exactly why players who grew up on wood putted, chipped, and drove better. This is a playable golf club. It is built to be teed up, not shelved.

Limited Release This is a limited run. When the allotment is spoken for, the pre-order closes. We are not setting a restock date, because the number of these that exist depends on how many John can build by hand and how long good persimmon stays available.

PRE-ORDER TERMS 

How this pre-order works

1. 50% today. Your order today places a deposit of 50% of the total price. This reserves your build slot and releases your driver into production. Nothing is built to sit in a warehouse. Your club does not exist until you order it.

2. Production: 4 to 6 weeks. From the day your order is placed, allow 4 to 6 weeks for your driver to be turned, finished, assembled, and inspected. Persimmon finishing cannot be rushed. Cure times are cure times.

3. 50% at completion. When your driver is finished, we will email you photographs of your actual club and an invoice for the remaining 50% balance. Your driver ships once that balance is paid.

4. Shipping. Your driver ships fully insured after the final payment clears. You will receive tracking by email. Delivery time is calculated into the 4 to 6 week production window.

5. If the timeline moves. Wood is a natural material and hand work is hand work. If your build needs additional time, we will email you before your original window closes and tell you exactly where your club is and when to expect it. You will never be left wondering. If a delay does not work for you, you may cancel at that point and your deposit will be refunded in full.

6. Cancellations and changes. Specifications (loft, length, shaft, grip, hand) can be changed within 72 hours of your order at no charge. Deposits are refundable in full within 72 hours of your order. After 72 hours your persimmon block has been selected and work has begun, and the deposit becomes non refundable except in the delay situation described above.

7. Questions. Email us at otey@oteythree.com with your order number. A person reads it.