Inside the Tour Van: Q&A with Larry Bobka

By Drew Mahowald -- 2nd Swing staff writer

Larry Bobka has practically done it all in the golf industry. He has worked as a club professional, club builder, teacher, and fitter, spending time at big-name manufacturers such as Wilson and Titleist.

Throughout his career, he’s had the opportunity to work with the best players in the world to make sure they’re playing equipment fit for their swings. He helped build a set of irons for Tiger Woods in the late 1990s, the same set Woods used to win the ‘Tiger Slam’ in the early 2000s.

Bobka now brings his extensive background and expertise to 2nd Swing, where he now serves as an advisor and a master club fitter in the Twin Cities. 

We caught up with Bobka to gather his insight on a few fitting topics, how things have changed (and stayed the same) throughout his career, and what’s he’s enjoyed most about working at 2nd Swing so far.

2ND SWING: How often do you find that golfers are using a putter that is not fit for their stroke type?

BOBKA: About 50 percent of the time. Most of the time they pick something based on the look or something they see on TV or one of their buddy’s putters. Putters are an emotional purchase. If someone hits 40 putts in a round one day, they need to get a new putter as soon as possible to fix the putting. What they really should be doing is taking a look at their putting stroke and finding something that will help them make more solid contact.

2ND SWING: What’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed between working with professionals and working with amateurs?

BOBKA: Professionals are looking for any way possible to improve their game because it’s what they are doing for a living. The best ones are always seeking out the advice of others. They’re open to change and they’re open to trying new things. I think the average golfer can be a little bit hesitant to change, whether it’s with equipment or in the swing.

2ND SWING: What are the benefits of using the right wedge grinds and what are the downfalls of playing the wrong wedge grinds for your game?

BOBKA: The benefit of playing the right one is that you’re going to make solid contact with the golf ball. If you’re playing the wrong one, you’re more likely to hit it fat or thin. I think the term “bounce is your friend” is good because generally bounce offers more versatility. If you have a tight lie you can alter your technique with a high-bounce wedge so that it’s still effective. But if you try to use a low-bounce wedge in a soft bunker, you’re in jail. It’s also important to recognize that different swings are made with different wedge lofts, so you won’t want the same grind on each wedge in your bag.

2ND SWING: Throughout your extensive golf career, many things have changed. What is something you have noticed that has stayed consistent over the last few decades in golf?

BOBKA: Through the internet and all of the new technology, it’s a lot easier for golfers to narrow their equipment decisions to a few options. One of the things we preach at 2nd Swing is getting golfers from hundreds of options to three options and then one option. It’s way easier nowadays to get golfers to three. But the thing that has stayed the same over time is that making the final decision requires trial and error. That was pretty much the only method to buying clubs back in the day, and still applies now. That’s what’s so great about our 45-day play guarantee. If you’re not quite sure about your decision, just go try it! You have 45 days to make sure your new club works and if it doesn’t, we’ll get you something that does.

2ND SWING: What’s your favorite part about working at 2nd Swing so far?

BOBKA: It’s the passion, without a doubt. I’ve been to every store now and I can’t tell you how passionate the people here are about helping golfers play better. So many golfers walk in and think they’re going to be sold the most expensive item. What we really do is sell them what’s best for them, which might just be an adjustment to loft and lie on their current equipment. For lack of a better term, this a company full of golf geeks. And how can you do any better to improve your game than seeing a bunch of golf geeks? It’s amazing to see the differences between people’s faces when they enter the store and then when they leave the store.