Bob Van Sweden Named TaylorMade’s “2009 National Club Fitter of the Year”

TaylorMade-Adidas Golf Company has named Bob VanSweden from Golf Repair Center in Largo the “2009 Club Fitter of the Year”, an honor that recognizes individual retailers who share TaylorMade’s values and are relentlessly committed to fitting their customers into the best performing golf products for their games.

“I can’t think of a more deserving individual than Bob VanSweden,” said David Abeles, TaylorMade’s senior vice president and general manager. “Bob’s talent, dedication and enthusiasm for fitting have helped hundreds of golfers hit longer and straighter shots and enjoy the game more.”

Unlike other FOY nominees who have been mainstays in the golf industry, VanSweden has taken a different route in becoming a master club fitter. VanSweden boxed for eight years before taking his first job as a professional bodyguard in the late 1980’s, where he protected bands like Sting, Megadeath, Extreme, Third Eye Blind and others. By the time he was 30 years old, VanSweden had traveled the world. When he returned home to Los Angeles, Van Sweden met his wife, quit his job as a bodyguard and began playing golf everyday with the money he had amassed as a bodyguard. VanSweden began hanging out at a local golf shop where he accepted an unpaid position and quickly learned the craft of club fitting.

VanSweden currently runs his club fitting business out of Missing Links Driving range – the only location in Tampa Bay that offers outdoor custom fittings with a launch monitor...

» Bob Van Sweden's The Golf Repair Center