| By G. Michael Dobbs, Managing Editor EAST LONGMEADOW Looking for a secret weapon to improve your golf game? Tom Veratti of Pole Kat Golf has got the clubs for you. Veratti recently opened the Pole Kat Golf Factory Outlet at 16 Shaker Rd. that features the company's long putter and its "3D," a three wood driver. Rather than put a lot of the company's resources into advertising, Veratti said word-of-mouth from one satisfied golfer to another has been the best way for the company to show off its products. Veratti said the company has demonstrations of its clubs at area driving ranges and in tournaments at local golf courses. The company's best seller is is their "3D" driver which Veratti said can help compensate for pushes and slices, problems that 70 percent of golfers have. He added the club is particularly popular with senior golfers. The company was started with the invention of the long putter by the late Kiti Maile, a native of Tonga who was working as a Polynesian dancer at Disney Resorts in Orlando, Fla. After learning the game, Maile became the head teaching professional for the resort and developed the long putter. The factory outlet store here is only one of two in the nation, the other being in Fort Myers, Fla., where the clubs are manufactured. Veratti, a native of Springfield, said he wanted to bring the only factory outlet to Western Massachusetts. Veratti said the advantage of the factory outlet store is that golfers can buy a set of clubs for as low as $299. Custom fitting takes only seven to 10 days. Veratti said the goal of the company was to "help people play better golf." For more information about the company clubs, log onto www.polekatgolf.com. |
