by Mary E. Knippel

Butler in his showroom. Staff photo.

Aug. 1, 2010 — What do rockets, hot rods and handicaps have in common? They are all passions of the Coastside’s own David Butler, a PGA Master Clubfitter, also known as “Doctor Grip” in the golf community. “I’m in my fifth career,” Butler said when I visited him at his Miura Showroom in the Shoppes at Harbor Village. Previously, Butler served as a chief engineer in the international division of the Chrysler Corporation, ran a major division of an aerospace company, had a stint as an entrepreneur, and worked as executive vice president of operations for a Silicon Valley computer company.

“I’m a professional golf fitter,” Butler explained. “I don’t know anybody else in the world who does what I do.” In this role, Butler designs golf clubs the way a tailor would design a suit, by taking a customer’s measurements and understanding the client’s personal preferences and needs.

Butler’s incarnation as “Doctor Grip” came about when he was getting ready to do what many retired folks do: play golf. He needed grips and, finding nothing locally, he went over the hill shopping. He ended up taking a job at a golf store. “It was an educational program for me,” Butler said. “They wanted somebody to put on new grips and shafts. I wanted to listen to the problems people were having, and the solutions being offered.”

After learning the retail side of the business, Butler left the store and started selling grips out of the trunk of his car at the Half Moon Bay Driving Range. Regular grips. All-weather grips. Round grips. The business thrived — and evolved — and after outgrowing several locations Butler now has the showroom in Harbor Village and a Miura Fitting Studio in Princeton by the Sea.

Butler with the ‘56 Ford he restored. Photo: Mary E. Knippel.

In June 2010, Miura Golf named Butler its first featured worldwide dealer. During the last century, craftsmen in a small town in Japan transformed steel into samurai swords. Today, the 44-year-old family-owned Miura Golf continues that tradition by forging a different kind of blade. “I only sell Miura, because they produce the best forgings for the golf industry,” Butler said.

Using the latest technology, such as the ball flight monitor TrackMan, Butler builds custom clubs for the most avid golfer. “With this machine I can tell everything except what they’ve had for breakfast,” Butler said. “An aerospace engineer and I took the formula used for launching missiles and rewrote it for launching golf balls.”

His youngest client is an 8-year-old girl. Butler also fit a young woman who won a four-year scholarship to Harvard. Those seeking to turn pro also benefit from Butler’s expertise, as one of Butler’s clients made Japan’s PGA. His clients, of all ages and from various places around the world, must pass a stringent interview process before Butler decides to work with them.

Traditionally, the golf clubs in a set will vary in length; however, Butler recently made a set for a disabled Iraq veteran with a very sobering handicap. “He had to sit on the back of the cart to play,” Butler said, lining the clubs up to demonstrate, “but because every club was the same length he could do it. He had a blast.”

Butler demonstrating the TrackMan. Photo: Mary E. Knippel.

Clients usually find Butler on the Internet. He recently developed a meticulously detailed website to accommodate online purchasing of custom-built golf clubs, allowing greater access to this unique service. Yes, he is also a webmaster.

Butler claims not to be a very good golfer. “I guess I get golfed out,” Butler said, “with building, fitting, putting clubs together, and everything. Playing golf takes six hours. I’d rather be working on my hot rod!” At 19, Butler was an AA Fuel National Drag Racing Champion.

As a student at Ohio State University, Butler played football. A fellow classmate, Jack Nicklaus, introduced him to golf. Butler pursues his 50-year-old passion for golf with new zeal now that he is retired and living in Half Moon Bay’s golf course community with his wife, Mary. He also has four children, born around the globe.

The Miura Showroom and Miura Fitting Studio are open by appointment only. Contact Butler at 650-726-2323 to make an appointment, or visit his websites for more information.