Tom Olsavsky is the VP of R&D at Cobra-Puma Golf but has also worked for Titleist and TaylorMade.
When he’s not helping Rickie Fowler and Bryson DeChambeau getting fitted into new Cobra product, he’s working on the next equipment innovation at Cobra’s Carlsbad HQ.
We’ve met a few times to talk about product but at the 2017 PGA Show we got to know the man himself a little better…
Where did you grow up?
Youngstown, Ohio, in the Midwest. A steel town, at the time. I went to school in Ohio and got a mechanical engineering degree.
When did you get into golf and why?
In 1990. I was always a golfer, I’ve played since I was very young. My dad and I used to build clubs, repair clubs and refinish clubs in our basement.
I always had a hankering for the equipment – going to golf shops, looking at golf clubs.
What was your first job in golf?
When I got out of school I got into the automotive industry. It was OK, but a little bit boring, and I saw an ad for an engineer job with a golf company, so I thought I’d give that a try.
The company turned out to be Titleist , so I went and designed golf clubs for Titleist .
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
The best decision for me was coming to Cobra-Puma Golf. I did that about three and a half years ago.
I was at TaylorMade prior to that, and Titleist before that. Three very different companies, but I’m having a lot of fun now.
I left TaylorMade at a good time. It was doing well, but the opportunity to come here was right. It was a good challenge, a good opportunity, and for me it was a lot of growth in my career.
