A few weeks ago we had a Kia Ma Contest to give away one of his spectacular Taylormade Rossa TP Kia Ma putters courtesy of Taylormade Golf and we had a huge turnout. The contest centered around asking Kia Ma a question and part of the winnings aside from the gorgeous putter was getting your question answered by the man himself.
QUESTION – “I would like to ask Mr. Ma the journey that he took specifically as it relates to putter expertise. What were some obstacles that he faced, victories and failures as he became more and more familiar with putters and any help he may have had when learning the delicate intricacies of putter design?â€
ANSWER – It seems like a long time ago now, but I remember when I first came to the U.S. 27 years ago, I didn’t even know what a putter was or what it was used for. I also didn’t speak English which amplified my early struggles. I fist worked at Shamrock Golf where I assembled and grinded putter for five years. I then transitioned to Ray Cook and was promoted to VP of Production. It was here that I handled assembly and was involved in some design, but it was limited. Then I started K&M Golf where I provided finishing for other golf companies. We would do custom bends, hot bends, welding of hossels and any handmade customization you could think of. I owned K&M for 10 years and really started to experiment with different looks and feels. When TaylorMade purchased my company, I held a similar position in the putter division. At TaylorMade, I really started to get creative, creating one-of-a-kind tour putters and gathering feedback from our tour players. After a lot of hard work and experimenting with different ideas, the Kia Ma line was born.
After learning more about Kia Ma in our article entitled “A Lesson Learned” and the journey this man has taken to get where he is today, it is no wonder that his putters are more than just equipment. They are works of art. Stay tuned for more great contests courtesy of THP.
