ORLANDO — Just over two years ago, Adam Heindorff, CEO of Links & Kings, had signed a letter of intent and was on the verge of a deal when David Maher, CEO of Acushnet swooped in and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“It’s taken us to the forefront of our category and gave instant credibility,” Heindorff said.
The 11-person staff company based in Alpine, Utah, was a bespoke maker of luxury leather goods, including a cult-following for its golf bags.
“We were making them as fast as we could sell them and it still wasn’t fast enough,” he said.
Links & Kings is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year of making everything from head covers and belts to travel bags and scorecard holders; each Links & Kings design is cut from hand-selected leather hides sourced from around the world and meticulously handcrafted to deliver the performance, quality and feel that dedicated golfers demand.
The sale to Acushnet has been a gamechanger. Heindorff recalls trying to persuade Shinnecock Golf Club’s head professional Jack Druga to stock his leather products in his shop to no avail.
“I tried to speak to Jack many times. Two days after the sale, he says, ‘All right, I’m on board now,’ ” Heindorrf said.
Since the sale, Links & Kings has grown 80 percent without opening any new accounts – well, there was one, Heindorff said: Pebble Beach – as it concentrated on developing its back-end systems.
Thanks to companies like MacKenzie Bags and Douglas Rose, just to name a few, premium leather golf bags for the minimalist is making a revival. The market also has spoken about the golf-bag offerings from Links & Kings. Heindorff has listened and filled his one gaping hole in the line. Its newest entry is a luxury stand bag with leather and carbon-fiber legs.
“We had so many people saying they’d buy one if it had a stand, and now it does,” Heindorff said. “It’s got everything you need and nothing you don’t.”
But that timeless look, quality leather and craftsmanship comes with a hefty price tag.
It retails for $1200.
Said Heindorff: “It’s for the guy pulling up in a Bentley.”
