GOLF:

One of the more interesting golf companies has moved its primary testing facility to Costa Mesa and the relocation gives golf enthusiasts a unique opportunity.

Rankmark, Inc. bills itself as one of the leading independent golf club testing companies in the country. The company is hosting a testing that is open to the public, today at Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Golfers can participate in the testing if there are spots still available.

The company was founded by Charlie Mandel in 1998. Since that time, Rankmark has provided the golfing public with free, unbiased results of golf club performance through testing and publishing the results via its website, www.rankmark.com.

Over the years it has grown considerably. For the last two years the club boasts that the website receives more than 2 million hits monthly.

Rankmark tests drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters from manufacturers such as Adams, Bobby Jones, Callaway, Cleveland, Mizuno, Nike, Ping, Titleist, TaylorMade and Wilson.

The large club manufacturers are not the only clubs that get tested. Rankmark has also tested several up and coming brands, giving them much needed exposure to the golfing public.

Andrew Birnbaum and Paul McCormack saw the importance of the company and offered to buy it from Mandel, who agreed.

“They offered to buy my hobby and turn it into a very large and important part of the golfing business, Mandel said. “Rankmark is like one of my kids. How could I resist seeing it grow taller and stronger?”

Mandel will continue to remain actively involved with Rankmark in his official role as founder.

Birnbaum will take the role of Chief Executive Officer. Birnbaum is a golf industry veteran with more than 20 years experience in both golf products and services. Most recently, he served as Chief Operating Officer for Sonartec and previously was Chief Executive Officer of A&C; Marketing.

McCormack is the new Chief Operating Officer. He is originally from Scotland and immigrated to the States in 1994. McCormack has held positions with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Delta Air Lines, and Ernst & Young.

The duo decided to move the company from Florida to Costa Mesa and it is a smart move considering most of the golf companies are based in Southern California.

That isn’t the only thing the company wanted to change. Rankmark is now reporting test results to new categories as well, including Men’s High and Low Handicap, Senior’s and Women’s. A pricing category has also been added. The website will be translated into eight languages. Ease of use to the site and video will be expanded.

“This will really help our viewership get the information they specifically want about the equipment,” Birnbaum said.

Another interesting move is that all of the manufacture’s advertisements have been pulled.

”We didn’t want even the slightest consideration that the results are ever altered in any way, the test results are what they are,” McCormack said. “Because of this we felt that no manufacture or company whose products we test should advertise, it’s just simpler this way.”

The company will perform tests throughout the year on a variety of clubs and the public will be invited to participate.

Equipment is tested and rated in a completely unbiased environment based on look, feel, accuracy and other criteria. The results are then compiled with PGA Professionals and categorized by Overall Winner, Men’s High and Low Handicap, Women’s and Seniors. They are then broken down by price.

“Almost every golfer wants to know what the latest and greatest technology is. The entire golfing community is invited and it will be yet another great activity for Southern California golf,” McCormack said.

JOHN REGER’S golf column appears Thursdays.