A Cincinnati startup maker of golf rangefinders has grown to the point that it’s departing an incubator to move into a larger warehouse space.
Precision Pro Golf, launched by Clay Hood and Jonah Mytro in 2013, dramatically increased its space by moving into a warehouse at 5156 Kieley Place in St. Bernard. It left the Alloy Growth Lab in Norwood after operating there since 2015.
The move gives Precision Pro about 10,000 square feet of space compared with the 1,500 or so it had at the Growth Lab, co-founder and CEO Hood told me.
“We moved to a warehouse because we wanted to ship our own products,” Hood said. “We needed more space for our customized products.”
The company houses its offices there, too. The building had previously been used as a warehouse but was vacant.
Precision Pro mainly makes rangefinders used by golfers to figure out their distance from the green, a sand trap, a pond or any other landmark. They’re customized with different looks, from an American flag to a floral design. Prices range from $249 to $299.
It has added speakers to its product lines. They’re mostly used by golfers to play music as they ride in golf carts during a round of play, a trend that has grown in recent years. But they can also be connected to Precision Pro’s mobile app to read the distance a player’s ball is from the green or sand trap.
The products are sold at golf courses around the country and at retail locations, including Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy.
The company’s sales have soared in recent years. Hood didn’t reveal specifics but said Precision Pro’s sales have topped $10 million annually the last couple of years. That has about doubled from five years ago, he added.
The company is profitable and has been for each of the past six years, he said.
It has 10 full-time employees, up from about three people five years ago.
“More people are playing more golf, so there’s more demand,” Hood said of the impetus for his company’s growth. “Covid has been good for golf because more people started playing then.”
The company also has added co-branded products with pro golfer John Daly and golf media company No Laying Up.
Hood and Mytro haven’t brought in any outside investors to this point. They haven’t needed outside money and don’t plan to.
“That’s not something we’ve wanted to do,” Hood said.
He plans to keep expanding the firm as he can. But he doesn’t feel the pressure another investor might bring.
“We need to branch outside our core products to keep expanding,” he said. “We’re working on that. But since it’s just us and we own it, we don’t have to do anything in particular. We can keep making good products and having fun doing it.”
Hood co-founded the company after working as a golf pro at country clubs in Lexington, Ky., and Virginia for several years.
The company outsources manufacturing, which is handled in Asia.
Alloy Growth Lab provided resources, mentorship and access to the business community. Precision Pro Golf also developed a relationship with Huntington Bank while at Alloy.
