T Squared Putters could be the future for custom golf clubs
Tony Tuber was the winner of the 2024 spring semester Vol Court Pitch Competition through the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UTK.
Tony Tuber grew up as a golfer in Buffalo, New York. He is a senior marketing major at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), with a collateral in leadership.
“I enjoy playing golf outside of school,” which I’m sure is a shocker,” he laughed. Tuber is the Co-Founder of a company called T Squared Putters, which makes custom golf clubs.
He started playing when he was young, about six or seven years old. Once he became a teenager, he began taking the sport seriously and playing at a more competitive level.
Meanwhile, his dad was operating a startup company that manufactures surgical dental equipment.
“I would work with my dad occasionally, but I was never too interested in getting into the dental instrument field,” Tuber said. “Once I found out the same machines and materials my dad used to make dental equipment could also make golf equipment, I became more engaged.”
Tuber started hanging around the workplace, getting to know more people and gaining a deeper knowledge of the machines. Eventually, some engineers worked with him to create a putter prototype. It turned out high quality, which gave Tuber a bright idea.
“I went through the whole process of making a business plan, lots of trial and error,” he shared.
This was during his junior and senior years of high school. Today, the putters have evolved and so has the customer base.
Tuber discovered the resources through the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI) in his senior year of college. He is graduating in the next couple of months, has a business, and decided to seek guidance on how to grow it. ACEI plugged him in with one of the entrepreneurs in residence, Mark Huber.
“I talk to Mark Huber regularly. He’s the one who told me to do the pitch competitions. He has given me a lot of great advice and pushed me along to think differently than I have previously,” Tuber said.
His goal is to transition the company from a part-time hobby to a full-time business. So, he pitched the idea at the spring-semester Vol Court Pitch Competition at ACEI. The judges voted his pitch first place, and Tuber took home $,1500.
He said he plans to use the money to invest in the marketing side of his business. He is in the process of developing a new website, creating content, and buying Facebook and Google Ad campaigns.
Tuber hopes this is a turning point for T Squared Putters. He aims to have his putters be a prominent option on the PGA tours someday. Until then, he’s putting the pedal to the metal.
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