Dr. Jim Yeh, the President of Alpha Golf actually never meant to enter the golf industry. He was a golfer, but never received any formal “training” in the golf designing field. He was an engineer from the aerospace industry, having worked and consulted for high-profile projects with Allied Signal and Litton Guidance and Control Systems, building mass-scale laser equipment and tools used by the government. With a doctorate degree in Physics, along with double-masters degrees in Electrical and Material Science Engineering, Dr. Yeh was a true scientist on every level. Those of you who have met Jim know what I’m talking about. His shelves at home humbly display his dozens of patent and medals for innovative inventions for R&D in aerospace. But he could care less of accolades such as this. His true passion lies in understanding “how things work” and sharing this knowledge with others.

After stumbling into an opportunity designing clubs for a golf manufacturing company, Dr. Yeh decided to create a premium line of clubs that would utilize only the best materials and the most effective manufacturing processes. Alpha was created simply for durability and performance. In late 2001, the first Alpha driver, the Reaction, made its debut.

No one at Alpha had foreseen what would happen next. The first yet fervent fans of the Alpha Reaction driver would be the professional long drivers. The louder, more obnoxious, little brother of the PGA, may not have provided the best press for Alpha to be begin with. But Alpha became an entity all its own, and the fast-hitting, talented players on the long drive circuit embraced the driver almost immediately. Without a season to lose, the Alpha driver started showing up on every long drive competition across the country. And with that first season of championships, Alpha began garnering win after win. Fast forward to today, and you’ll see 6 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championships along with over 100 worldwide competition wins named to Alpha drivers.

Though Alpha doesn’t benefit monetarily from the press of being in the sport of long drive, it has brought much excitement and fun into what’s generally considered a “yuppie” sport. Subsequent driver designs have also been influenced by the younger and more emergent demographic that comes with the sport. What started out as an unplanned involvement into the golf industry for Dr. Yeh has turned into a notable cult-following and a true benefit to the game for all of us who value true performance.

 

• Elements of Driving
• History & Design
• The Alpha Golf Story