Golf Technology Far East

Fusion Technology

John Dalton has been at the center of golf club Development and Manufacturing in the Far East since 1975 and in 1988 was the first person in the golf industry to experiment with a revolutionary manufacturing process known today as Fusion Technology. The process involves the ‘bonding’, or joining together of two completely different materials, namely Stainless Steel and a composition of Carbon Fibers and Epoxy Resin.

To create a secure ‘bonding’ of these two materials, John resorted to using a manufacturing process, known as Insert Molding. Then, by using a conventional ‘perimeter weighted’, or cavity back iron head, but with the striking face removed he ‘inserted’ the head ‘frame’ into the mold of a conventional Injection Molding Machine and, Hey Presto, the first ever two piece ‘insert’ iron head was born.

Ater extensive ‘bench testing’ in the Taiwan factory, followed up with a very vigorous play test program, John decided to patent the idea, despite the fact that in 1988 a two piece iron head was not permitted under the ‘Rules of Golf.’

At that particular time, an iron head made of two different materials, was officially considered as ‘illegal’ and regarded as non-conforming to the Rules of Golf, as laid down by the United States Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland.

However, and to everyone’s surprise, in 1993, a sudden change in the ‘rules’ allowed an iron head to be made of more than one material. Consequently Mr. Dalton’s Concept Patent Application for the process, had suddenly become ‘legal’ and in December of 1999 a U.S. Concept Patent 5,997,414 was granted by the U.S. Patent Office. [ See illustration on this page ]

Today, experts in the industry consider the development of the ‘two piece‘ iron as very much state-of-the-art since it follows that for the first time the technology had given an iron head much greater ‘forgiveness’ when executing shots than conventional cavity back iron heads.

Not wanting to rest on his laurels John Dalton went on to develop a two piece wood head incorporating a Titanium metal face and sole with a epoxy based Carbon mesh crown ‘fused’ together to form the first Fusion Driver. Result, a larger, more ‘forgiving’ wood head enabling the player to achieve far greater accuracy from the tee. At the present time, fusion technology is still a very expensive process and only one well known US golf company, other than Mr. Dalton’s own company, Golf Technology Far East Ltd., is currently producing these state-of-the-art Drivers. [ See illustration on opposite page ]