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By Mark Gokavi

For the Golf Guide

Matt Glomb won't ever complain about a hot day on a golf course. The AK Steel employee gets real heat when he's next to the blast furnace.

"In the iron trough it gets to 2,730 degrees," Glomb said. "When you're around it you have to wear this aluminized (outfit). You've got to kind of watch it. You can't sweat too much inside it, because you can actually get steam burns.

"You can't stand by the trough much, you just have to walk away from it. You just have to pay attention. It doesn't bother me if it's hot outside golfing — I'm not in the steel plant."

Glomb works with iron and steel in his day job (actually at night, since he's been working 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) as well as his "moonlighting" hobby/business. Glomb owns Greenside Golf Gallery — a golf club-making business.

The Franklin resident twice has been named Ohio Clubmaker of the Year by Golfsmith.

"About four or five years ago, I was looking to get a new set and I moved into a new neighborhood. I met someone down the street who played golf and we became golfing buddies. He had made a driver on his own, so I thought I'd check into making some irons.

"I went down to Golfsmith, took a half-day class, ordered a set, put my own together. I thought, 'This is pretty good,' you get what you want instead of something off the rack.

"I made my dad a set and he started playing better because of it."

Glomb eventually took all of Golfsmith's classes, including a five-day event in Texas. The Hamilton High School graduate turns 36 this year and hopes this can be his retirement business.

"The benefit that you get from a custom club fitter is it's specifically for you, not straight off the rack," Glomb said. "Those are set to a broad spectrum — they want to sell to the high handicap, low handicap, strong player, weak player.

"It may not fit people specifically. If you get the right shaft, length and heads, it improves your chances of better ball striking and the more fun you have.

"Pros do custom fitting every week and they do it so they can drop 2-3 strokes."

Glomb's friend, Tom Singer, 45, purchased a new set of clubs from Glomb after deciding to play a little more seriously and often.

"In terms of savings, if you look at the same quality in a name-brand set, a non-custom off-the-rack set, you're looking at about 50 percent," Singer said.

Greg Cartwright, Glomb's supervisor at AK Steel, has had Glomb re-grip clubs, fix a broken 4-iron and build a driver. Now, he's looking at some hybrid clubs and possibly new irons.

"I know him and I know what kind of work he does," Cartwright said. "I knew he'd do a good job. ... I'm not an expert, but I'm sure I wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

Glomb builds his equipment in his garage and tests it at a nearby driving range. He lists a wide array of services and products on his Web site. And while many golf shops now offer club fitting of name-brand sets, he argues Golfsmith equipment is just as good and less expensive.

"We offer way more options," he said. "We can put any shaft into (a club) that they may offer as an upgrade. It's at least the same, if not most the time cheaper."

Contact this reporter

at (937) 225-6951 or

mgokavi@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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