Polo mallets are one of the most important and individual pieces of equipment for the game of polo.
This section is designed and written for both beginning and experienced players so they may better understand the art of mallet making and the variables that go into mallet production. Through knowledge and working with experienced professionals it should allow each player to undertake the necessary steps to determine the proper mallet characteristics for each's individual style and requirements. Once determined, your mallet maker should be able to duplicate mallets to your specification upon request.
The best place to start is with speaking to a trained professional. They are going to ask certain questions about your physical characteristics to determine your individual profile.
How tall are you? How much do you weigh? How would you describe your body type? Slender, medium, stocky? Are you a man, women or child? What is your glove size? How long have you been playing? What is your handicap? What are your aspirations? Where do you play? How much? What are the field conditions? What is your budget? How many mallets do you break each year? How many mallets do you purchase each year?
From this profile we will determine the individual characteristics of the mallet that we would recommend for you. This will be based upon our experience in making thousands of mallets for players of all sizes, shapes and handicaps around the world. From here we will make a prototype mallet for your trial and inspection. 95% of the time this mallet hits the mark. Sometimes we need to continue to refine the process by making modifications through trial and error until we together have it just right. During each step we keep copious notes to choreograph the process. Once the player acknowledges we’ve got it we keep a permanent record with all the characteristics to be able to duplicate the process upon request.
Individual Preferences
There is no perfect mallet for everyone. Individual differences in physical characteristics, playing styles and field conditions, all are important elements in matching the proper mallet to the individual player and conditions. It is the job of the mallet maker to work with the player to define the individual elements and characteristics of the mallet that are best suited to the individual player. By analyzing the individual variables and defining them they are together able to determine the specific characteristics that are best suited to work for each player. To better understand the variables we need to look at and explore the different elements of mallets to determine which are best suited for you.
Experienced Players
The process with experienced players is easier. They know the specific characteristics they are seeking. What is easiest for both the player and the mallet maker is for the player to provide the mallet maker with a favorite mallet. Then the mallet maker can analyze the elements and feel the player’s desires. We then have to define the elements, and remember the feel to duplicate it upon request. We are now requesting that our key customers leave a mallet with us to keep in our library so we can duplicate it upon request.
What the Pro's Do
Professional players know that you get the best selection of mallets when a new shipment of canes arrives. We have standing orders with key customers to produce a certain number of mallets for them each year. When each shipment of canes arrives as we process them we select the top canes that are suitable for the player and put them aside. This allows the player and the maker the greatest opportunity to make the finest offering available. This assures the player of the best canes possible.
