Evoking the magnificence and mystery of ancient Asian sculptures and Arabic architecture, the exquisite 3D-printed Grismont driving irons are new for golfers in 2016. Hand-crafted to order in Paris, these limited-edition golf clubs are the brainchild of 26-year old golf equipment designer Clément Pouget-Osmont.
Having made custom clubheads for his friends from his Paris apartment, the young businessman embraced his passion for golf by subsequently conducting a thorough two-year development and testing programme which revealed explosive performance characteristics to match the clubs’ haute-couture visuals.
Three exotic models are available in the initial Grismont range: ORI, which takes its visual cues from the Mashrabiya, a traditional Arabic latticework window design which dates from the Middle Ages; CÉS, inspired by ancestral Asian sculptures; and AIR, a stunning see-through model which reinvents the back of a modern golf club, pushing 3D-printed golf technology to a new limit.
Expert Paris-based ‘digital designers’ Linlin and Pierre Jacques worked with Pouget-Osmont to apply these evocative designs to Grismont golf equipment, ensuring that the startlingly-original aesthetics did not compromise the clubs’ fairway-splitting distance and control properties.
The 3D printing production process enables Grismont to create incredibly detailed shapes with extreme precision, producing a micro-welded clubhead inherently stronger than traditional cast irons.
Golfers would be excused for thinking that these extraordinary-looking clubs are blades, but the ornate Grismont clubheads actually contain a game-improvement cavity which adds forgiveness to the power, making them suitable for golfers of all handicaps who prefer the muscular feel and increased control of a driving iron to the more high-flying characteristics of a utility or hybrid club.
Although Grismont’s stainless steel clubheads are available in standard 1-iron (17 deg), 2-iron (19 deg) and 3-iron (21deg) lofts, the company can also custom-build the irons to order in any loft from 15 to 25 degrees, to suit a golfer’s wishes. All clubs are available in Right Hand and Left Hand configuration, in both Men’s and Ladies spec.
With a UK demo day programme still in development, golfers currently order their Grismont irons via an online customisation platform, where model, head colour, loft, setup and Grismont grip can be specified, as well as a choice of third-party shafts.
Once the golfer has chosen an exact online specification, the clubs are then built to order by Grismont 3D printing technicians at the firm’s Paris headquarters.
Golfers can also send a video of their swing to Grismont, enabling technicians to construct clubs exactly matched to the individual.
“Just as every golfer is different, and indeed just as the sport of golf itself is ever-changing, we believe that the field of golf equipment design should fundamentally embrace new thinking, and the possibilities which new technology makes possible” said Pouget-Osmont.
“At Grismont we have combined disruptive technology with hand-crafted design expertise to produce a new generation of custom-made golf equipment for golfers who want something exclusive and amazing to behold, but who also want to stand on the tee knowing that the club in their hands fills them with incomparable confidence.
“We believe that Grismont will appeal to individuals who, like ourselves, prefer not to buy off-the-shelf, instead looking for performance technology which also allows an expression of art, individuality and intrigue.”
ORI and CÉS models are available in a variety of colours including a Classic Metal finish at £1,200 per club, a Copper finish at £1,900 per club, and a Gold finish at £2,300 per club. The AIR is available in a Classic Metal finish only at £1,400 per club.
Launched at the 2016 Paris Golf Show in March 2016, the ERO Putter - which features K24 Gold leaf detailing - is available in limited-edition of just ten pieces, at 2,500 Euros per club.
Delivery time from placing an order is roughly three weeks, including free delivery in Europe and a five-year customer care programme.
