 | Cobra golf, which is located in Carlsbad, California, began building golf clubs in 1973. Australian Thomas L. Crow, in an effort to tap the high-end market, rounded up $150,000 in venture capital and started a small custom club business. He designed the "Baffler" wood, a specialized club with a patented soleplate that helped move the ball out of difficult lies on the golf course. Importantly, Crow's clubs were designed to reduce drag during the swing and to increase the lift of the ball. After boosting sales toward the $200 million mark in 1995, Cobra Golf was purchased by American Brands Inc., of Greenwich, Connecticut in late January 1996 for a reported $700 million.
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