Bob VanSweden was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he still lives today with his wife and son. Growing up in St. Pete, Bob was always active—playing soccer, boxing, and skateboarding. His first career began right after graduating high school in 1985, when he entered the music industry. He quickly found himself touring internationally with major rock bands such as Roxx Gang, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Bryan Adams, Extreme, and many more.

It wasn’t until 1992, during a break from touring, that Bob discovered the game of golf. Within two years, he was playing nearly every day. In 1994, he made the decision to step away from the Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle and pursue a new path. His first job in the golf industry was at a small golf shop, where he began learning basic club repair skills.

Driven by a desire to master his craft, Bob attended his first club repair school in 1993, followed by an advanced club repair and custom fitting class. In 1994, he opened the first location of The Golf Repair Center—a modest 10x20 room tucked in the back of a Play It Again Sports store in St. Petersburg.

Just a year later, Bob was invited by Jeff Jones, owner of Proline Golf, to move his business into a new 20,000-square-foot golf retail store. Jeff leased Bob a 1,000-square-foot space and appointed him to manage all club repair and custom fitting services. Bob remained there for eight years, honing his skills and building a loyal customer base.

In 2001, after Proline Golf was sold, Bob decided to branch out on his own again. He relocated to a storefront on 23rd Avenue and 9th Street North in St. Petersburg, formerly known as the Golfer’s Attic. After two years at that location, Bob was approached by Jim Smith, owner of the Missing Links Driving Range in Largo, who offered him the opportunity to take over the pro shop. Bob opened his doors at Missing Links on February 1, 2004.

He remained there until 2009, when he moved to his current location at 2300 26th Street North in St. Petersburg. For the past 16 years, Bob has continued to serve the community—fitting and repairing clubs for golfers of all skill levels right in his hometown.

Over the past 30+ years, Bob has earned recognition as one of the top custom fitters in the nation. He has received numerous custom fitting awards from leading golf brands, including Titleist, Cobra, Callaway, McGregor, Wilson Golf, Mizuno, TaylorMade, and Golf Digest.

Some of his most notable achievements include:

• 2005 – Named Titleist Southeast Region Fitter of the Year

• 2007 – Awarded TaylorMade-Adidas Golf Southeast Region Fitter of the Year

• 2008 – Honored as TaylorMade’s National Club Fitter of the Year

• 2011 – Became the only person in company history to win TaylorMade’s National Club Fitter of the Year twice

Few fitters in the industry have received multiple national awards over a 30-year span—and Bob stands proudly among them.

Bob takes great pride in every accolade he has received, but what matters most to him is helping players improve their game.

“I try every day to fit players the best I can—whether they’re a touring pro or a weekend golfer. When someone comes back a few weeks after a fitting and tells me they’ve shaved strokes off their game, that’s what makes all the hard work and long hours worth it. I have one of the best jobs in the world.” — Bob VanSweden