John L. Saksun

John L. Saksun (May 3, 1922 - November 1, 2016) was a Canadian-Czechoslovakian tool and die maker and precision machinist.[1][2] He was born in Zalobin, Czechoslovakia. At age 16, shortly after the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1938, Saksun left the country for Canada. After gaining standing as a top-tier machinist by delivering on tank radar and de Havilland Mosquito bomber manufacturing contracts in World War II in the 1940s, he founded military and commercial aircraft manufacturer, The Queensway Machine Products Ltd in 1952. He later founded golf club manufacturer, Accuform Golf in 1975.[3]

The Queensway Machine Products Ltd

Saksun incorporated The Queensway Machine Products Ltd in 1952 after gaining standing delivering on tank radar and de Havilland Mosquito bomber manufacturing contracts in World War II.[4] The company has since played a central role in Canadian history through its manufacturing of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Torch,[5] involvement with the Avro Arrow, and provisions made for the Canadian Armed Forces during wartime.[4] Queensway Machine has primarily acted as a subcontractor for Boeing, Bombardier Inc., Bell Helicopter, Fleet Industries, de Havilland and McDonnell Douglas over its 60-year operating history.[6]

Golf Industry

Saksun applied his manufacturing expertise to the golf world in the mid-1970s. He founded Accuform Golf in 1975, which designed and manufactured golf club heads. Saksun also invented the cylindrical-shaped bunker rakes found at most PGA Tour courses and around the world.[7] At the company's peak, Davis Love III, Joey Sindelar, Gary Koch, Mike Donald, Dan Halldorson, Jerry Anderson, Jim Rutledge and Dick Zokol played Accuform clubs.[8] The company was sold to former Labatt president Don MacDougall in the early 1990s.[9] In 1990, Saksun was utilized by the United States Golf Association (USGA) to help solve a controversy regarding the use of square, or U-grooves, in PING's immensely popular PING Eye2 irons. The United States Golf Association argued that players who used the Eye2 had an unfair advantage in imparting spin on the ball, which helps to stop the ball on putting greens. Saksun set up methods of measuring the unique grooves and determined that PING was in compliance with the rulings. However, by proposing a cost-effective solution to help PING change the design of subsequent Eye2s, Saksun saved PING hundreds of millions. PING subsequently withdrew their US$100 million lawsuit against the United States Golf Association.[10]

Awards

  • Saksun won the Canadian Professional Golf Association (CPGA) Pro-Am Championship in 1979.
  • Saksun was granted Honorary Membership to the Canadian Golf Tour in 2006.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "John Saksun Obituary". Toronto Star. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  2. ↑ "Selected Biographies and Autobiographies of Canadian Business Persons". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "A LOOK BACK: THE END OF ACCUFORM". ScoreGolf.com. 12 October 2006.
  4. 1 2 "Canadian Company Capabilities - Complete profile - The Queensway Machine Products Ltd". Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
  5. ↑ "Official Torch for the XXIth Olympic Games". CanadianDesignResource.ca.
  6. ↑ "The Queensway Machine Products Ltd. - Company Overview". queenswaymachine.com.
  7. ↑ Lorne Rubenstein (11 June 2010). "Kern's unparalleled contributions recognized". Archived from the original on 25 April 2012.
  8. ↑ "National Home - Inside Golf". Insidegolf.ca.
  9. ↑ Bob Weeks. "A not-so-perfect Ending". Archived from the original on 23 July 2012.
  10. ↑ http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=51169.0
  11. ↑ "2007 Jane Rogers Championship: CanTour honours individuals at Jane Rogers Championship". ScoreGolf.com. 23 August 2007. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015.
  • Marty Henwood (20 August 2007). "Canadian Tour To Honour Longtime Contributors At JRCM". InsideGolf.ca.
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