A Master Of Expression

Anthony Taranto created the market for highly personalized, uber-stylized wedges, and Callaway Customs couldn’t be happier

- Tim Reilly

STEADILY FOCUSED behind yellow-tinted safety glasses, Anthony Taranto, the visionary responsible for developing Callaway’s custom wedges, creates another work of art. If you want to admire one of his masterpieces, just take a peek inside any Callaway staff bag; there’s a good chance Taranto’s work is on full display. Even beyond the pro tours, an original Taranto is a highly coveted treasure for high-profile golfers from Steph Curry to Barack Obama.

On his unlikely path to becoming golf ’s premier wedge customizer, Taranto, 47, nearly slept with the fishes. His father worked his way from deckhand to tuna boat captain, and a young Anthony had every intention of living a life at sea. On his second voyage as a deckhand himself, the boat wound up sinking off the coast of Panama. Taranto recalls thinking “this could be it” as their vessel slowly submerged into the ocean. Taranto would come away unscathed and, as anyone could appreciate, ready for a new line of work.

The search hit a serendipitous patch in 1999, when Taranto’s wife, Lori, stumbled upon a Callaway and in the local newspaper for a ball machinist. Golf had long been one of Taranto’s favorite hobbies (he’s a 4.8 index) and he enjoys working with his hands, so he jumped at the opportunity. After a few years (by “dumb luck”), he shifted gears to become a club builder, without ever applying for the job.