TaylorMade-Adidas
 | |
| Subsidiary | |
| Genre | Golf |
| Founded |
1979 Founded by Gary Adams in McHenry, Illinois. |
| Headquarters | Carlsbad, California, U.S. |
Key people | David Abeles (CEO) |
| Products | Golf products |
| Parent | Adidas |
| Website | www.taylormadegolf.com |
TaylorMade-Adidas Golf Company (TMaG or TMaGC) is a manufacturer of golf clubs, bags and accessories based in Carlsbad, California, United States. It is a subsidiary of the German company Adidas Group. The company is currently the largest golf equipment and apparel company in the world with sales estimated EUR $1.3 billion in 2012.[1]
TaylorMade's initial success came with the innovation of metal drivers, which debuted in 1979 and have subsequently dominated the golf market.[2] TaylorMade continued to grow throughout the 1990s, largely due to the introduction of the successful Burner Bubble franchise. In September 2012, Outside Magazine named TaylorMade one of America's "Best Places to Work", ranking sixth out of 10 selected large companies and 32nd overall.[3]
History
TaylorMade incorporated in 1979 after Gary Adams borrowed $24,000 on his house and leased a 6,000 square foot building in McHenry, Illinois. He originally had three employees and sold only one item, his newly invented 12-degree loft metalwood. The metalwood was unique in its steel construction - replacing persimmon as the primary material from which modern drivers are manufactured - and adopted the nickname "Pittsburgh Persimmon".[4]
Starting with $47,000 in sales in 1979, the company eventually reached its first billion dollars in revenue in 2006, marking only the second time in history that a golf brand had achieved this milestone.[5] TaylorMade was independently owned until 1984, when Salomon S.A. acquired the company. At the time, the union was strategically compatible for both companies which were innovators in their industries: Salomon wanted to diversify and made the decision to enter a "three-season" market, and TaylorMade benefited from the worldwide resources of Salomon. This ownership maintained until Adidas bought Salomon in 1997.
Shortly after the Adidas acquisition, the image and focus of TaylorMade were redirected to take over the driver market; the company succeeded in achieving this goal in late 2005, when it officially became the top driver in golf.[6]
Currently, the company markets TaylorMade drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, golf balls and accessories. It is claimed that PGA Tour Professionals play more TaylorMade drivers than Callaway, Cleveland, Cobra, Nike and Ping combined.[6] The company's major equipment claims, promoted in marketing materials with small "No. 1" shields, include: No. 1 Driver in Golf, No. 1 Fairway in Golf and No. 1 Irons in Golf.[7]
Tour professionals
An accurate, updated list of TaylorMade-adidas Golf's sponsored athletes, who compete on the PGA, Web.com, European, Champions, LPGA, and other major tours around the world, can be found on the company's brand website.[7] As of the report released October 13, 2014, TaylorMade sponsored six of the top-20 players in the Official World Golf Rankings, including the following.[8]
Other Top Tour Professionals
Brendon Todd- Bo Van Pelt
Carl Pettersson- Robert Karlsson
Robert Allenby
Darren Clarke
Martin Laird- Lucas Glover
- Robert Garrigus
- Ryan Palmer
- Jeff Overton
- Sean O'Hair
- Ryan Moore
Camilo Villegas- D. A. Points
- John Senden
- Brian Harmon
- Justin Leonard
Trevor Immelman- Retief Goosen
Current Products
"Tour Only"
- The company's Tour professionals have their equipment made and adjusted on a roving 42-foot semi-trailer commonly known as the "Tour Truck". In 2014, TaylorMade created a video series called "Tour Truck Confidential" intended to educate golfers about its unique environment, and function, by way of an "All-Access" pass.[9]
- Some "Tour Only" equipment manufactured since the year 2000 has been uniquely identified by serial numbers on the hosel of the club, which begins with a "T". Some "Tour Only" product has also been demarcated by a "dot" marked in permanent marker near the loft of the driver head. One product that featured such demarcation was the R11 driver.[10]
- Because product used in professional competition must conform to strict USGA regulations, Tour-issue clubs are absolutely tested and in some cases, specially marked with specifications, identifying their conformance. Images of tour-issue products with such specifications, including unique bar codes, can be found on the company's website.[11]
- Equipment sold in the aftermarket and identified as "Tour-issue" can commonly be found on third-party retailers such as eBay and other sites with inflated pricing, particularly when compared with standard retail pricing for TaylorMade's products.
In 2014, TaylorMade launched a platform on its website called "The Vault"[12] to market and sell authorized "Tour-issue" products. Examples of such products include SLDR "Tour heads", Tour Preferred UDI irons and Tour Preferred limited edition wedges. The Vault is the only channel in which TaylorMade directly sells individual components (such as driver heads).
References
- ↑ "TaylorMade Golf Company Set to Release 14 Degree Driver". Yahoo Finance. 2 December 2013.
- ↑ "History of Taylor Made Golf Co. – FundingUniverse".
- ↑ "TaylorMade named one of Outside's best places to work". PGA.com.
- ↑ "Golf Equipment That Changed the Game". Golf.com.
- ↑ Mike Camunas. "TaylorMade Golf History".
- 1 2 "Taylormade, the Undisputed #1 Driver in Golf, Files Lawsuit over Nickent Golf's False and Misleading Tour Claims". Golf Business Wire. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- 1 2 "On Tour - TaylorMade Golf".
- ↑ "Official World Golf Ranking - Ranking".
- ↑ "Tour Truck Confidential".
- ↑ "R11........2 versions??? Pics added....". BombSquadGolf.com.
- ↑ "SLDR White 460 Tour Head".
- ↑ "The Vault".