TaylorMade-Adidas

TaylorMade-Adidas

Type	Subsidiary of Adidas
Genre	Golf
Founded	1979 Founded by Gary Adams in McHenry, Illinois.
Headquarters	Carlsbad, California, U.S.
Key people	Mark King (CEO)
Products	Golf products
Owner(s)	Adidas
Website	www.taylormadegolf.com

TaylorMade-Adidas Golf Company 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 of over US$1 billion in 2011.^[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 Bubble Burner Driver.

TaylorMade has operations in Japan, Great Britain, New Zealand, and Canada.

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. 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.^[3]

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.^[4]

Currently, the company markets TaylorMade drivers, fairway woods and hybrids, irons, wedges, and golf balls. TaylorMade's putter offerings were sold under the Rossa brand until 2010, when they fell back under the TaylorMade brand. Early in 2008, TaylorMade-Adidas sold its Maxfli brand to Dick's Sporting Goods, an exclusive vendor of some TaylorMade economy lines. However, TaylorMade retained the rights to the 'Noodle' golf balls that Maxfli had developed.^{[citation needed]}

It is claimed that PGA Tour Professionals play more TaylorMade drivers than Callaway, Cleveland, Cobra, Nike and Ping combined.^[4]

TaylorMade Tour Staff Professionals

PGA Tour

European Tour

LPGA Tour

Champions Tour

Web.com Tour

Current products

Tour Only

• Many professional players get fitted on what is called the "Tour Van".
• "Tour Only" equipment has a serial number on the hosel of the club which begins with a "T"

• These specific clubs are tested and are more regulated than clubs sold in retail stores.
• "Tour Only" clubs can often be found on eBay and other sites for twice the amount as the retail version.

Collectible clubs

The antique market has recently turned its attention to golf clubs and assesories. The first set of irons made by Taylormade were the EL-1 series in 1983-1985. These clubs remain popular among today's collectors for their extreme durability, true chrome finish and workable muscleback configuration. Prices on popular auction sites can reach upwards of $1800 for a complete set.

References

External links

• TaylorMade Golf
• Adidas golf
• Golfing magazine article on Gary Adams, founder of TaylorMade