Teeing Up the Company History and Profile for TaylorMade Golf

TaylorMade is one of the major brands in golf, and no matter what the future holds, its place in golf history is secure as the company that introduced metal woods to the game.

TaylorMade Golf is actually TaylorMade-adidas Golf (TMAG), and TMAG is a subsidiary of the adidas Group.

But TaylorMade's origins date to 1978, when Gary Adams began showing PGA Tour pros the metal-headed drivers he was building.

In 1979, Adams took out a $24,000 loan and founded TaylorMade Golf. A metal driver - 12 degrees of loft, cast from stainless steel - was the company's only product.

PGA Tour players Ron Streck and Jim Simons put the metal driver into play at the 1979 MONY Tournament of Champions, although both used it as a 3-wood off the fairways. Streck was the first golfer to win carrying a TaylorMade metal wood in 1981, and TaylorMade quickly grew into one of the powerhouses in the golf manufacturing industry.

In 1998, TaylorMade became a wholly owned subsidiary of the adidas Group. In 2003, TaylorMade acquired the venerable Maxfli brand, best-known for golf balls. And in 2008 the apparel company Ashworth was acquired. In 2012, TaylorMade-adidas Golf accounced it was buying Adams Golf. Adams Golf will operated as a division of the company, with Adams continuing to produce it own branded equipment.

Some of the best-known lines of TaylorMade clubs include:

Pittsburgh Persimmon metal woods
Burner woods and irons

Tour Preferred (a k a TP) woods and irons
300 Series metal woods
R500 Series metal woods
r7 woods and irons
Rescue hybrids
Rossa putters

The r7 Quad driver, introduced in 2004, popularized "Movable Weight Technology," the ability - through the use of interchangeable weighted screws - to change a club's weighting properties and therefore the flight characteristics it produces.

In 2009, the R9 driver introducted the company's "Flight Control Technology," giving golfers the ability to adjust loft, lie and face angle by changing the relation of the driver head to the shaft.

Company founder Adams sold his stake in the 1990s, but went on to found boutique golf manufacturers Founders Club and McHenry Metals. He passed away in 2000.

TaylorMade Golf Web Site

Go to TaylorMadeGolf.com, then select your geographic region. Note that TaylorMade.com (with "golf" left out of the address) does not get you to the golf club manufacturer; that's a different company that has nothing to do with golf.

TaylorMade Golf Contact Info

TaylorMade Golf's toll-free customer service phone number in the United States is 1-866-530-8624. That number is answered Monday through Friday, 6 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific time. In Canada, dial 1-800-668-9883. In Australia, dial 1-800-700-011.

An email form is available on the company Web site by clicking the "Contact Us" link. On the same page as the email form is a link to the FAQ, which should be checked before calling with questions.

Mailing Address

The North American headquarters:

TaylorMade-adidas Golf
5545 Fermi Court
Carlsbad, Calif. 92008-7324

The Australian headquarters:

TaylorMade-adidas Golf
767 Springvale Road
Mulgrave, Victoria 3170
Australia

From the TaylorMadeGolf.com homepage, select a different geographic region to find contact info for other locations around the globe.

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