TaylorMade Golf Company is an American manufacturer of golf clubs, bags and accessories based in Carlsbad, California, United States. TaylorMade Golf was sold by Adidas to KPS Capital Partners in October 2017. TaylorMade's initial success came with the innovation of metal drivers, which debuted in 1979 and have subsequently dominated the golf market. In September 2012, Outside magazine named TaylorMade one of America's "Best Places to Work".
History
TaylorMade incorporated in 1979 after Gary Adams borrowed $24,000 on his house and leased a 6,000square 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". 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. 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. TaylorMade bought golf clothing companies Ashworth in 2008 and Adams Golf in 2012. On May 10, 2017 it was announced that KPS CapitalPartners acquired TaylorMade for US$425 million. The deal was completed in November of 2017. Days after the deal was completed, TaylorMade released a statement to say it had parted company with Sergio García, who had been with the brand for 15 years.
Tour professionals
An accurate, updated list of TaylorMade Golf's sponsored athletes, who compete on the PGA, Korn Ferry Tour, European, Champions, LPGA, and other major tours around the world, can be found on the company's brand .
