Golf is among the few sports activities that define the personalities of people. While there are people who enjoy playing golf just for the sake of playing the sport, many of them associate the game with status, expression, and pride. Whatever your reason to play golf is, you’ll certainly be hooked and wish to play better once you start playing the sport. When it comes to playing better, though, golf clubs play a crucial role.
Golf clubs have a tremendous impact on your game performance. A great set of clubs will improve the shot-making skills of almost every golfer. Therefore, golfers give high value to the clubs that they use.
When it comes to buying the best golf clubs, TaylorMade offers the feel and look expected of a truly authentic golf club. If you wish to establish yourself in the world of golf, TaylorMade golf clubs provide you with what it takes to become a world-class golfer. Before we discuss the production of TaylorMade clubs, let’s find out a bit more about the brand.
A Short History of TaylorMade Golf
The TaylorMade Golf Company was established in 1979 and has been reaching new performance thresholds ever since its launch. Through product innovation, the company has continuously been striving to break free from tradition and explore new frontiers. Thus, by constantly pushing the limits of product manufacturing, TaylorMade has been able to achieve unprecedented breakthroughs in golf.
TaylorMade’s revolutionary golf equipment has enabled it to develop a force of the most elite Tour staff, attracting the most reputable golfers of the time. As more than just a golf equipment manufacturer, the brand works directly with golf players, occupying a network of over 1500 professionals associated with the PGA. Its Tour staff includes some renowned players such as Tiger Woods, Rory Mcllroy, John Rahm, Dustin Johnson, and Jason Day.
Hence, the company has served to connect people to the game and seeks to inspire the next generation of golfers.
Signing Tiger Woods to TaylorMade Tour Staff
The signing of the multi-year contract with Tiger Woods, one of the most accomplished athletes in sporting history, to its Tour staff in January 2017 was among the proudest moments in TaylorMade’s history. Through this contract, the company renewed its commitment to placing the finest golf equipment in the hands of the most talented golf players in the world.
To start with, Tiger Woods made use of the company’s driver, irons, wedges, and fairway woods. The contract also reaffirmed the company’s reputation for demonstrating product innovation and technology as well as its status of fielding the strongest Tour staff in golf.
Where are TaylorMade Golf Clubs Made and How?
TaylorMade golf clubs are manufactured in Carlsbad, California. Among the brand’s most innovative golf equipment, the M5/M6 woods and irons, and the TP5/TP5X golf balls are some leading products in the golf industry. Let’s dig deeper into how the golf clubs are manufactured:
TaylorMade Golf Club Production
As explained by TaylorMade’s senior director of product creation, Tomo Bystedt, the manufacturing process of the TaylorMade golf clubs is a highly sophisticated one. The inspiration, detailed machining, and creative design involve continuous collaboration with golf players to achieve the desired precision.
Consider the example of the production of the ‘Rors Proto’ club, used by Rory Mcllroy. The company obtained detailed feedback from golf players, including Rory, before engineering the new design for the club. Even before TaylorMade signed Rory, he was asked about his preference for muscle-back irons, to which he replied that he preferred shorter blades. The first club head produced for this product was a 6-inch iron and was sent to Rory for his feedback. Following his positive comments, the company proceeded with filling out the entire set.
The 2014 version of the muscle-back iron was adjusted with dozens of subtle things in collaboration with Rory, but the original formula was kept unchanged. Something Rory didn’t like about the club set of his former company was the amount of offset they possessed. That was something that TaylorMade worked on, and when they were done tweaking the design, they sent it to Rory. Upon seeing the prototypes sent by TaylorMade, he admired the offset, shape, and overall design.
Among the various factors critical in club irons, their offset and blade length are some important parameters. In contrast with the previous muscle iron, the Rors Protos’ offset was kept more consistent, even for the longer irons. Besides Rory, some other players such as DJ, Jason, and Rose, also prefer a low offset. From an aesthetic standpoint, the 8-inch iron happens to be the most admired club.
While the 2014 model was regarded among the top 8-iron MBs in the industry, the shape of the 8-inch iron seemed a little too rounded, and there was room for improvement. Consequently, the entire blade from the top to the toe was reshaped, generating a better look with a shorter blade.
Machining the Rors Protos was a particularly involved process. Because cutting each clubhead requires a solid steel piece, a large block of steel was required. The company used 304 stainless, which is a softer material than that required for making putters, to achieve the hardness of forged irons. The iron blocks were separately milled, after which each iron was hand-finished based on the type of surface finish the company wanted. After this, the iron was polished.
One of the most significant elements of muscle back designs is the appearance of its back, which is a kind of black canvas. When designing the back, the aim is not to showcase any technology such as parameter weighing. This area of the golf club is almost exclusively reserved for the artist’s expression.
But what was that unique feature of the iron that distinguished it from the previous designs? This is where Tomo Bystedt put in a lot of thought. When dealing with something as minimalistic as an MB, it can be easy to incorporate a new feature but difficult for it to be easily noticed. What was in his mind was to combine simplicity with the artistic element and yet incorporate the innovative touch. The team was able to achieve the desired results, as clearly seen in the milled groove at the iron’s center.
Our Final Thoughts
The right golf clubs are important when it comes to improving your performance on the course. TaylorMade has proven itself as an undisputed leader in the golf industry. To beat their products, other companies will have to do a lot more in the field of club design. This is because different golf club designs have a lot of common elements between them.
Thus, what it takes to be a prominent manufacturer is the ability to incorporate precision in shaping and other stages in the manufacturing process and also the ability to produce the best muscle-back club design. By delivering this value, TaylorMade managed to win the support of the best players around the world. Their endorsement and use of TaylorMade’s clubs is enough to validate and verify their quality, aesthetics, and feel like the best available product in the world.
By now, you’ve probably learned everything you need to know about where TaylorMade golf clubs are made and how they’re manufactured. If you aspire to be a better golfer, go ahead and live the game by getting TaylorMade’s Rors Protos or the newly launched P700 series.
