History of Titleist:
Phillip E. "Skipper" Young, a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founded Titleist in 1932. When playing a round of golf with his dentist, Young missed a sure putt that seemed to be caused by the weight of the ball. He then asked his dentist friend to X-ray the ball and the film showed that the rubber core was off-center.
After this initial discovery, Young took X-rays of more golf balls and found that most were poorly constructed with off-center cores and prone to erratic shots. This inspired Young to produce his own line of golf balls, which would become known as Titleist.
1930: Young developed a machine that could uniformly wind rubber string around a rubber core, making a "dead center" golf ball. He named the ball "Titleist," noting it was the "winner" of the quest to create the best for the game.
1935: The golf division of the Acushnet Process Company produced the Titleist golf ball which had consistently been the company's most successful product.
1948: Introduced "Dynamite Thread" to increase the yardage of their balls.
1949: Titleist became the most used ball at the U.S. Open Tournament.
1976: Titleist was purchased by American Brands (now known as Fortune Brands).
1985: Fortune Brands sold off the Acushnet Company's Acushnet Rubber division, which was Acushnet's original business (circa early 1900s).
2002: Titleist reached the $1 billion mark in annual revenues.
On December 8, 2010, Fortune Brands announced that it would soon sell or spin off Titleist and some other brands. It was then announced on May 20, 2011 that a Korean group associated with Fila Korea, Ltd. and Mirae Asset Private Equity would purchase Acushnet for $1.23 billion in cash.
Acushnet employs roughly 3000 people in Massachusetts, making it one of the largest employers in the region. It is headquartered in Fairhaven, Massachusetts alongside its Packing and Distribution Center about three miles south of its original location.
They also have two golf ball manufacturing plants and an R&D Technology Center located in the New Bedford Industrial Park, as well as a Custom Golf Ball plant located in New Bedford.
And all of this due to a missed putt... and a lot of blood sweat and tears, persistence, & dedication to making things happen!
Golf Trivia:
-Golf balls are like eggs - they're white, they're sold by the dozen, and a week later you have to buy more.
-The pro-shop gets its name from the fact that you must have the income of a professional golfer to buy anything in there.
-It's amazing how a golfer who never helps with house or yard work will replace his divots, repair his ball marks, and rake his sand traps.
-Did you ever notice that it's a lot easier to get up at 6:00 a.m. to play golf than at 10:00 to go to church?
-It takes longer to become good at golf than it does brain surgery. On the other hand, you seldom get to ride around in a cart, drink beer and eat hot dogs while performing brain surgery.
-A good drive on the 18th hole has stopped many a golfer from giving up the game.
-A good golf partner is one who's slightly worse than you.
-The rake is always in the other trap.
-If there's a storm rolling in, you'll be having the game of your life.
-If your opponent has trouble remembering whether he shot a six or a seven, he probably shot an eight.
-Golf appeals to the child in all of us. This is proven by our frequent inability to count past the number 5.
-It's easy to keep your ball in the fairway, if you don't care which fairway.
-If profanity had any influence on the flight of a ball, most everyone would play better.
-The greatest sound in golf is the "Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh" of your opponent's club as he hurls it across the fairway.
-A recent survey shows that of all jobs, caddies live the longest. They get plenty of fresh air and exercise, and if there's ever a medical emergency, a doctor is always nearby.
-It's difficult to decide which is more stressful - hitting 3 off the tee or lining up your 4th putt.
-With practice and strength training you can easily get more distance off the shank.
-The only sure way to get a par is to leave a 4 foot birdie putt 2 inches from the hole.
-Nothing straightens out a nasty slice like a sharp dogleg to the right.
-Golden Rule: Never wash your ball on the tee of a water hole.
No matter how badly you are playing, it's always possible to get worse.
Phillip E. "Skipper" Young, a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founded Titleist in 1932. When playing a round of golf with his dentist, Young missed a sure putt that seemed to be caused by the weight of the ball. He then asked his dentist friend to X-ray the ball and the film showed that the rubber core was off-center.
After this initial discovery, Young took X-rays of more golf balls and found that most were poorly constructed with off-center cores and prone to erratic shots. This inspired Young to produce his own line of golf balls, which would become known as Titleist.
1930: Young developed a machine that could uniformly wind rubber string around a rubber core, making a "dead center" golf ball. He named the ball "Titleist," noting it was the "winner" of the quest to create the best for the game.
1935: The golf division of the Acushnet Process Company produced the Titleist golf ball which had consistently been the company's most successful product.
1948: Introduced "Dynamite Thread" to increase the yardage of their balls.
1949: Titleist became the most used ball at the U.S. Open Tournament.
1976: Titleist was purchased by American Brands (now known as Fortune Brands).
1985: Fortune Brands sold off the Acushnet Company's Acushnet Rubber division, which was Acushnet's original business (circa early 1900s).
2002: Titleist reached the $1 billion mark in annual revenues.
On December 8, 2010, Fortune Brands announced that it would soon sell or spin off Titleist and some other brands. It was then announced on May 20, 2011 that a Korean group associated with Fila Korea, Ltd. and Mirae Asset Private Equity would purchase Acushnet for $1.23 billion in cash.
Acushnet employs roughly 3000 people in Massachusetts, making it one of the largest employers in the region. It is headquartered in Fairhaven, Massachusetts alongside its Packing and Distribution Center about three miles south of its original location.
They also have two golf ball manufacturing plants and an R&D Technology Center located in the New Bedford Industrial Park, as well as a Custom Golf Ball plant located in New Bedford.
And all of this due to a missed putt... and a lot of blood sweat and tears, persistence, & dedication to making things happen!
Golf Trivia:
-Golf balls are like eggs - they're white, they're sold by the dozen, and a week later you have to buy more.
-The pro-shop gets its name from the fact that you must have the income of a professional golfer to buy anything in there.
-It's amazing how a golfer who never helps with house or yard work will replace his divots, repair his ball marks, and rake his sand traps.
-Did you ever notice that it's a lot easier to get up at 6:00 a.m. to play golf than at 10:00 to go to church?
-It takes longer to become good at golf than it does brain surgery. On the other hand, you seldom get to ride around in a cart, drink beer and eat hot dogs while performing brain surgery.
-A good drive on the 18th hole has stopped many a golfer from giving up the game.
-A good golf partner is one who's slightly worse than you.
-The rake is always in the other trap.
-If there's a storm rolling in, you'll be having the game of your life.
-If your opponent has trouble remembering whether he shot a six or a seven, he probably shot an eight.
-Golf appeals to the child in all of us. This is proven by our frequent inability to count past the number 5.
-It's easy to keep your ball in the fairway, if you don't care which fairway.
-If profanity had any influence on the flight of a ball, most everyone would play better.
-The greatest sound in golf is the "Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh" of your opponent's club as he hurls it across the fairway.
-A recent survey shows that of all jobs, caddies live the longest. They get plenty of fresh air and exercise, and if there's ever a medical emergency, a doctor is always nearby.
-It's difficult to decide which is more stressful - hitting 3 off the tee or lining up your 4th putt.
-With practice and strength training you can easily get more distance off the shank.
-The only sure way to get a par is to leave a 4 foot birdie putt 2 inches from the hole.
-Nothing straightens out a nasty slice like a sharp dogleg to the right.
-Golden Rule: Never wash your ball on the tee of a water hole.
No matter how badly you are playing, it's always possible to get worse.
