Brand History #1

Q.What is the name of TaylorMade's first metal driver?

A. Pittsburgh Persimmon
Pittsburgh is a city located in the southwestern part of the state of Pennsylvania. It flourished as the heart of steel production. The name of this golf club comes from Pittsburgh, which was famous as a steel city when the persimmon head clubs reigned supreme in the golf industry. TaylorMade developed its first metal head driver and named it the Pittsburgh Persimmon. Wood clubs were made of persimmon, but there were huge differences in performance among products and even between product samples and product stocks.

Q.What were the differences between the Pittsburgh Persimmon driver and the conventional persimmon clubs?

A. TaylorMade (is probably the first company that) offered a head with different loft angles, such as 7°, 8.5°, 9.5°, and 10.5°, which made it easy for amateurs to use the same clubs as professionals.
Other companies made drivers with metal heads by imitating the shape of a persimmon club, which had a thick neck for strength reasons. However, a head with a metal neck as thick as that of a persimmon club required the sweet spot to be placed extremely close to the neck. That is why TaylorMade developed a thin neck, which was called a pencil neck at that time. A pencil neck allows the center of gravity (CG) to be placed close to the center of the face.

Tour Preferred Metal is a successor to the Pittsburgh Persimmon metal model.
It was already the second metal wood released by TaylorMade even at a time when competitors were still making persimmon head clubs.

Tour Preferred Metal was used by many golfers in overseas countries, including Lee Trevino, who won a tour championship with this model.

In Japan, Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki, who was seeking driving performance at that time, started using this model in 1986 after seeing its incredible ball distance in an overseas tournament. He reportedly asked his then sponsor Bridgestone to develop a metal wood club.

V921 Metal became famous for its "Integral Shaft" (called "Bubble Shaft" in the U.S.), an advanced development model in Japan.

The shaft has a narrow part near the grip to move 10% of the weight from the grip end to the shaft center, which allows the shaft itself to generate the head speed. TaylorMade had already been developing what is now called a "speed-generating" shaft since around 1995.

This global strategic model became an explosive hit.
A high-specific-gravity tungsten weight is placed in the sole, which allows an ideally lower CG. This revolutionary design gave TaylorMade competitive advantages.

The Integral Shaft (Bubble Shaft) is made of triaxial woven fabric for enhanced stability. The Firesole Metal had its moment of fame as a shaft to achieve both driving performance and directional stability. This model was used by many professional golfers for years and delivered several championship moments.

Many companies launched high-repulsion drivers at this time. Following this trend, TaylorMade released a high-repulsion model with the name "300" preceded by "R" in Japan.
Two conflicting rules coexisted in the golf world at this time, because the R&A approved high-repulsion drivers while the USGA did not.

That is why the U.S. model has no "R" in its name. This series offers the high-repulsion and low-repulsion types and comes in three models: 300, 320, and 360. This variety of sizes made it common for players to change the head size according to their skills. Out of these three, the R300 Tour driver was most used by professional golfers. When TaylorMade ran out of stock, many pros rushed to second-hand shops for this driver.

This series comes in four models: OS, LT, CB, and MB.
Each model has a different cavity depth and head size to support various golfers with different problems, such as beginners, intermediate players, and advanced players. This set of irons was preferred by many golfers.

* The heads of LT and MB are manufactured by Miuragiken.

The V Steel Fairway Wood will be passed down through generations as the golf club preferred by many professional and amateur golfers.
The V-shaped sole offers a smaller ground contact area to reduce resistance in turfgrass for a stable trajectory, even from a tough lie.

This fairway wood was used even by Shigeki Maruyama, who was not sponsored by TaylorMade at that time. Active top pros Dustin Johnson and Jason Day said they also used this model. It is still remembered as a timeless and legendary fairway wood.

TaylorMade launched the world's first golf club with a weight tuning function.
A tungsten weight (detachable) is mounted at the back of the sole.

Changing the CG among six different positions allows golfers to achieve their desired trajectory, a feature that surprised the world. The R7 series propelled TaylorMade to make more models featuring an adjustment function.

This model was released reusing the name "Burner," which built an era as a major model in pursuit of more distance.

Its design with a higher moment of inertia (MOI) and a Superfast Technology-based longer shaft delivers a long drive. While the R series focuses on directional stability, the Burner series features greater driving performance and became a dominant influence in the industry.

R9 is a successor to the R7 series.
This is the world's first golf club with an angle-adjustment function.

The FCT (Flight Control Technology) offers a maximum of eight trajectory patterns. Using it together with the MMT function allows an adjustment range of up to 75 yards. This series triggered a shift from an era where golfers adjust to golf clubs to an era where golf clubs adjust to golfers.

Spider is one of the longest-selling putters ever. It is not too much to say that this model solidified the popularity of neo-mallet putters.

It is still popular even more than 10 years after its launch. Many versions of the Spider putter have been released with different specifications regarding the face insert, weight function, and color. Many golfers may have used it once before. With a high MOI and great straight-line stability, this putter will continue to reign supreme among putter products.

TaylorMade products at this time were often called revolutionary, or the first in the world to have certain functions.

The R11 series, a successor to R9, features an eye-catching revolutionary design like the company's other products. Its white crown caused mixed opinions even before the launch. However, R11 became a huge hit, which made competitors try to take advantage of its success by imitating the crown color change. This model is also equipped with an adjustment function. The ASP (Angle Sole Plate) allows users to change the face angle.

The Gloire driver debuted as a new series.
It was launched as a Japan-only limited edition with a lighter and longer shaft for senior golfers.

This well-balanced driver attracted female professional golfers as well, and even many TaylorMade-sponsored ladies used it instead of the R series. This movement sparked its popularity among amateur golfers as well, which made the Gloire clubs, even second-hand ones, completely out of stock in shops for a while.

This series became a huge success, triggered by its fairway wood.
With 3W reportedly going 17 yards longer than the old model, this model was used by professional and amateur golfers.

RBZ is the first model with the Low Forward CG design to focus on the spin rate—one of the three key elements for driving—for low-spin shots. The fairway wood is also equipped with the Speed Pocket. This function succeeded in increasing the initial velocity for the maximum ball distance. Golf manufacturers competed in developing fairway woods for the next few years after the launch of RBZ.

SLDR was launched as an intermediate model between the R and RBZ series.
With an extremely forward CG to reduce the spin rate, this model allows its best shot to go farther than was possible with the old model.

However, it cannot always send the ball high and far, failing to attract many golfers. This prompted TaylorMade to introduce the Loft Up function.

To increase the launch angle, the 12° and 14° loft angle types were added to the lineup. This addition was intended to bring out the original capability of the golf club.

The R15 series introduced the Front Track System to increase the trajectory adjustment range.

With SLDR's Low Forward CG design remaining, this model has a soft shaft to maintain the launch angle. However, R15 was far from being a huge hit, failing to overcome the unsuccessful SLDR. Although it is unknown whether this failure is the direct cause or not, R15 ended up being the last model of the R series.

The Graphite Composite Crown is engineered to enable a lightweight and low CG design.

The M1 driver is equipped with the Front Track and the newly developed Back Track for a wider trajectory adjustment range.

The M2 driver has the same basic concept as M1 but features a faster initial velocity and better forgiveness due to the synergy effect with the Speed Pocket. The lineup is designed to fit golfers at every level.

TaylorMade, which has offered many revolutionary designs and functions, introduced a new function called Twist Face.

General club faces are not flat (bulge and roll), but this model features an intentionally twisted face developed by analyzing golfers' habits. It is not a golf club that does not curve the ball, but it is a golf club that does not easily curve the ball. Many players said that they can swing this club harder because it does not easily curve the ball, resulting in a longer distance.

TaylorMade turned the natural "bulge and roll" concept to its advantage, overwhelming competitors with revolutionary ideas and technologies.

TaylorMade adopted milled machining of each sole to eliminate variations in the quality of manufactured products.

This series comes in three sole shapes—"Standard," "4-WAY," and "ATV Grind"—to always bring about high performance regardless of the situation. The toe of the face is made higher than the heel to move the CG that was closer to the heel back to the center. Three cavity pockets on the sole of the back face also raise the CG, preventing impact loss to achieve an optimal trajectory and spin rate.

Standard scoring lines are provided on the 50°-to-54° wedges, which are often used for full shots, to help players easily imagine a square-to-square stroke. Meanwhile, full-face scoring lines, where scoring lines are extended up to the face toe end, are cut into the 56°-to-64° wedges. These lines allow players to capture the ball well with stable spin, even on a shot from a tough lie. They are also useful when impacting the ball with an open face, as with lob shots or bunker shots.

Each set of golf clubs has some distance gaps.
To fill such gaps, the GAPR series was launched in 2018.

GAPR Lo is an iron with a forward CG for smooth impact and high operability. GAPR Mid is a wide-sole iron with a low forward CG to achieve both forgiveness and operability.

GAPR Hi is a wood with a low backward CG to deliver a high trajectory and forgiveness. The Speed Pocket is employed to reduce excessive backspin on low face strikes, leading to reduced distance loss and stable driving. This model is also equipped with a function to adjust the loft angle and the lie angle so that players can obtain their desired trajectory and distance.

TaylorMade's M series keeps evolving.
While following in the footsteps of the Twist Face function of its predecessor, this model introduced a new function called Speed Injection.

To maximize the ball speed, the repulsion coefficient is tuned up to the upper limit specified by the rule.

This is achieved by full inspection. The M5/M6 series is a true golf club that can go far with less curve.

TaylorMade introduced many revolutionary functions to the M series, such as Twist Face and Speed Injection.

This model employs a new function developed from a unique viewpoint. The Inertia Generator, a weight at the back of the sole, is asymmetrically designed so that the weight is placed closer to the toe. This reduces air resistance during the most critical phase of the swing, from halfway down to impact, to increase the head speed, resulting in a faster ball speed.

This model went out of stock only six months after the launch, which was unprecedented, partially due to a social situation. The merchandising price was set higher than usual.

In 2020, TaylorMade launched a putter made using a truss structure, which is widely used in the construction field, for the hosel.

Its truss structure with a triangular hosel prevents the face from twisting during a mis-hit, leading to an improvement in straight-line stability. A high MOI is achieved using a method completely different from Spider, one of the major TaylorMade products. Users are not so distracted by its unique shape because it is designed not to be seen at address. With incredible directional and straight-line stability, this model has helped tour professionals grab wins.

* A truss is a structure made up of triangles as the basic element.

TaylorMade developed a new technology called a Forged Milled Aluminum Ring, which uses aluminum that has lighter specific gravity than the conventional titanium material. This generates an excessive weight, enabling a high MOI.

The head using the body-integrated Milled Back Cup Face has four parts attached without being welded. Without the extra weight of welding, this model has a high degree of freedom in design, allowing a lower and deeper CG and improved forgiveness.

This weldless design also prevents the repulsive force around the face from lowering, ensuring greater driving performance. This series comes in three types: SIM2, SIM2 Max, and SIM2 Max D. This driver became famous for not only its high performance but also its eye-catching exterior, with the blue of the aluminum ring being an accent to the glossy black of the carbon.

It was named "300 Mini Driver" as an homage to the first-generation 300 series.

Due to its shorter shaft compared to a driver, it also improves the center-of-face contact, leading to an enhanced sweet spot. This makes it suitable for tee shots on narrow fairways that demand accuracy and for shots from longer fairways. Its high distance performance and forgiveness allow golfers to target the greens with a high trajectory effectively.

The 300 Mini Driver became a topic of discussion when non-contract pro Phil Mickelson used and favored it during a certain period.

The codename is "Stealth."
For over 20 years, it has been developed in utmost secrecy, and now, the "Stealth Driver" bearing its name emerges.
The newly developed feature is the "60-layer twisted carbon face."

By optimizing energy transfer, the ball's initial velocity dramatically improves. Additionally, the lightweight carbon face generates a surplus weight of 24g, achieving approximately a 44% reduction in weight compared to a titanium face.
By incorporating the surplus weight into an optimal weight design, it achieves a high moment of inertia, leading to improved straightness and forgiveness.

Leaving conventional wisdom behind, a new era of drivers is being pioneered. The era of the new carbon woods has begun, opening up new possibilities.

The 60-layer carbon twist face, originally developed in the Stealth series, has been adopted and integrated into the Gloire series.

The energy transfer efficiency at impact increases over a wider area of the face, synergizing with the "penetrating-type speed pocket," resulting in superior distance performance and forgiveness than ever before.

The driver features a new construction, incorporating the "Forged Milled Aluminum Ring," "Carbon Crown," and "Carbon Sole," generating even more surplus weight.

This surplus weight allows for a backweight for higher launch, a draw-biased weight for enhanced control, and a substantial moment of inertia through optimal weight distribution. The result is a refined structure that enhances forgiveness and delivers ease of use.

The "60-layer carbon twist face."

The new structural carbon face design aims to improve energy transfer efficiency, contributing to high initial ball speed.

The combination of the evolved "Inverted Cone Technology" and "Twist Face" further suppresses the decrease in ball speed during off-center hits, resulting in increased stability and consistency.

Expanding carbon capacity.

Newly adopting the "Special Reinforced Carbon Composite Ring" and "Carbon Sole," the carbon capacity used in the head is increased, optimizing the weight distribution of the surplus weight.

The moment of inertia has dramatically improved, enabling highly consistent shots.

High moment of inertia and optimal launch angle.

The successful achievement of high moment of inertia through the incorporation of a 25g tungsten backweight at the rear of the head.

With the synergistic effect of the "Inertia Generator," it evolved to provide enhanced forgiveness while maintaining high distance performance. Additionally, strategically placing the front weight on the sole allows for easy-to-hit shots with optimal launch angle and spin, resulting in stable shots.