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TaylorMade Place Orders With O-TA Foundry Again


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O-TA Precision Casting Co., one of Taiwan`s leading golf equipment makers, recently received orders for golf heads from TaylorMade, a golf gear brand under the Adidas Group, making the order the first in seven years and of which delivery has begun this month.

 

K. W. Lee, chairman of O-TA, says that about seven years ago O-TA got golf gear orders from Nike; however, O-TA`s major client—TaylorMade—switched from O-TA to Advanced International Multitech Co., another leading Taiwanese golf gear manufacturer.

 

http://news.cens.com...nner_33806.html

 

Lee says that TaylorMade`s order are for both iron and wooden club heads, and several production lines have been set aside to exclusively fill the order, believing such orders will gradually increase in the coming years.

 

TaylorMade is the world`s largest golf brand and its clubs and heads take 30% of the global share.

 

Taiwan supplies the world`s major golf equipment brands and its four leading makers, namely, Fu Sheng Industrial Co., Dynamic Precision Casting Mfg., Co., Advanced and O-TA, together account for 80% of the global golf contracts, with major clients including TaylorMade, Nike, Callaway, Ping, Titlist, Cobra, Dunlop, etc.

 

Major Clients of Taiwan`s Leading Golf Gear Contractors

 

Contractor

Major clients

 

 

Fu Sheng

Callaway, TaylorMade, Dunlop, Nike, Ping, Titeleist, Cobra

 

 

O-TA

Callaway, Nike, Ping, Titeleist, Cobra, BS

 

 

Advanced

TaylorMade, Dunlop

 

 

Dynamic

TaylorMade

#TruthDigest
 

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...Lee says that TaylorMade`s order are for both iron and wooden club heads, and several production lines have been set aside to exclusively fill the order, believing such orders will gradually increase in the coming years.

 

Why is TM ordering wooden club heads?

 

Also, it's interesting that Lee doesn't state that the actual foundries where the club heads are made are in mainland China.

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Does this company forge or just do castings since the new iron line has forged heads I'm curious as to who's forging TM's heads? We've heard that ENDO is doing Callaways and Nike's new line. Who did Titleist's 710 forged irons?

 

I wish once and for all someone could answer who really forges who's irons. why is it always such a secret?

The Bag:

Right handed

Cobra King FLYZ+ 10.5* w/ Aldila Rogue 125 R 44.5"

Tour Issued TM M2 10.5 w/ Mitsubishi Tensi CK Pro Blue 60S

Tour Issued TM M2 15* w/ GD Tour AD 7S 43"

TM R7 17.5 HFS w/ Tour AD 7S Stiff 42"

Cobra S3 Pro's 4-pw w/ Aldila RIP Tours SLT 115 Reg. 5i 38.5"

Titleist Vokey Proto's

52*,54*,58* all TTDG S-400

TM TP5 X

Scotty Cameron SSS Tiffany 009 350 34.5" or Bettinardi BB1 DASS Proto

GHIN # 5144472

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Does this company forge or just do castings since the new iron line has forged heads I'm curious as to who's forging TM's heads? We've heard that ENDO is doing Callaways and Nike's new line. Who did Titleist's 710 forged irons?

 

I wish once and for all someone could answer who really forges who's irons. why is it always such a secret?

 

Here, here. I feel exactly the same way.

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Its a secret because the big boys dont want the general public to know their stuff is not made by them. It would ruin their "credibility" with half their market. Lets face it, most people who play golf aren't on this forum (or any other) and don't know the truth about the products they use. Heck, they don't even CARE enough to find out. If they did find out that their good ol' "American" company was nothing more than an office full of suits, they wouldn't be so "brand loyal". JMHO.

•Never argue with an idiot. First, he will drag you down to his level. Then he will beat you with experience!•

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Its a secret because the big boys dont want the general public to know their stuff is not made by them. It would ruin their "credibility" with half their market. Lets face it, most people who play golf aren't on this forum (or any other) and don't know the truth about the products they use. Heck, they don't even CARE enough to find out. If they did find out that their good ol' "American" company was nothing more than an office full of suits, they wouldn't be so "brand loyal". JMHO.

 

I think you're opinion hits it right on the head. I can't remember where I read it (was it here?) that the article, in a nutshell, showcases TMAG admitting it's nothing more than a R&D/Marketing firm. Tom Wishon and Ralph Maltby have both, on seperate occasions, mentioned the same thing (though they don't single out TM).

 

Just to play Devil's Advocate :lol: , but notice that TMAG and Dunlop are forged in the same house? Does it mean TM has lowered their standards, or that Dunlop deserves a little more credit than I originally gave them?

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Good discussion guys.

 

As I read and learn about the golf industry the inescapable conclusion is "buyer beware"! It almost seems that you have to be knowlegeable about what you are buying on a model by model basis. Different club models from the same brand might come from different places and be of vastly different quality. That "top of the line" club might be being made right next to the big box store's "complete set, el cheapo" sticks using the same material with the only difference in quality being the stamping and the sticker they put on it!

 

I don't know which is worse, learning all this and being skeptical of all claims, or being ignorant and blissful.

Ping I20 8.5* - Aldila NV 65g S
Adams XTD Super Hybrid 15* - Stock Fubuki S
Adams DHY 21* - Stock Matrix Ozik White Tie S
Mizuno MP58 4-8 Irons - Fujikura MCI 100 S
SCOR 42,46,50,54,58* - SCOR/KBS Genius S
STX Robert Ingman Envision TR 35", Iomic grip

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Good discussion guys.

 

I don't know which is worse, learning all this and being skeptical of all claims, or being ignorant and blissful.

 

I think you can learn all this and maintain your optimism, Tyk. From all my research (LOTS of reading, asking questions and some dinking around with brands... not nearly as exhaustive as Maltby's or Wishon's, though...), Everything's the same to a point; I save money buying and building component clubs myself. I like that sense of ownership; that I had a hand in (nearly) every aspect of this club. Not everyone wants to do that and that's fine; everyone's free to follow their own path (we're also assuming that path is of the legal variety LOL). I think there's one advantage to making your own sticks, and that's the customization aspect. The OEMs don't build junk, but they do mass-produce millions of sticks a year. It's VERY expensive (and nigh impossible) to build a club for every single golfer in the world, so they have one set of "standards" (and not every company has the same "standards"). They also have manufacturing tolerances- not just the "Big Boys", but everyone.

 

Take loft, for example. The 6i may say 30*, but is it really? There's a +/- 2* tolerance for loft (generally), so what happens if the 6i is 2* weak and the 7i is 2* strong? They'll both be 32*! This doesn't make a company "bad" or "terrible", that's why they call it "human error". The same can be said for length, head size, lie angle, swing weight... The club maker can easily put his new clubs into the devices to check all the specs. Those that don't do that for a living/hobby most times don't think about it, but they should.

 

Taking them to someone that can spec them out can prevent future headaches. It's a cruddy feeling, just dropping $500+ for a new set of irons only to find out you don't like one or more of them... that "they just don't feel right" feeling coupled with "did I waste my money?" thought. It doesn't have to be that way: a club maker can check them out. Maybe one or two are too long or too short; maybe one has a heavier/lighter swing weight. The golfer isn't always responsible for his on-course woes... if something in your equipment is amiss, it'll hurt more than help. That's why it's important to get them looked at: at the very least, one variable in your golf swing can be eliminated as an issue. It may be a little more expensive to do the retrofitting (if need be), but personally, I think the peace of mind it brings would truly be worth it.

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I think you're opinion hits it right on the head. I can't remember where I read it (was it here?) that the article, in a nutshell, showcases TMAG admitting it's nothing more than a R&D/Marketing firm. Tom Wishon and Ralph Maltby have both, on seperate occasions, mentioned the same thing (though they don't single out TM).

 

Just to play Devil's Advocate :blush: , but notice that TMAG and Dunlop are forged in the same house? Does it mean TM has lowered their standards, or that Dunlop deserves a little more credit than I originally gave them?

 

 

Probably more credit to Dunlop. Wishon, Snake Eyes, Dunlop, etc all use the same foundries as Titleist, TM, Cally, Nike, etc. The good foundries have similar tolerance mandates and skilled workers who produce quality heads for all kinds of equipment companies. But with the advertising budgets of the big boys, you would have a hard time convincing country club joe that the quality of his x-24's is no better than my Snake Eyes 685x's and that they were likely produced in the same foundry. Make no mistake, their are shoddy foundries who use scrap metals and titanium mixtures as opposed to beta. These generally are the clubs that end up in Walmart and have dents and depressions all over them after a few rounds. But by and large, most decent sticks are produced in one of only a handful of foundries.

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Probably more credit to Dunlop. Wishon, Snake Eyes, Dunlop, etc all use the same foundries as Titleist, TM, Cally, Nike, etc. The good foundries have similar tolerance mandates and skilled workers who produce quality heads for all kinds of equipment companies. But with the advertising budgets of the big boys, you would have a hard time convincing country club joe that the quality of his x-24's is no better than my Snake Eyes 685x's and that they were likely produced in the same foundry. Make no mistake, their are shoddy foundries who use scrap metals and titanium mixtures as opposed to beta. These generally are the clubs that end up in Walmart and have dents and depressions all over them after a few rounds. But by and large, most decent sticks are produced in one of only a handful of foundries.

 

 

+1. Here I thought Dunlop dropped off the face of the earth, as far as golf clubs are concerned. I know Lee Westwood has their logo on his outfits, but I don't remember if he games any of their clubs (I'm under the impression he was strictly Ping). I've seen stuff from them in the boxed sets at my local Dunham's, but other than that, I never thought to do any true hunting for them... Maybe I should be on the lookout.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Does this mean the end of Ping's run as the last US-made manufacturer? I know they had some models made here, but has that come to a complete stop?

 

Yes it does. I was told that the foundry now does government work and the workers there now assemble their bags. Sad isn't it, although I read a article that some manufacturing is migrating back to the US due to China labor cost increases and the expense to ship. One example is of GE, who is building a new plant in the southern US to produce their new hybrid hot water heater.

 

 

Regards,

 

 

 

Gary Carr

ShopGolfZone.com

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Its a secret because the big boys dont want the general public to know their stuff is not made by them. It would ruin their "credibility" with half their market. Lets face it, most people who play golf aren't on this forum (or any other) and don't know the truth about the products they use. Heck, they don't even CARE enough to find out. If they did find out that their good ol' "American" company was nothing more than an office full of suits, they wouldn't be so "brand loyal". JMHO.

 

It's also a catch 22 since the same factories dump the counterfit into the marketplace as well. I wonder if the move to forged heads will deter the counterfitters any at all. It has to be better to build in the US and control the product from start to finish. That would just about put an end to all of the counterfit clubs on sleezbay.

 

 

Regards,

 

 

Gary Carr

ShopGolfZone.com

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+1. Here I thought Dunlop dropped off the face of the earth, as far as golf clubs are concerned. I know Lee Westwood has their logo on his outfits, but I don't remember if he games any of their clubs (I'm under the impression he was strictly Ping). I've seen stuff from them in the boxed sets at my local Dunham's, but other than that, I never thought to do any true hunting for them... Maybe I should be on the lookout.

 

Late to the party, but perhaps I can shed some light on this. The Dunlop you see in places like Dunham's, the Dunlop you see Westwood wearing, and the Dunlop being talked about in this article are not one in the same. In fact there are four different Dunlop Golf companies throughout the world, each with a different owner....

 

Dunlop Europe - owned by Sports Direct Inc.

Dunlop Japan - owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries

Dunlop USA - owned by DNA Houseworks

Dunlop Australia - owned by Pacific Brands Ltd.

 

The Dunlop that Westwood is wearing comes from the first company. The clubs being talked about in the article come from the second company. In fact, in all likelihood what the author is really talking about is Srixon and XXIO as those are really just subsidiaries of Dunlop Japan Golf. The stuff you see in Dunham's comes from the third company...but in reality they have subcontracted out to a company called Focus Golf Systems for nearly 25 years.

 

So, there's no need to worry about not paying much attention to Dunlop stuff in the past, as the good stuff mentioned in this article isn't the stuff you'll see on the shelves in this country under that name.

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Late to the party, but perhaps I can shed some light on this. The Dunlop you see in places like Dunham's, the Dunlop you see Westwood wearing, and the Dunlop being talked about in this article are not one in the same. In fact there are four different Dunlop Golf companies throughout the world, each with a different owner....

 

Dunlop Europe - owned by Sports Direct Inc.

Dunlop Japan - owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries

Dunlop USA - owned by DNA Houseworks

Dunlop Australia - owned by Pacific Brands Ltd.

 

The Dunlop that Westwood is wearing comes from the first company. The clubs being talked about in the article come from the second company. In fact, in all likelihood what the author is really talking about is Srixon and XXIO as those are really just subsidiaries of Dunlop Japan Golf. The stuff you see in Dunham's comes from the third company...but in reality they have subcontracted out to a company called Focus Golf Systems for nearly 25 years.

 

So, there's no need to worry about not paying much attention to Dunlop stuff in the past, as the good stuff mentioned in this article isn't the stuff you'll see on the shelves in this country under that name.

 

Thanks, BMA- that was pretty eye-openning!

 

Better late than never, as they always say.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Couple of thoughts.

 

The "suits" that have outsourced most of US manufacturing to overseas in the search for more profits are not to blame. Companies stock prices are what keeps the "suits" in a job and their comapnies in business. Quarterly profits are king, not long term impacts of business strategies such as moving manufacturing overseas. And the stock holders that support these comapnes are the american public, you and I are. Americans are to blame for the current state of the american economy. If american would stand up to companies and say listen, I support american based manufacturing and I'm not going to buy your products. I will buy american only then will our economy be in much better shape. Problem is people want cheaper products, higher stock prices for their 401k's and really don't take the time to really learn about who they are buying from.

 

Problem with golf equipment as stated is that nothing is manaufactured in the US anymore.

 

I built components for years in the 80/90 and really enjoyed it. Build for alot of other people also. In Newwark Ohio there was Golworks, Dynacraft and in Akron another comapny whose name escapes me and then Golfsmith. Built cheaper and better but now you can't really built cheaper due to the low prices clubs are going for and with all of the fitting programs availalbe better is harder also. Used to be tons of little shops building clubs in northern ohio, none left that I know of.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Does this mean the end of Ping's run as the last US-made manufacturer? I know they had some models made here, but has that come to a complete stop?

Are you kidding me? Unless you count a few putters, Ping hasn't made clubs in the U.S. since the I5 and G5.

 

 

Its a secret because the big boys dont want the general public to know their stuff is not made by them. It would ruin their "credibility" with half their market. Lets face it, most people who play golf aren't on this forum (or any other) and don't know the truth about the products they use. Heck, they don't even CARE enough to find out. If they did find out that their good ol' "American" company was nothing more than an office full of suits, they wouldn't be so "brand loyal". JMHO.

 

Hard to believe that anyone would think that the club heads are made in the U.S. but I suppose the previous post proves your statement. I don't think the "Big Boys" are hiding anything since most clubs have the "Made in" label on the club. It is a wonder that some still do final assembly here. Give some credit to a company like TaylorMade (German owned) which assembles most of their TP clubs and some of their other clubs in the U.S. as opposed to Nike (U.S.A. owned) which assemble nothing for retail in the U.S.

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