Callaway?

[HoosierGolfer]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/27/callaway-will-move-assembly-work-mexico/

 

Still trying to figure out what to think about this or whether it really matters.

[JBones]

They are moving to Mexico to make MORE of a profit, ridiculous. I will be trading in my Callaway clubs a not buying any more. Ely is probably rolling in his grave.

[hendricks97]

no more Callaway in my house. Thanks for contributing to the unemployment issues so the CEO can keep his $4,000,000 salary from last year.

[hendricks97]

oh, and shouldnt we move this thread to a Mexican equipment thread now?

[Tyk]

Kind of silly, I don't think many of the big club companies manufature in the US, and I didn't even know Callaway did until these articles saying they're moving appeared.

 

So for everyone that now wants to bag on Cally for moving, I hope you all had Callys in your bag before, and I hope the rest of your gear is all Made In USA, and I hope you replace your Callys with Made in USA clubs. I bet its harder to do than you think, especially if you want both "Made in USA" and "Mainstream Golf Label".

 

And PS: Anheuser Bush is owned by a foreign company too, so drown your sorrows elsewhere.

[JBones]

Kind of silly, I don't think many of the big club companies manufature in the US, and I didn't even know Callaway did until these articles saying they're moving appeared.

 

So for everyone that now wants to bag on Cally for moving, I hope you all had Callys in your bag before, and I hope the rest of your gear is all Made In USA, and I hope you replace your Callys with Made in USA clubs. I bet its harder to do than you think, especially if you want both "Made in USA" and "Mainstream Golf Label".

 

And PS: Anheuser Bush is owned by a foreign company too, so drown your sorrows elsewhere.

Thats not the point here. It doesn't matter if something isn't made in the US or is owned by a foreign company. I will not own products from a company that is US based and moves to a foreign country to make more of a profit. They are taking jobs away from Americans because of their own greed; thats the point.

[Tyk]

I suspect you own plenty of products just like that, its practically impossible to avoid. What difference does it make if its a US or foreign based company manufacturing elsewhere? How is a US based company manufacturing here supposed to compete with an Austrailian company manufacturing at 1/3 the cost in China? Anyhow, I don't remember anyone saying last week "Buy Callaway! They're a US based company manufacturing in the US! Spend a bit more to support local jobs!" I mean, its great if that's what someone was thinking or doing, but the bald truth is that there weren't ENOUGH people thinking and doing it to keep Callaway competitive. So now Cally gets slammed for doing what every other company did years ago?

 

One would have thought that "Made in the USA" would have been a good marketing tool for Cally here in the U.S., especially in this economic climate. I don't remember them ever touting that.

[canyon23]

I'll admit to being oblivious to where most of the OEM's manufacture their products, but can you really fault a company for making a business decision that will increase profits? Isn't that what people get into business for, to make a profit? Of course it's unfortunate when jobs are lost based on the decision, but I don't call that "greed", IMHO that's business. I would also assume that the CEO's compensation isn't too far off from what the leaders of the other major players make. I don't know, I'd say that as long as the quality of their products remain high, then this shouldn't affect a buyers decision to purchase.

[GolfSpy Dave]

 

And PS: Anheuser Bush is owned by a foreign company too, so drown your sorrows elsewhere.

Thank goodness for local brewers!

Stone Ruination IPA on ice for camping this afternoon.

 

On topic, buy the gear you like for the reasons important to you. Manufacturing location may be a reason for some. My parents grew up in Detroit, have ALWAYS owned American made cars, and actually catch grief from siblings that my brothers and I all drive imports. It matters to them.

[SargeDesign]

I'm the kind of person who will spend the extra 5% to get the "Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer" version of whatever I'm buying. I care about people and the future of this country. As a current student of business administration, I can tell you that these company owners are screwed up in the head. In school they teach us that its the "BEST" decision to outsource if its cheaper, but its the "GOOD" decision to give jobs to people in our economy because it ensures that the economy wont be non-existent in 10 years.

 

The more jobs we lose in the US, the more people don't have money to buy these clubs at all...and when you don't have anyone to sell to, you're finished. That will happen time after time until we cannot sustain ourselves. So am I willing to spend $2 to keep $1 from going overseas? You bet I am. I realize that I am helping myself and everyone around me when I do that. My dad works for a company that produces glass, half of the staff that works for him have a MASTERS in Engineering from Division I schools and make $10/hour on a plant floor.

 

Callaway leaving the US is just another piece of wood in the fire.

[JBones]

Thank goodness for local brewers!

Stone Ruination IPA on ice for camping this afternoon.

Word. I have no problem buying Busch products though; yes, they sold to a foreign company, but they are still making beer in St. Louis and keeping Americans employed.

 

On topic, buy the gear you like for the reasons important to you. Manufacturing location may be a reason for some. My parents grew up in Detroit, have ALWAYS owned American made cars, and actually catch grief from siblings that my brothers and I all drive imports. It matters to them.

Again, I have no problem buying "foreign". I just can't support a company that is throwing aside Americans for cheaper labor. If they want more sales, maybe they should price their products more competitively. If I go to a golf store and see a Cally driver for $459 and another comparable driver for $399, I'm going to go with the cheaper.

 

I catch crap for buying Toyota, but I have several family and friends that are building these cars in the US, so I'm going to support them.

[HoosierGolfer]

Thats not the point here. It doesn't matter if something isn't made in the US or is owned by a foreign company. I will not own products from a company that is US based and moves to a foreign country to make more of a profit. They are taking jobs away from Americans because of their own greed; thats the point.

I sort of agree. I wonder if Phil still gets his $8 million a year and the CEO his $4 million. $hit runs down hill. Always has, always will. The guy at the bottom of the hill gets axed.

Are Pings still assembled in the US? Are their irons still cast in the US?

[ForeLeftPGA]

 

Are Pings still assembled in the US? Are their irons still cast in the US?

I think it was about 2 years ago now that Ping moved its facility to ... Mexico. China is getting way to expensive, I think that you'll see a lot of companies moving to Mexico; and not just golf...

Callaway still makes it's golf balls in the US.

[SargeDesign]

I sort of agree. I wonder if Phil still gets his $8 million a year and the CEO his $4 million. $hit runs down hill. Always has, always will. The guy at the bottom of the hill gets axed.

Are Pings still assembled in the US? Are their irons still cast in the US?

 

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/sportinggoods.html

 

Yes PING still makes all of their stuff in Arizona. The way Karsten intended it to be, and thats the way it will stay as long as a Solheim is at the head of the company. I love Ping because of their clubs, but I continue to support and buy from them because of their ethics as a company.

 

EDIT: In fact, Ping has the ONLY golf club foundry in the US. I also add that I play Paul Reed Smith guitars, which are made from start to finish in Maryland.

[HoosierGolfer]

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/sportinggoods.html

 

Yes PING still makes all of their stuff in Arizona. The way Karsten intended it to be, and thats the way it will stay as long as a Solheim is at the head of the company. I love Ping because of their clubs, but I continue to support and buy from them because of their ethics as a company.

 

EDIT: In fact, Ping has the ONLY golf club foundry in the US. I also add that I play Paul Reed Smith guitars, which are made from start to finish in Maryland.

 

Thanks for the input. I have played Callaway clubs for nearly 20 years, but for whatever reason, I just hate reading about another hundred plus people getting the pink slip while creating more jobs in another country.

My home course has been a Callaway dealer for years but began selling Ping 2 years ago. I have been thinking about an iron change so it may be time for a brand change as well.

[GolfBagCheck.com]

FYI - this is supposedly from PING. I remember them having to have their metal woods made overseas over 5 years ago, but assembled in USA.

 

http://reviews.ebay.com/Email-Response-Direct-from-Ping-Golf_W0QQugidZ10000000007639752

 

You asked:

Are any of the components that make up a Ping golf club made in China? If so

what are some examples?

 

We replied:

All clubs are designed by our engineers. However, the PING Jr. Moxie and Pal

clubs are made in China to our specifications. The Tour wedges are also made in

China to keep the cost down (this is because the grooves are actually machined

in). The Driver, fairway and hybrid wood heads are also poured in China to our

specs (we create the mold and give it to them to use). Our foundry in Phoenix is

not set up to pour titanium (there are no plants left in the US that pour

titanium). We then receive the heads here, inspect them and then assemble the

clubs at our plant in Phoenix, AZ. The iron heads and putter heads are poured

at our foundry in Phoenix (with the exception of the Rapture iron heads which

are poured/made in China due to the titanium face). The Redwood putters are

forged in China but we mill the heads here at our facility in Phoenix. As for

the shafts, anything with the PING name is designed by our engineers to work for

that product. However, we do not make our own shafts. We have True Temper build

our steel shafts and Aldila, Grafalloy, Graphite Design and UST make the

graphite shafts to our specs. All of these manufacturers build the shafts

outside of the US with the exception of True Temper (still in the US). The

shafts are tested in our quality control area to make sure they are within our

standards before they go to the assembly area. Most of the assembly is done at

our factory in Phoenix. However, we do have a plant in the UK, Germany, Canada

and Japan. We will send finished clubs to these plants and they distribute them

for us. The Japan and UK plants can actually receive components from us and

they can assemble them at their facility.

[HoosierGolfer]

Callaway has also been guilty of another injustice being done to their dealers. In Indiana where I live, there is a chain of discount sports stores called Dunham's. A couple of years ago, Callaway flooded the market through these discount chains by placing a cheaper version of their X-18 irons in these stores. These were known as X-18"R" irons and they were 3 to 4 hundred dollars cheaper that the regular X-18 irons. They were also of a much cheaper quality.

Callaway done this again by placing new sets of X-20 irons in Dunham's stores at $399 while the X-20 line was still current. These again were made out of cheaper steel and can not be bent to adjust lie because of breakage. They also do not have a bore thru shaft, although they appear to have it. It is just a glued in piece that looks like a bore through.

My home course had sets of X-20's which were at the time priced at $699 but couldn't sell them because there is a Dunham's 15 miles away and everyone was seeing X-20's priced there and in their sale ad's in all local papers at $399. I think that is a little underhanded and they are turning their backs to the small dealer like my home course.

Because of this practice, my home course after nearly 20 years as a Callaway dealer, are dropping the brand. This is where I have bought all of my Callaway gear for years and now they are not a dealer any longer. When you lump on the fact they are dropping their US workers, I see no reason to support them any longer.

Last evening, I traded in 7 different Callaway fairways I had, my irons and hybrid for a set of Ping irons, Ping 3 wood & hybrid and my new Ping driver will be ordered today.

I'm sure Ely Callaway has rolled over several times recently in his grave and that makes me a little sad. To each his own, but I'm moving on.

[JBones]

That does suck. We had a Dunhams here (closed about 6 months ago), but they didn't carry any golf clubs.

[JBones]

I'm going to try to sell my Callys, so I can get Scratch wedges.

 

 

Accidentally hit reply instead of edit.

[JohnBarry]

Kind of silly, I don't think many of the big club companies manufature in the US, and I didn't even know Callaway did until these articles saying they're moving appeared.

 

So for everyone that now wants to bag on Cally for moving, I hope you all had Callys in your bag before, and I hope the rest of your gear is all Made In USA, and I hope you replace your Callys with Made in USA clubs. I bet its harder to do than you think, especially if you want both "Made in USA" and "Mainstream Golf Label".

 

And PS: Anheuser Bush is owned by a foreign company too, so drown your sorrows elsewhere.

 

Good Luck J, throw almost everything in your house away, because 98% of all goods in the US are made over seas.

[HoosierGolfer]

All sad but true. It is the way the world is today. We don't have to like it and it is great to have a choice in what we buy and use.

As I wrote in anther forum, for me it is really a matter of being loyal to our PGA pro who owns my home course. He has been a Callaway dealer for nearly 20 years and it was for that reason I started playing their products years ago. I can't say anything really bad about them. Great clubs and really great customer service.

But, my pro has decided to part ways with Callaway for several reasons which means he will no longer sell their stuff. I buy 100% of my golf stuff from him for 2 reasons. He is a close friend first and a small dealer second and needs the support of his members to stay alive. I also get much better deals from him trading up, than I could ever get at the big stores like Golfsmith...Edwin Watts etc. To stay loyal to him, I need to switch brands and he has a great relationship with Ping. I was ready for a change anyway so I'm happy to try something new.

[JBones]

Good Luck J, throw almost everything in your house away, because 98% of all goods in the US are made over seas.

Apparently my posts aren't very clear. I know almost everything I own is made in another country and I have absolutely no problem with that at all. The problem I have is when a company gets rid of 1000+ American workers and moves their business to another country for cheaper labor. I understand that they may have to do that to "save" their company from going under, but understanding something doesn't mean you have to agree with it. The local Whirlpool plant just shut down here to move to Mexico and it cost 2300 people their jobs. I know that Whirlpool has other plants in the US that are staying open, but I will still never buy another Whirlpool product, because of how it hurt our community. I know that most of Pings stuff is built overseas and I don't care, I will still buy their products, but if they close their Phoenix plant and move it to Mexico (or any other country), I will never buy another Ping product. Does that make more sense?

[GolfBagCheck.com]

An interesting side note is that a lot of people here in Augusta won't buy Ping products because of a controversy a few years ago when they shut down retailers for giving the military a 10% discount on PING products.

 

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2006/09/28/gol_98427.shtml

 

PING did their best to correct the PR nightmare, but even 4 years later, people here are still bitter. It is just ironic that PING (and I believe they truly are) such a strong supporter of USA, but still have alienated a lot of customers here.

[ForeLeftPGA]

Apparently my posts aren't very clear. I know almost everything I own is made in another country and I have absolutely no problem with that at all. The problem I have is when a company gets rid of 1000+ American workers and moves their business to another country for cheaper labor. I understand that they may have to do that to "save" their company from going under, but understanding something doesn't mean you have to agree with it. The local Whirlpool plant just shut down here to move to Mexico and it cost 2300 people their jobs. I know that Whirlpool has other plants in the US that are staying open, but I will still never buy another Whirlpool product, because of how it hurt our community. I know that most of Pings stuff is built overseas and I don't care, I will still buy their products, but if they close their Phoenix plant and move it to Mexico (or any other country), I will never buy another Ping product. Does that make more sense?

So you would rather have a company fail and go bankrupt so you can pay $399 for a driver then move to Mexico so they can save some money that could help protect the cost of the product that you purchase? With China's prices going up, companies are going to have to find other ways to protect the cost of the clubs that you buy. I see them making this move to protect the consumer. They way that things are heading that driver is going to cost you $899 in five years. Change is needed.

[JBones]

So you would rather have a company fail and go bankrupt so you can pay $399 for a driver then move to Mexico so they can save some money that could help protect the cost of the product that you purchase? With China's prices going up, companies are going to have to find other ways to protect the cost of the clubs that you buy. I see them making this move to protect the consumer. They way that things are heading that driver is going to cost you $899 in five years. Change is needed.

Apparently my posts aren't very clear. I know almost everything I own is made in another country and I have absolutely no problem with that at all. The problem I have is when a company gets rid of 1000+ American workers and moves their business to another country for cheaper labor. I understand that they may have to do that to "save" their company from going under, but understanding something doesn't mean you have to agree with it. The local Whirlpool plant just shut down here to move to Mexico and it cost 2300 people their jobs. I know that Whirlpool has other plants in the US that are staying open, but I will still never buy another Whirlpool product, because of how it hurt our community. I know that most of Pings stuff is built overseas and I don't care, I will still buy their products, but if they close their Phoenix plant and move it to Mexico (or any other country), I will never buy another Ping product. Does that make more sense?

[JohnBarry]

There lies the probelm, what it cost to make something in the states vs what the people of the US will pay.