How a missed putt inspired one of, if not the, single most important pieces of equipment in the history of the game.
The Titleist brand started with a vision - and an x-ray. The Titleist success story began one Sunday in 1932, when Phil Young, a dedicated amateur golfer and owner of a precision molded rubber company, missed a well-stroked putt in a match with his friend, who was head of the x-ray department at a local hospital.
Convinced that the ball itself was at fault, Young and his opponent went to the hospital, x-rayed the golf ball in question and found that its core was, in fact, off-centre.
With his discovery, Phil Young persuaded Fred Bommer, a fellow MIT graduate, rubber specialist and avid golfer, to head up the Acushnet Golf Division. They set out to develop the highest quality and best performing golf ball in the world; one that would be uniform and consistent in quality, ball after ball.
It took Young and Bommer three painstaking years to perfect the first Titleist golf ball, but when it was ready in 1935, it could truthfully be introduced to club professionals and golfers as the best ball ever made. Applying a lesson well learned, Young implemented a process check that is still in practice today: every Titleist golf ball is X-rayed.
They set out to develop the highest quality and best performing golf ball in the world; one that would be uniform and consistent in quality, ball after ball.
The Titleist Golf Ball R&D team, driven by a commitment to continuous improvement and innovation, is made up of chemists, physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists, engineers and technicians, as well as PGA Professionals and turf management specialists. Due to their work, Titleist owns the industry’s largest portfolio of golf ball intellectual property with more than 1,000 patents.
For more than 80 years, all Titleist golf balls have been manufactured in the greater New Bedford, Massachusetts area. During these eight decades, Titleist has been the design and process technology leader manufacturing golf balls with a wide range of constructions to meet golfers' varying performance needs.
A belief that a better process will result in a better quality and performance product has been constant throughout Titleist's history. An unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and performance and quality excellence are core values of the Titleist tradition.
An unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and performance and quality excellence are core values of the Titleist tradition.
Before any product is stamped with the Titleist script and put into play, it must prove itself to be the best. The final steps of product development phase incorporates extensive machine and player tests to ensure the new product meets exacting performance specifications and quality standards. A new golf ball is only introduced when it satisfies real performance needs. The product testing and validation process guarantees a product worthy of the Titleist name.