Full Answer
Where are MacGregor Golf clubs made?
MacGregor Golf is a sports equipment manufacturing company based in Albany, Georgia, which specializes in golf. MacGregor currently produces a wide range of golf clubs, bags, and accessories. The company roots can be traced to 1829, with the establishment of "Dayton Last Company", a maker of hand-carved wooden lasts for footwear.
When did the name of the MacGregor Golf Company change?
In the 1930s, the company's name was officially changed to MacGregor Golf Co., and the "J." was dropped. That decade saw a number of innovations under the leadership of Toney Penna, who worked with such legendary players as Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson to create new club designs.
What happened to MacGregor Golf?
A year ago, MacGregor mothballed plans to reintroduce a line of VIP irons, began a fire sale of its inventory and sold its intellectual property to Golfsmith in May for $1.75 million. A retail chain buying MacGregor? Not too long ago, such a notion would have been as preposterous as Radio Shack acquiring Sony.
What is the history of MacGregor-Goldsmith?
During the 1930s Crawford, McGregor & Canby was acquired by the Goldsmith Company to form MacGregor-Goldsmith. The new owners found the name "MacGregor" to be stronger than "Goldsmith" in the marketplace and subsequently changed the name of the firm to MacGregor.
When did MacGregor Golf go out of business?
In May 2009, MacGregor was acquired by Golfsmith International and Norman stepped down as chairman. Golfsmith owned the company until the retailer fell into bankruptcy in 2016.
Who owns Mcgregor golf?
CEO Barry Schneider's Parkside Group now owns the company, and he has pledged a return to form during his tenure. MacGregor Golf Company's origins date to the end of the 19th century and a company called Crawford, MacGregor and Canby, which manufactured wooden shoe lasts in Dayton, Ohio.
Are MacGregor irons any good?
We found them to launch high and were impressed with the forgiveness on offer. They look absolutely fine too and the feel is not too bad considering we were testing them up against forged musclebacks. They go the distance you'd expect them to go and work well with MacGregor's lightweight graphite shafts.
What happened to Macgregor?
Conor McGregor bore the brunt of Dustin Poirier's stinging calf kicks in the main event of UFC 257. The damage to McGregor's right leg was so severe that the 32-year-old Irishman was not able to walk, forcing him to leave the Etihad arena on crutches. However, his leg is not paralyzed.
Does RAM still make golf clubs?
Multi-major championship winner Tom Watson built much of his early career success with RAM clubs. Today, RAM has passed from its orignal owners and focuses on affordable clubs for entry-level golfers.
Does Spalding still make golf clubs?
Does Spalding Still Make Golf Clubs? Spalding no longer makes golf clubs, and hasn't for some time now. However, the name of their popular brand “Top Flite” was sold to Callaway, and is used for discount clubs and balls.
From Shoes to Golf
The Crawford heirs eventually brought in two new partners to their company: John McGregor (note the spelling) in 1875 and Edward Canby in 1886 to eventually form the Crawford, McGregor and Canby Company. McGregor was a Scottish immigrant from St Andrews and a hardcore golfer. He eventually got Canby hooked on the game, setting the wheels in motion.
The Market Changes
By 1927, retail golf sales exceeded pro shop sales for the very first time. Crawford, McGregor and Canby went all in, mass-producing low-cost, high-profit clubs. Record sales and profits followed and everything was looking rosy.
MacGregor Goes KA-BOOM!
With Armour and his assistant, Toney Penna, onboard, MacGregor soon exploded. Penna played MacGregor clubs on the PGA TOUR and recruited other Tour players to join him. He hit the jackpot in 1939 when he signed Jimmy Demaret, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan.
Brunswick, Jack and the Beginning of the End
In 1958, MacGregor was sold to bowling giant Brunswick. Owner Ted Bensginer made a killing when he developed the first automatic pinsetter and started buying up companies to grow his empire.
The Ownership Carousel
In 1978, Brunswick sold MacGregor to the Wickes Corporation. Wickes was a world leader in lumber sales and owned Snyder Drug and Red Owl supermarkets. Several of Wickes’s top brass were golf nuts so MacGregor seemed like the perfect toy.
Amer and Irrelevance
MacGregor was making money again but Jack’s golf course business was in a jam. Specifically, the St. Andrews project in New York was becoming a money pit and Jack needed cash fast. So, in 1988, he sold 80 percent of MacGregor to the Amer Group from Finland for $8 million—the same Amer that would also buy Wilson Sporting Goods.
Schneider and The Shark
The Schneider years were a roller coaster for MacGregor. Big TV ad campaigns alternated with big cutbacks. Message and marketing consistency was long gone as MacGregor ran through eight ad agencies in 15 years. Schneider tried dumping the company in 2000 but found no takers.
When did MacGregor Golf start making clubs?
MacGregor Golf, which began making clubs in 1897, pioneered many of the advances in golf equipment. Lest anyone forget MacGregor’s prowess as a maker of forged blades, the company passed down from one generation of its heralded craftsmen to the next the proper technique for grinding irons.
Who was the last owner of MacGregor?
Longtime company insiders believe Nicklaus was the last owner to net a profit out of MacGregor. Nicklaus, who began playing the company’s clubs when he was 11-years-old, says of MacGregor’s demise: “It’s a shame in many ways. MacGregor was a name and a company that was at the head of the industry for 40 or 50 years.
How long was MacGregor a company?
MacGregor was a name and a company that was at the head of the industry for 40 or 50 years. Then things changed.”. In the years that followed, MacGregor chased dollars by selling clubs more suited for value-priced retailers, relinquishing its premium-brand stature.
How many stages of sculpting did the MacGregor head go through?
Starting as a round billet of soft carbon steel, a raw forged iron head went through nearly 50 stages of sculpting before it was crowned with the MacGregor stamp. <!—->. There was a time when the MacGregor name carried clout. It said, Byron Nelson once won 11 tournaments in a row with me.
Who was the sweet swinger in golf?
It was Penna , a Tour winner known as “the sweet swinger,” who recruited the greatest names in golf to play under the MacGregor banner. The advisory staff also included future Hall of Fame members Jack Burke Jr., Craig Wood and Louise Suggs. By the 1950s, Penna had risen to chief designer.
Who signed the MacGregor woods?
MacGregor signed the fabled trio of Jimmy Demaret, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan for a combined $5,000, arguably the best bargain in golf history.
Who is the oldest person to be a MacGregor?
Wullkotte, who turned 80 last month, is one of the oldest living links to MacGregor’s heyday. He was there 60 years ago when they wheeled Hogan around the plant after his car accident. Wullkotte joined MacGregor in 1947 and is part of an illustrious lineage of precision club shapers.
From Shoes to Golf
The Crawford heirs eventually brought in two new partners to their company: John McGregor (note the spelling) in 1875 and Edward Canby in 1886 to eventually form the Crawford, McGregor and Canby Company. McGregor was a Scottish immigrant from St Andrews and a hardcore golfer. He eventually got Canby hooked on the game, setting the wheels in motion.
The Market Changes
By 1927, retail golf sales exceeded pro shop sales for the very first time. Crawford, McGregor and Canby went all in, mass-producing low-cost, high-profit clubs. Record sales and profits followed and everything was looking rosy.
MacGregor Goes KA-BOOM!
With Armour and his assistant, Toney Penna, onboard, MacGregor soon exploded. Penna played MacGregor clubs on the PGA TOUR and recruited other Tour players to join him. He hit the jackpot in 1939 when he signed Jimmy Demaret, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan.
Brunswick, Jack and the Beginning of the End
In 1958, MacGregor was sold to bowling giant Brunswick. Owner Ted Bensginer made a killing when he developed the first automatic pinsetter and started buying up companies to grow his empire.
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The Ownership Carousel
In 1978, Brunswick sold MacGregor to the Wickes Corporation. Wickes was a world leader in lumber sales and owned Snyder Drug and Red Owl supermarkets. Several of Wickes’s top brass were golf nuts so MacGregor seemed like the perfect toy.
Amer and Irrelevance
MacGregor was making money again but Jack’s golf course business was in a jam. Specifically, the St. Andrews project in New York was becoming a money pit and Jack needed cash fast. So, in 1988, he sold 80 percent of MacGregor to the Amer Group from Finland for $8 million—the same Amer that would also buy Wilson Sporting Goods.
Where did MacGregor Golf start?
MacGregor Golf Company's origins date to the end of the 19th century and a company called Crawford, MacGregor and Canby, which manufactured wooden shoe lasts in Dayton, Ohio.
Who bought MacGregor Golf?
In 1967 the Rickey family sold MacGregor to Brunswick Corporation. The sporting goods firm held onto the company until 1979, when it was sold to retailer Wickes Corporation of San Diego, whose chairman, E.L. McNeely, was reportedly an avid golfer. In 1982, with Wickes strapped for cash, Jack Nicklaus and a MacGregor executive led a group that bought controlling interest in the company for $17 million. Nicklaus was one of the game's legends, and had endorsed MacGregor for nearly 20 years.
When did Jack Nicklaus sell his MacGregor stake?
Nicklaus Sells Stake in 1992. In January 1992 Jack Nicklaus sold his remaining 20 percent stake in MacGregor to Amer Sport. He was reportedly frustrated with the direction the company had been taking, and announced plans to form a club manufacturer of his own through his Golden Bear International firm.
When did MacGregor Golf Co. change its name?
In the 1930s, the company's name was officially changed to MacGregor Golf Co., and the "J." was dropped. That decade saw a number of innovations under the leadership of Toney Penna, who worked with such legendary players as Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson to create new club designs.
When did MacGregor sell his company?
Sale to Parkside Group in 1998. In August 1998, however, MacGregor was again sold, this time for a reported $42 million. The buyer was The Parkside Group, a newly-formed investment firm headed by Barry Schneider, who took the position of MacGregor's chairman.
When did Tommy Armour start matching golf clubs?
The late 1940s saw MacGregor find success with the Tommy Armour line, which outsold all other professional clubs on the market. In 1949 the company introduced its first matching set of four "woods" (for long shots) and nine "irons" (for shorter shots).
Who sold MacGregor's stock?
In late 1986, Nicklaus and his partners sold 80 percent of MacGregor to Amer-Yhtymae OY, a Finnish company with holdings in consumer products, sporting goods, and tobacco. The price was a reported $30 million.
Who bought MacGregor Golf?
In 1967 the Rickey family sold MacGregor to Brunswick Corporation. The sporting goods firm held onto the company until 1979, when it was sold to retailer Wickes Corporation of San Diego, whose chairman, E.L. McNeely, was reportedly an avid golfer. In 1982, with Wickes strapped for cash, Jack Nicklaus and a MacGregor executive led a group that bought controlling interest in the company for $17 million. Nicklaus was one of the game's legends, and had endorsed MacGregor for nearly 20 years.
Where did MacGregor golf clubs originate?
MacGregor Golf Company's origins date to the end of the 19th century and a company called Crawford, MacGregor and Canby, which manufactured wooden shoe lasts in Dayton, Ohio. The firm, which had been founded in 1822 as the Dayton Last Company, was co-owned by the Crawford brothers, John MacGregor, and Edward Canby. On a trip to Europe, Canby was introduced to the sport of golf, which had originated there and was especially popular in Scotland. Sensing a business opportunity if it became popular in the United States, he put his company's woodworking expertise to use and began manufacturing golf clubs with persimmon wood heads and hickory shafts.
What is the NAIC number for MacGregor Golf?
NAIC: 339920 Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing. MacGregor Golf Company makes golf clubs, balls, bags, clothing, and accessories, with a focus on premium quality equipment.
When did Jack Nicklaus sell his MacGregor business?
In January 1992 Jack Nicklaus sold his remaining 20 percent stake in MacGregor to Amer Sport. He was reportedly frustrated with the direction the company had been taking, and announced plans to form a club manufacturer of his own through his Golden Bear International firm.
