The Acushnet Company is an American company focused on the

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

market. The company operates a series of

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

s that manufacture

golf equipment Golf equipment encompasses the various items that are used to play the sport of golf. Types of equipment include the golf ball, golf clubs, golf divot tool, golf ball marker and devices that aid in the sport. Equipment Balls Originally, gol ...

, clothing and accessories. The principal brands operated by Acushnet are Titleist, best known for balls and

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Club (magazine), ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands a ...

; FootJoy, an apparel brand with particular focus on shoes and gloves; Scotty Cameron, a leading putter brand; Vokey Design, a leading brand of

wedge A wedge is a triangle, triangular shaped tool, a portable inclined plane, and one of the six simple machines. It can be used to separate two objects or portions of an object, lift up an object, or hold an object in place. It functions by conver ...

; Union Green, a golf ball and accessory brand marketed to casual players; and Pinnacle, a brand of distance ball.

History

Founded in Acushnet, Massachusetts by Philip E. "Skipper" Young in 1910, the "Acushnet Process Company" focused on deresinating

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a wikt:milky, milky fluid, which is present in 10% of all floweri ...

and supplying

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

to industry, and over time began to make their own rubber-based products including water bottles and bathing caps. Eventually, Acushnet Process became a manufacturer of golf equipment, principally, golf balls. In 1932, the company sectioned into two divisions: Rubber and Golf, both of which became quite successful. Three years later, the Golf division produced the Titleist golf ball, which has consistently been the company's most successful product. In 1976, the company was purchased by American Brands (now known as Fortune Brands). In 1995, Fortune sold off the Acushnet Company's Acushnet Rubber division, which was Acushnet's original business (circa early 1900s). Fortune Brands announced on December 8, 2010, that it planned to focus on its liquor business, and would spin off or sell other parts of the company — including home furnishings and hardware, and Acushnet (which includes Titleist, FootJoy, Scotty Cameron, and other golf product brands).Aaron Smith
Jim Beam, neat, is company's new strategy
''CNN Money'', December 8, 2010.
''The Wall Street Journal'', December 8, 2010.
, ''Lake Country News-Sun'', December 9, 2010. On May 20, 2011, it was announced that a Korean group associated with Fila Korea, Ltd. and Mirae Asset Private Equity would purchase Acushnet for $1.23 billion in cash. The deal was completed on July 29, 2011. On October 28, 2016, Acushnet was listed on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

via an

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...

. In August 2018, Fila Korea acquired a controlling stake with the purchase of an additional 20% from several other investors, including Mirae Asset, to take their holdings to 53.1%.

Operations

Acushnet employs roughly 3000 people in Massachusetts, making it one of the largest employers in the region. It is headquartered in

Fairhaven, Massachusetts Fairhaven (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast of Massachusetts where the Acushnet River flows into Buzz ...

alongside its Packing and Distribution Center about three miles (five kilometers) south of its original location. They also have two golf ball manufacturing plants and an R&D Technology Center located in the New Bedford Industrial Park, as well as a Custom Golf Ball plant located in New Bedford. Acushnet currently operates several facilities, many of which are in Massachusetts, as follows: * Ball Plant 2: Acushnet Company, 256 Samuel Barnett Boulevard, North Dartmouth, MA 02747 * Ball Plant 3: Acushnet Company, 215 Duchaine Boulevard, New Bedford, MA 02746 * Ball Plant C: Acushnet Company, 700 Belleville Avenue, New Bedford, MA 02746 * Ball Plant 4: Acushnet Titleist (Thailand) Ltd. Hemaraj Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate/Free Zone, 500/40 Moo 3 Tambon Tasit, Amphur Pluakdaeng, Rayong 21140 * Distribution: Acushnet Company, 333 Bridge Street, Fairhaven, MA 02719 * R&D Center: Acushnet Company, 181 Samuel Barnett Boulevard, North Dartmouth, MA 02747

Brands

Acushnet Company's primary brands are FootJoy, Scotty Cameron, Titleist and Vokey.

FootJoy

FootJoy is a golf

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

company based in Massachusetts and founded in 1857. Footjoy was acquired by the Acushnet Company in 1985 from

General Mills General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...

. Currently, FootJoy is the number one seller of golf shoes and gloves in the United States. FootJoy products include athletic shoes, golf gloves, clothing (

shirt A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist). Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. ...

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ar ...

pants Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants (American English, American, Canadian English, Canadian and Australian English) are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separatel ...

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...

sweater A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jersey or jumper (British English, Hiberno-English and Australian English),

jacket A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. Jackets without sleeves are vests. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and ...

hoodie A hoodie is a type of sweatshirt with a hood that, when worn up, covers most of the head and neck, and sometimes the face. The most common 'pullover' style hoodies often include a single large knife pocket or muff on the lower front, whil ...

s,), and accessories (

bag A bag, also known regionally as a sack, is a common tool in the form of a floppy container, typically made of cloth, leather, bamboo, paper, or plastic. The use of bags predates recorded history, with the earliest bags being lengths of animal s ...

glove A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger including the thumb. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a ...

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is usually designed to protect a person against rain. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used when protec ...

s).

Scotty Cameron

Scotty Cameron is a

golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety o ...

designer who specializes in high-end putters. Cameron currently resides and has based his company, Scotty Cameron, in California. Cameron made his first putters using his mother-in-law's garage as his factory. After working with several golf companies, Scotty would accept a deal with Titleist. Later, Cameron created a "Custom Shop" where users and collectors can customize their putter by ordering a custom paint fill, engraving, shaft band and grip along with other options. Players can also bring in their older Scotty Cameron Putter and have them repaired. Cameron's putters, the most storied of which are inspired by Karsten Solheim's (PING) original designs (Anser, Zing, B60) are named after popular California beach towns (Newport Beach, Laguna Beach) and Northern California counties renowned for their golf, wine, and leisure tourism (Sonoma, Napa, Monterey). His original designs, usually mallet putters, are often named using ad hoc wordplay. Cameron is a master of prestige branding, going so far as to trademark (under the Acushnet name) the acronym "G.S.S." or German stainless steel. "G.S.S." is simply 303 stainless imported from Germany and used in Cameron's more exclusive releases. It is molecularly identical to other 303 steels.

Titleist

Established by Phillip E. "Skipper" Young, a graduate of

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

in 1932, the brand is focused on golf balls and

golf clubs A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Wood (golf), Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; iron (golf), irons, the most versatile class, ...

. The ''Titleist'' balls have been produced by Acushnet since 1935. Titleist's balls were also the most used balls at the 1949 U.S. Open.

Vokey Design

The Vokey brand was established by Bob Vokey (b. 1939), a Canadian craftsman who left his home country to establish in the U.S. As his attempts as a golfer failed, Vokey started manufacturing

s.Who is Bob Vokey
on Vokey website 24 Aug 2020

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1910 establishments in Massachusetts 2011 mergers and acquisitions 2016 initial public offerings American companies established in 1910 Clothing companies established in 1910 Companies based in New Bedford, Massachusetts Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Fortune Brands brands Golf equipment manufacturers Manufacturing companies established in 1910 Shoe companies of the United States Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States