Home > International Directory of Company Histories > Acushnet Company - Introducing the Titleist in the 1930s

1. Printable Version
2. Download PDF
3. Cite this Page
4. Tweet This

Introducing the Titleist in the 1930s

After introducing the x-ray machine to golfing technology, in 1930 Young patented a machine that could wind rubber string around a rubber core in a uniform manner, which led to the development of a "dead center" golf ball that he named Titleist. To demonstrate the effectiveness of his new ball, Young also developed the first mechanical golf swing machine, a two-headed affair that with its consistent stroke was able to show that there was only a minor variance among individual Titleist balls. As a result of this foray into the golf ball business, Acushnet split into two divisions, one devoted entirely to golf and the other to the company's remaining rubber products. An important decision made early on was to limit the sale of Titleist golf balls to golf course pro shops, thus attaining a higher margin.

With the advent of World War II, Acushnet shelved its golf business for several years, instead devoting its resources to the production of molded gas masks, for which the company became the Allies' sole supplier, as well as an oxygen mask developed in conjunction with Harvard Medical School and important war materials such as torpedo gaskets and o-rings. With the end of the war in 1945, Acushnet returned to making golf balls and other consumer products. In 1948, the company introduced what it called "dynamite thread," which along with other refinements resulted in increased yardage. A major milestone was reached the following year when Titleist became the most played ball at the prestigious U.S. Open tournament.

In the 20 years following World War II, Acushnet's golf division grew alongside the popularity of the sport. During this span, the number of golf courses more than doubled, from 4,000 to 8,700, and the number of people who played 15 or more rounds of golf each year expanded from 2.5 million to 8.5 million. The amount of money spent on golf equipment increased from around $60 million to $150 million, one-third of which was spent on golf balls. Acushnet took steps to maintain its leadership in golf ball technology by launching a research and development team that studied golf ball aerodynamics. The company also moved beyond golf balls when in 1962 it acquired John Reuter Jr., Inc., maker of the popular Bulls Eye putter. In 1969, Acushnet added other golf clubs as well as golf bags to its product line by acquiring Golfcraft Inc. It was also during this period, in 1968, that the company changed its name from Acushnet Process Company to Acushnet Company, Inc. While the rubber and golf divisions accounted for an equal share of the company's revenues of $45 million, the golf business proved to be more profitable.

Acushnet became involved in golf carts in 1975 by acquiring Shelford Group of England. A year later, Acushnet was itself acquired, bought by American Brands, Inc., a company that was initially involved in the tobacco industry but in time added other consumer products, such as Sunshine Biscuits and James B. Beam Distilling Co. (American Brands took the name Fortune Brands Inc. in 1997.) As a subsidiary of American Brands, Acushnet continued to operate both golf and rubber products divisions for another 18 years. Finally, in 1994, management from the rubber division bought their operation from the parent company, naming it Acushnet Rubber Company, Inc. In 2002, the company dropped the Acushnet name, choosing instead to call itself Precix (pronounced "precise").

Acushnet, the golf subsidiary, continued to grow under new ownership, and in 1985 added another major brand, Foot-Joy. The company was just one of dozens of shoemakers operating in Brockton, Massachusetts, when it was founded in 1857 as the Burt and Packard Company. It was known as the Field and Flint Company in 1910 when it first became involved in the golf shoe business. The Foot-Joy line of golf shoes was introduced in the 1920s and received a major boost when the American Ryder Cup team, which played the best Europeans in a team tournament, selected Foot-Joy as its official shoes. By 1945, a majority of professionals on the U.S. PGA Tour wore Foot-Joys, a distinction the company retains until the present day. Field and Flint was acquired by the Stone and Tarlow families in 1957. As Titelist had done earlier, new management opted to limit the sale of Foot-Joy golf shoes to pro shops. The company took on the name of its signature brand in 1970, dropping Field and Flint Company for Foot-Joy, Inc. In 1975, a controlling interest in the business passed to General Mills, Inc., which two years later bought the rest of the company. As part of General Mills Fashion Group of companies, Foot-Joy became involved in golf gloves in the early 1980s, its Sta-Sof golf glove becoming the top seller. It also added golf socks, which also became number one in the category. When the corporate parent decided to reorganize to focus on its core businesses, a number of suitors made a bid for Foot-Joy, including a management group led by Richard and William Tarlow, who had sold the business to General Mills ten years earlier, as well as Converse, Inc. and Spalding. Acushnet emerged the winner, paying nearly $57 million for Foot-Joy.

Not only did Acushnet and Spalding spar over Foot-Joy, the two leading companies in golf equipment spent considerable time in court from 1981 to 1990 hashing out patent issues. The initial dispute involved Spalding's 1974 patent for a sodium and zinc golf ball cover called Surlyn. It was a major advance because it prevented excessive cracking. Titleist and a number of other ball manufacturers adopted the formula and Spalding went to court to protect its patent. After eight years of litigation, a federal judge in 1989 ruled against Acushnet. While Acushnet filed an appeal, it sued Spalding over patent violations regarding golf ball dimple patterns, fluorescent ball covering, and golf ball molding. Finally, in November 1990, the two companies settled their differences, agreeing to a cross-licensing of patents.

1. Introduction
2. 1910 Origins
3. Introducing the Titleist in the 1930s
4. The 1990s and Beyond
5. Principal Competitors
6. Further Reading
7. Copyright Page
8. About Page