TaylorMade
American golf-equipment brand known for metalwood innovation, tour-player endorsements, and performance-focused clubs, balls, and apparel.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
TaylorMade is an American golf-equipment brand headquartered in Carlsbad, California. Founded in 1979 by Gary Adams, the company began with a single product: a 12-degree steel metalwood designed to replace the traditional persimmon driver. The club’s unusual construction helped establish the category that became known as the metalwood, and the product was informally associated with the phrase “Pittsburgh Persimmon.” TaylorMade’s early success was based on the premise that metal could deliver useful performance and durability advantages in a part of the golf market dominated by wooden clubheads. Adams started the company in Illinois after borrowing against his home and leasing a small manufacturing and office facility. TaylorMade initially operated with a very small staff and a narrow product range, but its metalwood concept attracted attention among golfers and professionals. The company expanded from its original driver into fairway woods, irons, putters, balls, and related golf products. Its growth was accelerated by ownership changes that supplied greater capital and distribution reach. Salomon acquired TaylorMade in 1984, and Adidas acquired Salomon in 1997, making TaylorMade part of a large international sporting-goods group. Under Adidas ownership, TaylorMade concentrated heavily on the driver category and pursued a stronger global marketing position. The company later became associated with adjustable club technology, high-profile tour usage, and product families aimed at different player profiles. It acquired Ashworth in 2008 and Adams Golf in 2012, adding apparel and complementary golf-equipment capabilities. Those businesses were subsequently sold as part of the separation of TaylorMade from Adidas. TaylorMade became an independent portfolio company when KPS Capital Partners acquired it from Adidas in 2017. The transaction followed a period in which the brand strengthened its professional roster, including agreements with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy after Nike discontinued its golf-equipment operations. TaylorMade continued to use tour visibility, product launches, and engineering-led claims as central elements of its brand strategy. Its product portfolio includes drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, putters, golf balls, bags, gloves, headwear, and apparel. Centroid Investment Partners agreed to acquire TaylorMade from KPS in 2022, returning the company to private-equity ownership under a Korean investment firm. The brand remains active internationally and continues to market premium performance equipment through direct-to-consumer channels, golf retailers, professional tours, and endorsement relationships. Major contemporary product families include Stealth drivers, P·790 irons, and TP5 golf balls. In 2024, TaylorMade also partnered with Tiger Woods on Sun Day Red, an apparel brand developed around Woods’s identity and golf lifestyle. TaylorMade’s broader positioning remains that of a technology-led, premium golf brand serving recreational players, serious amateurs, and elite professionals.
History
TaylorMade was established in 1979 by Gary Adams in McHenry, Illinois. Adams financed the early business by borrowing against his house and leased a facility of approximately 6,000 square feet. The company began with three employees and one principal product, a 12-degree metalwood. At a time when persimmon wood dominated driver construction, the steel clubhead offered a visibly different approach to golf-club design. The new club became associated with the nickname “Pittsburgh Persimmon,” reflecting both its metal construction and its connection to the region’s steel identity. The metalwood gave TaylorMade an early point of differentiation and established the engineering-centered identity that continues to characterize the brand. The company expanded its product range as metalwoods gained acceptance, developing additional woods and eventually moving into irons, wedges, putters, and golf balls. Its early sales were modest, but adoption by golfers and professionals helped the company build credibility in a traditionally conservative equipment category. In 1984, Salomon acquired TaylorMade. The transaction gave TaylorMade access to broader international resources and distribution while allowing Salomon to enter a complementary, multi-season sporting-goods market. Adidas acquired Salomon in 1997, and TaylorMade consequently became part of Adidas’s global sports portfolio. During the Adidas era, TaylorMade placed particular emphasis on becoming a leading driver brand. The company’s marketing increasingly combined product engineering, tour use, retail visibility, and high-profile endorsements. TaylorMade later stated that it had become the leading driver brand in golf by the end of 2005. The company also expanded through acquisitions. It purchased Ashworth, a golf-apparel company, in 2008 and Adams Golf, another golf-equipment company, in 2012. These acquisitions broadened TaylorMade’s access to apparel and equipment categories, although both businesses were later divested. In 2017, Adidas sold TaylorMade to KPS Capital Partners for a reported transaction value of $425 million. The deal was completed later that year, making TaylorMade an independent company rather than an Adidas operating brand. The transition coincided with major changes in professional golf endorsements. After Nike withdrew from golf equipment, TaylorMade signed Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in 2017. The company continued to build a large roster of tour professionals, using their equipment usage and competitive results as evidence of product performance. Other prominent players associated with the brand have included Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood, Nelly Korda, Brooke Henderson, and Charley Hull, although the scope and duration of individual relationships vary. TaylorMade’s independent period has featured continued investment in drivers, irons, balls, and putters. Stealth drivers brought a carbon-face construction message to the forefront of the brand’s driver marketing, while the P·790 iron family became a recognizable product line in the players-distance category. TP5 golf balls and Spider putters extended the brand’s presence beyond woods and irons. The company also maintained direct sales and international retail distribution. In 2022, Centroid Investment Partners agreed to acquire TaylorMade from KPS Capital Partners. The change placed TaylorMade under the ownership of a Korean private-equity firm. In 2024, TaylorMade collaborated with Tiger Woods to launch Sun Day Red, an apparel brand associated with Woods’s on-course identity and a tiger-inspired logo system. The apparel venture broadened TaylorMade’s relationship with Woods beyond equipment and generated subsequent trademark opposition involving tiger-related marks. TaylorMade remains an active global golf brand focused on equipment, balls, apparel, and accessories.
- 2024
Sun Day Red launched
[1]TaylorMade and Tiger Woods introduced Sun Day Red as a golf and lifestyle apparel brand.
- 2022
Sale to Centroid Investment Partners
[1]Centroid Investment Partners agreed to purchase TaylorMade from KPS Capital Partners.
- 2017
Sale to KPS Capital Partners
[1]Adidas sold TaylorMade to KPS Capital Partners, separating the brand from Adidas ownership.
- 2017
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy endorsements
[1]TaylorMade signed Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy after Nike closed its golf-equipment division.
- 2012
Adams Golf acquisition
[1]TaylorMade acquired Adams Golf, adding another established golf-equipment business to its portfolio.
- 2008
Ashworth acquisition
[1]TaylorMade acquired golf-apparel company Ashworth, expanding its presence beyond hard equipment.
- 2005
Driver-market leadership
[1]TaylorMade reported that it had become the leading driver brand in golf by the end of the year.
- 1997
TaylorMade becomes part of Adidas
[1]Adidas acquired Salomon, bringing TaylorMade into the Adidas sports-goods portfolio.
- 1984
Acquisition by Salomon
[1]Salomon acquired TaylorMade and provided the young golf-equipment company with broader international resources and distribution.
- 1979
TaylorMade founded in Illinois
[1]Gary Adams founded TaylorMade with a steel 12-degree metalwood as its initial product, challenging the dominance of persimmon drivers.
Products and positioning
Premium, technology-led golf equipment for performance-oriented recreational golfers, competitive amateurs, and professional tour players. TaylorMade emphasizes engineering, distance, adjustability, forgiveness, tour validation, and visible professional endorsement.
Drivers and woods · 2022
Stealth
Stealth is a TaylorMade driver family centered on carbon-face construction and the company’s effort to reduce reliance on conventional titanium striking surfaces. The line is positioned around speed, launch, forgiveness, and adjustable fitting options. It represents one of the brand’s most visible recent attempts to translate materials engineering into a mainstream driver platform.
Irons · 2017
P·790
P·790 is a hollow-bodied iron family aimed at golfers who want a relatively compact, players-style appearance while retaining distance and launch assistance. TaylorMade has used internal weighting and face construction to position the series between traditional forged players’ irons and larger game-improvement designs.
Golf balls
TP5
TP5 is TaylorMade’s premium multi-layer golf-ball family. It is marketed toward players seeking a combination of driver speed, controlled iron and wedge performance, and greenside feel. The line supports TaylorMade’s equipment portfolio by giving the brand a premium ball offering used and promoted across professional tours.
Putters
Spider
Spider is a mallet-putter family recognized for its high-stability head shapes and perimeter weighting. The range is designed to help preserve face stability on off-center strikes while providing alignment assistance. Its distinctive appearance has made it one of TaylorMade’s most recognizable products outside the driver category.
Drivers and woods · 2020
SIM
SIM was a major TaylorMade woods platform preceding Stealth. The family focused on aerodynamic shaping, speed generation, adjustability, and differentiated models for players seeking either maximum distance or greater forgiveness. SIM helped maintain TaylorMade’s emphasis on iterative driver and fairway-wood engineering.
Apparel · 2024
Sun Day Red
Sun Day Red is a golf and lifestyle apparel brand launched through TaylorMade’s partnership with Tiger Woods. It is built around Woods’s personal brand, golf culture, and a tiger-inspired visual identity. The venture extends TaylorMade’s business beyond equipment into branded clothing and related lifestyle products.
Controversies
2025
Trademark opposition involving Sun Day Red tiger logos
Sun Day Red’s tiger-related trademark filings were challenged in proceedings involving Tigeraire and Puma. The reported disputes concern trademark rights and visual similarity rather than an allegation of product safety or financial misconduct. The Tigeraire proceeding was reported as suspended pending related federal litigation.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Sun Day Red launch
United States · Global
TaylorMade partnered with Tiger Woods to launch Sun Day Red, using Woods’s identity and a tiger-themed visual system to enter or expand in golf and lifestyle apparel.
Outcome. The launch broadened TaylorMade’s relationship with Woods beyond equipment and created a separate apparel brand with international ambitions.
- 2017Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy tour endorsement campaign
United States · Global
TaylorMade signed Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy after Nike exited golf equipment. Their agreements strengthened TaylorMade’s association with elite professional performance and gave the company prominent global ambassadors for its clubs and equipment.
Outcome. The endorsements increased the brand’s visibility among professional and recreational golfers and reinforced its tour-led marketing model.
Brand decisions
2024
Launch Sun Day Red with Tiger WoodsProduct launchBackground
TaylorMade sought to extend its relationship with Tiger Woods and broaden its presence from equipment into apparel and lifestyle products.
Action taken
TaylorMade and Woods introduced Sun Day Red as a distinct golf and lifestyle apparel brand.
Aftermath
The brand generated additional apparel exposure and later became involved in trademark opposition proceedings concerning tiger-related logos.
2022
Transfer ownership to Centroid Investment PartnersM&ABackground
KPS Capital Partners initiated a sale process for TaylorMade after several years of independent ownership.
Action taken
Centroid Investment Partners signed a definitive agreement to acquire TaylorMade from KPS.
Aftermath
TaylorMade continued as a privately held global golf brand under Centroid ownership.
2017
Separate TaylorMade from AdidasM&ABackground
Adidas decided to divest TaylorMade and related golf businesses as part of a portfolio shift.
Action taken
Adidas sold TaylorMade to KPS Capital Partners.
Aftermath
TaylorMade operated as an independent private-equity-owned company and continued developing equipment, endorsements, and direct retail channels.
1979
Introduce a steel metalwoodProduct launchBackground
Persimmon remained the conventional material for driver heads when Gary Adams established the company.
Action taken
TaylorMade launched a 12-degree steel metalwood intended to provide a modern alternative to traditional wooden drivers.
Aftermath
The product helped establish TaylorMade’s identity and contributed to the broader adoption of metalwoods in golf.
Recent events
TaylorMade unveils Stealth carbon-faced drivers[3]
Reported:
TaylorMade unveiled Stealth, a family of drivers with carbon-fiber faces replacing the titanium faces used in its earlier drivers.
The St. James partnered with TaylorMade[4]
Reported:
The St. James formed a partnership with TaylorMade that brought custom-fitting stations to the sports complex and provides golf equipment fitting for golfers.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/taylormade · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled