We came across the article, written by our founder Elmore Just, on the internet, and decided to re-post it here on our Persimmon bLog for the first time. Mr. Just founded Louisville Golf in 1974 and passed away in 2001 at the age of 53. His four brothers keep on the tradition he started here at Louisville Golf. The words below were written in the late 1990s and sheds light on the legacy we continue to foster, as well as the current state of the game of golf given that MacGregor was just purchased by Golfsmith, and ostensibly closed its doors. The Hogan brand is in stasis, Ram is no more neither is Tommy Armour and H & B has refitted their brand a dozen times. With this in mind Elmore’s words are prescient;
In 1986 I lit the midnight oil and wrote a letter to MacGregor Golf. MacGregor’s slogan was The Greatest Name in Golf and at one time they were the greatest. I wrote a marketing strategy for MacGregor Golf and mailed it to Jack Nicklaus. The next week I received a call from president George Nichols who told me he read the mail for Jack. He thanked me but said that the future for MacGregor was metal woods and cast irons. Thereafter, the manufacturing plant at MacGregor was shut down and China became the manufacturing capital of the world.
I often think about the situation that MacGregor, Ram, Tommy Armour, Ben Hogan, and H&B once had. They ran the only golf plants in the world. Their allocations controlled all the forged heads and persimmon turnings the industry could supply. Anyone could see that if they shut down their plants and purchased parts from overseas that they were inviting competition. At that time a guy named Watson was winning major golf tournaments for Ram and the thought was that golfers would not desert their brand regardless of the type of club they produced.
I wanted to tell Jack Nicklaus that the MacGregor slogan, The Greatest Name in Golf, did not automatically carry over to metal woods.
Looking back MacGregor was in a no-win situation. I think they made the best decision they could at the time, but they lost. They lost money and lots of it until they went back to their roots. In 1999 the 103-year-old company made a profit for the first time in years. CEO William Marsh says it is so long since MacGregor Golf made a profit that he cannot say exactly how long it has been. It has been 5-10 years, maybe longer.
Marsh attributes MacGregor’s turnaround to the decision to return to the company’s roots of manufacturing forged irons. In 1999 the company recorded sales of $47 million. Marsh’s ultimate sales goal for MacGregor is $150 million.
I may send my strategic plan to Mr. Marsh and see if MacGregor Golf wants to add a persimmon wood to the line. In the meantime Louisville Golf is busy selling persimmon woods to the thousands of golfers who have purchased MacGregor irons.
Sometimes it takes a long time for the truth to emerge, but it most always does. I was reading the Golf Journal recently. When the gutta percha ball came out a gentleman bought new clubs to compliment the new gutta ball. His Philps long nose was cut down for the kids to use and the dang feather ball was given to the dog. Today the feather ball and the Philps play club are worth thousands of dollars.
Obviously there is a place for cast clubs. The cast process is the only way to mass-produce golf equipment. But the casting method does not produce a truly high quality golf club.
It thrills my heart to see the success that MacGregor Golf and Ben Hogan are having with their forgings. Both companies once made great clubs and then went broke taking the “me too” approach to sales and marketing. They have both returned to profitability. Now I’ve got to make a decision about sending my marketing strategy to Mr. Marsh.
