Posted By Dave Wells on Dec 14, 2015

Part 2. Becoming a Collector’s Item

Continued from Part 1. McHenry, a Special Place in the History of Golf

The club that I bought in McHenry Illinois, became a real collector’s item. On the bottom of the club are the words “Original One, 12 Loft, U.S.A.” On On top of the metal wood are the words “Pittsburg Persimmon” to differentiate the Metal Wood from the older Persimmon with a TayLite Shaft.

A few golf pros on the PGA tour started using the metal wood after its introduction in 1979. One of the first to try it was Gay Brewer on the Riviera Counry Club’s practice range in Los Angeles.

The first victory by a PGA pro using the TaylorMade Metal Wood was Ron Streck (remember that name). He won the Michelob-Houston Golf Tournament in 1981. Streck recalled using the club for the first time in 1979. “I remember that first shot like it just happened. It took off like a flyer. I said ‘Holy Cow’, what was that. I immediately put it in my bag.”

Shortly thereafter, another golf pro, Jim Simons, used the TaylorMade Metal Wood. He won the 1982 Bing Crosby ProAm.

The first winner of a major golf tournament using the TaylorMade Metal Wood was Lee Trevino when, in 1984, he won the PGA Tournament.

That same year, 1984, Gary Adams was named “Man of the Year” by the National Golf Foundation. He said, “I named the new metal wood TaylorMade because that had sort of a custom, classy sound to it, and I thought, well, if the club bombs, at least I could sell off my remaining inventory to people named Taylor.” Great words from the man whose innovation sparked the game’s modern technological revolution.

Eight million metal woods were sold between 1979 and 1989. Sales skyrocketed from $47,000 in 1979 to $1 billion in 1986. Gary Adams went into other ventures including the Founder’s Club, McHenry’s Metals, and the introduction of the TourPure Driver.

Uunfortunately, Gary Adams left us way too early. He died in 2000 at the age of 56. He sure had an impact on golf. Thanks Gary for making the game of golf more fun, and the “Original One” will always be in my golfing memoirs.
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Next time you tee it up on Number 1 with your now 460cc Metal Wood, take a moment to think of the guy, GARY ADAMS, who made it all possible, beginning in a small brick building in McHenry, Illinois. He pursued and achieved the American Dream in the game of golf.

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TaylorMade Metal Wood Part 1. McHenry, a Special Place in the History of Golf