Part 1. McHenry, a Special Place in the History of Golf
This article will be published in two parts during the month of December 2015. This is the first part. Editor
It all started in McHenry, Illinois in 1979. It was in a 6,000 square foot building in McHenry, located 60 miles northwest of Chicago that Gary Adams created the TaylorMade Metal Wood.
Adams was the son of an Illinois golf professional. He was working as a golf salesman specializing in golf range supplies when he noticed that some driving ranges had a metal club or two as novelty items. He also realized that the metal club face was more stable than the wooden version. The result was a longer period of inertia and a straighter longer shots.
That was the beginning of his club innovation. Adams also coined the club  description “Metal Wood,” a great oxymoron. Magically, in the late 1970s, Adams became the father of the Metal Wood.
Adams’ first TaylorMade Metal Wood featured a 12 degree loft with the nickname “Pittsburg Persimmon” on the top of the club. The wood was showcased at the 1979 PGA Merchandise Show. The rest is history as the Metal Wood became a real success story in the world of golf.
In the early 1980s, I was in Chicago on a business trip. At the time, everyone was talking about the club. I decided to take the short trip to McHenry and see where the club was being manufactured. I found a small brick building with a TaylorMade sign in front ot it. I entered, met a TaylorMade associate, and was taken on a tour of the manufacturing area.
The “manufacturing area” was a room where three ladies sat at a narrow table about 15′ long. The first lady sat at the right end of the table. In front of her were two cardboard boxes. One box contained metal shafts and the other contained metal heads. Her job was to affix the head to the shaft. Then, the second lady, who sat at a place about half-way down the table, put the golf grip on the shaft and handed the club the third woman. The third lady checked the quality of the club and put it in a shipping container. That was the entire manufacturing process for a golf club that would change golf forever.
The TaylorMade guy asked me if I would like to buy a club. I accepted his offer. And, from the moment that I took the Taylor Made Wood from the assembly line, it became my favorite golfing possession. That club really worked for me, delivering longer, higher, and straighter shots.
It’s amazing! It was 35 years ago, but I sure do remember that cold January day in McHenry, Illinois, when I was introduced to the TaylorMade Metal Wood.
Little did I know that the club would become a collector’s item.
Continued TaylorMade Metal Wood: Part 2. Becoming a Collector’s Item
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