Titleist Maker To Shut Golf Ball Factory

WJAR-TV (NBC 10), RI ^ | April 25, 2003

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

Acushnet Co. Will Lay Off Dozens Of Workers

ACUSHNET, Mass. -- The maker of Titleist golf balls and products announced this week it will carry out two rounds of layoffs.

The Acushnet Co. also said it would close a factory in Acushnet.

Both the layoffs and plant closing will happen over the next 15 months.

The company said 85 people will be laid off by June and another 80 to 100 workers will lose their jobs in a second round of cuts.

Company officials said they will transfer about 600 people and equipment from Ball Plant I in Acushnet, which will close, to another factory in the New Bedford Business Park.

Ball Plant I was built almost 100 years ago. A sign on the building calls it the "Birthplace of Titleist."

Acushnet Co. CEO Wally Uihlein blamed declining sales of golf balls for the layoffs and plant closure.

[Willie Green]

A sign that fewer people can afford the greens fees.

[toddst]

Well, maybe its just competition cutting into their market share, ya think?

[JonH]

They need to get the price on the "Pro V1" up another $5 or $10 per dozen and they can lose all their market share to Precept, Calloway and Hogan.

[toddst]

Looking at your profile, I will defer to your experience and judgement. Having given up golf years ago (back problems) all I know is what I see watching Tiger & friends.

[discostu]

It's only a sign that fewer people can afford the fees if ALL the golf ball companies are showing declining sales. If just one is dropping it's a sign of a poorly run business.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

A sign that fewer people can afford the greens fees.

I just bought 2 racks of 12 titlest for $5.99 a rack and my greens fees are 22 bucks for 18 including cart.

I think maybe someone is fishing to get out of the golf ball buisness. maybe ..... Or maybe their fishing for someone to buy them out!

[Scenic Sounds]

A sign that fewer people can afford the greens fees.

I don't know about that, but I can assure you that I'm losing golf balls as quickly as I ever did. Having a great time doing it, too.

[11B3]

Typically slanted comment, Willie. Just what we have all come to expect out of you.

That would be the first thing that anyone would think about this closing. (Not that possibly other market forces were at work - NO - it has to be because everyone is broke. Yeah, right.)

I guess you didn't read my reply to you the other day, so I'll repeat it here: Negativity is a landmark trait of the liberals and the Pat Buchanan fans (of which you are one). Since Pat and the liberals share so many traits, what's the difference? There is none. He's a liberal in drag.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Any golfers in this crowd? Bump!

[Libloather]

A good day of golf is when you come off the course with more balls than you started with...

[Libloather]

Someone crap in your Corn Flakes?

[mountaineer]

We never buy golf balls. We just go to the country club in late summer/early fall, roaming the fairways around dusk, and scoop up all the brand new Titleists, Nikes, etc., that went flying into the woods on their inaugural stroke. It's a nice way to get some fresh air and a little exercise, at least.

[jammer]

A good day for me is when I leave with 3 balls.

[1L]

Hmmm. This after I bought a box of Pro V1s to evaluate. I may have to stick with the Precept Lady's.

[jammer]

That's the first thing ANY unbiased observer would suspect. It's not as if it would be an isolated slowdown if it is due to the economy.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

i got stuck buying a sleeve of nikes once ....ONCE ill fish in the lake before i buy any again i like titelist but ive been playing with spauldings the last couple of weeks and im enjoying the lower scores.

Im going to buy some slesengers [sp] in a couple of weeks and see if there as good as i hear they are.

[Scenic Sounds]

Good for you. You've managed to make a nice, healthy walk profitable, too.

[mountaineer]

I'm too wretched a golfer to care which brand of ball I'm using, but someone gave me some Slazengers, and I'm planning to try them out next week. We went to a few golf outings last summer, and it seemed everyone was giving away Nikes, so we have a few dozen of those, too. I got good distance using Nike, but only because I hit the cart path and the ball bounced an extra 50 yards or so before coming to rest in the rough.

[ravinson]

They need to get the price on the "Pro V1" up another $5 or $10 per dozen and they can lose all their market share to Precept, Calloway and Hogan.

I haven't purchased any golf balls in years. My son and I go out to the woods, shrubs, and long grass at the local courses and find more balls than we can carry in our backpacks in 2 or 3 hours. He gets the Calloways and I get the Pro VI's.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

I got good distance using Nike, but only because I hit the cart path and the ball bounced an extra 50 yards or so before coming to rest in the rough.

Well i can tell ya from experiance they dont build them cart paths in the right places for me i could use an extra 50 yards /lol/ Ive been using titles for about 2 years i guess im just used to the feel of them the nikes just dont feel right to me from the drive to the pin its like their flat or lifeless .

I get good response from the spauldings especially on the chip and green shots and if you hit one just right it will climb like crazy ive gotten great loft from them so far but i dont get the distance i do from the titles.

[Willie Green]

It's not as if it would be an isolated slowdown if it is due to the economy.

It's been my observation that golfers have very peculiar purchasing habits.
Sunday duffers may opt for the cheapest sleeve of balls they can pick up on sale at WalMart.
More serious golfers tend to be experimental with new drivers, and sometimes putters, but get very, very picky over which brand ball they use and don't like to change.
A major brand like Titlest is unlikely to lose market share due to this brand loyalty. It makes sense (to me, anyway) that their sales would be down because of a downturn in the economy. (It is an expensive hobby, in terms of both money and time.) Probably fewer businesses subsidizing golf outings between sales people and clients as well.

[hole_n_one]

I got good distance using Nike, but only because I hit the cart path and the ball bounced an extra 50 yards or so before coming to rest in the rough.

LOL!

[Leisler]

Golf ball unit sales have been flat. Hence the attempt to get $5 per ball( if you can’t sell more, get higher prices!)
Furthermore, the balls are lasting longer. Even an inexpensive Intec hockey puck two piece is a fair ball. Most golfers cannot take advantage of the technology in higher end balls. I call this the Helen Keller buys a Ferrari syndrome. Lastly, recycled/refurbished balls are chipping away. Also, I doubt any of the ball makers are making money. If you want to save, try golfballdirect.com. Not a bad deal.

[Beck_isright]

" I think maybe someone is fishing to get out of the golf ball buisness"

Or the company will re-open the plant in Tijuana with the name La Titliesta....

[BADROTOFINGER]

Get MicroSoft Links 2003. Golfing online is a blast, and it is a killer program...JFK

[LittleRedRooster]

A sign that fewer people can afford the greens fees.

I think when Titleist went to all solid construction balls they lost a need for employees since the wound balls took longer and more people to make than solid construction balls.
In addition they have about 1/3 of the SKU's they had just two years ago. Also Nike, Precept, Hogan etc are making some very nice balls.

[11th Earl of Mar]

Acushnet Co. CEO Wally Uihlein blamed declining sales of golf balls for the layoffs

I actually disagree with the earlier poster. I thought it was a good sign that your post blamed the layoffs on declining sales, not foreign competition.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

A sign that fewer people can afford the greens fees

That was willies quote but thats ok.

Your prolly right about the solid core balls.

Greens fees arent that expensive unless you go to a course where your waited on hand and foot personally i like to play uninterupted accept for maybe a beer girl and the occasional squarrel /lol/

I drilled into one of those one day was gonna mak a divot tool fob it Bled sticky liquid for 3 days and lost all its form at the same time interesting stuff inside a solid core golf ball .....blue and smelly.

[Leisler]

They still, and as far as I know, are the only ones still making the old style, rubber band type, wound ball. Some of the pro's have returned to it. However, from a engineering/spec's point of view you would be foolish to play it, as they are very, very susceptible to out of roundness. Good feel, great sound, compression drops with age.

[Doomonyou]

A good day for me is when I leave with 3 balls.

Is that before or after you play?

[j_tull]

bump

[Willie Green]

I thought it was a good sign that your post blamed the layoffs on declining sales, not foreign competition.

Well I don't think it's directly attributable to foreign competition... yet.
But there's no doubt that there is some kind of trickle down ripple effect in play.

People who are in industries suffering from foreign competition are tightening their belts.
Same as the people still experienceing the economic aftershocks of 9/11, or even the dotbomb collapse.
It all causes people to tighten their belts, and recreation businesses eventually feel the pinch.

[DaGman]

"They need to get the price on the "Pro V1" up another $5 or $10 per dozen and they can lose all their market share to Precept, Calloway and Hogan.

You got that right.

[KSCITYBOY]

Wait a minute - I done my share and lost plenty of golf balls. Actually there has been a big increase in competition in the ball market in the past few years - Plus Tiger plays Nike and there are a lot of people who believe that it's the arrow and not the indian.

[irish_links]

The golf business is indeed in poor shape and not merely due to the state of the economy.

The National Golf Foundation just released its latest estimates of the volume of play for 2002 and the number of active players. The number of rounds played was down again last year, and more importantly, the number of players who said they played more than 25 rounds last year (the demo that purchases a lot of new equipment and expensive golf balls) was down sharply. And I can assure you the NGF is dominated by industry insiders who benefit from more course development, so they weren't trying to lowball these figures.

At the same time there are more golf courses being built. The market is dramatically oversupplied, operators in many markets cannont get adequate round volume at the necessary price to make a profit after debt service.

What's wrong? The game takes too much time, and people have less of it. With many men, like myself, delaying child bearing until their mid-30's, men in their 40's and early 50's, who a generation ago had few family responsiblities to impede play, now must balance golf time with the family. The family generally wins out.

[PatrioticAmerican]

With golf balls at $1 ball....

[jammer]

Agree about brand loyalty with balls. "Titless" is the only brand for me.

[jammer]

lol.

[Fractal Trader]

Since Pat and the liberals share so many traits, what's the difference? There is none. He's a liberal in drag.

Kudos and touche to you, my kind sir!

[Doomonyou]

My father-in-law taught me, "just hit the ball down the middle." It's 90% of the game. Don't worry about distance, equipment, nothing else. Just hit it right down the middle of the fairway.

Just hit the ball down the middle...

Words to play golf by...If it were only so easy! It's a humbling game, there is nothing like hitting the ball 500 yards in two shots and hitting the next twenty feet in three!

[Madame Dufarge]

If you want to save, try golfballdirect.com. Not a bad deal.

It is a good deal, but you left out the "s,", it's "golfballsdirect.com.