Are you an avid golf player? If so, you’ll know that the golf balls you play with are just as important as the clubs that you use! Maybe you’ve never really thought about it. If you haven’t, this might be just the article for you! I’ve done some hard work digging up companies that manufacture their golf balls in the United States. If you live in America, you might want to buy from one of these companies so that you can support the local economy.
Which Companies Sell Golf Balls Made in America? (The Short Answer)
There aren’t a huge number of companies that manufacture golf balls in the United States, but there are some. I’ve managed to find four of them. Those companies are Titleist, Callaway, Bridgestone, and Taylormade. With luck, you won’t find yourself needing to look further afield after you’ve investigated each of them.
American-Made Golf Balls (4 Brands to Choose From)
I’ve been able to find some pretty interesting information about the companies I’ve listed above! I’m going to be going into detail about each of these four companies, telling you all of the most important—and interesting—things I’ve learned about them. I’ve done all the hard work so you don’t have to! Read on to learn more.
Titleist
For many people, Titleist is their one-stop shop for all things golf, and when it comes to golf balls, a huge majority of customers buy their golf balls from Titleist. Did you know that Titleist supplies between 60% and 70% of the market demand for golf balls?
Titleist was established quite some time ago—its founder, Phillip W. Young, started the company way back in 1910. Although Titleist makes a wide range of golf gear today, golf balls were its original focus.
Phillip Young had observed that commercially available golf balls of his time were often unbalanced due to an off-center core; he invented a machine that could produce perfectly centered golf balls and founded Titleist to bring these golf balls to market.
Golf balls have remained the core of Titleist’s business in the many decades since it was founded. The company was estimated to have accumulated $508 million dollars from the sale of golf balls as of 2020. The highest quality golf balls produced by the company are the Pro V1 line, which was made available for the first time in October 2000.
All golf balls that bear the Titleist name are manufactured in Massachusetts. Titleist owns and operates three separate manufacturing plants in the state; the largest plant, Titleist Ball Plant III, measures 190,000-square-feet, and is located at 215 Duchaine Boulevard, in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Callaway
This is another heavyweight in the golf industry. If you play golf, I’m certain you’ve heard the name “Callaway” plenty of times! This company was founded in the 1980s. Unlike Titleist, which started its business as a manufacturer of golf balls and later branched out to producing golf clubs, Callaway Golf was originally focused on designing and manufacturing specialty golf clubs, and only later began producing golf balls.
By 1990, Callaway Golf was selling a wide range of metal woods and irons. One of the firm’s most important products was the Big Bertha driver, which in the 1990s was the most-used driver for all professional golf tours. Big Bertha was released in 1991.
The first golf ball released by Callaway was the Rule 35, featuring a solid polybutadiene core, surrounded by a layer of ionomer and encased in a shell of urethane. According to the company’s website, this design subsequently became widespread in the industry, but Callaway’s Rule 35 was the first.
Golf ball sales were originally disappointing. In the first year of golf ball sales, the company pulled in only half of the $70 million that had been set as the company’s target. However, sales increased in the subsequent years. Golf balls accounted for a quarter of Callaway’s total sales, or $180 million, in 2009.
All Callaway golf balls that are sold in North America are made on the continent. Most of these golf balls are made in a plant at 425 Meadow Street, in Chicopee, Massachusetts, but there is also a separate plant in Carlsbad, California. The Chicopee location is quite large—it measures 394,000-square-feet, and is responsible for other Callaway products in addition to golf balls.
Chrome Soft Triple Track Golf Balls
Bridgestone
Now we come to the little guys! Bridgestone is a much smaller company than Callaway. It was founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi. Although it holds only a small share of the market in the United States, Bridgestone is actually the biggest golf ball producer in Japan. The directors owe their success to improvements in golf ball technology which themselves were sparked by improvements in tires.
Bridgestone manufactured all of its golf balls in Japan until quite recently. It was only within the last few years that Bridgestone announced that production of its golf balls would be moved to the United States. The company’s new facility measures 116,000-square-feet and is located at 15320 Industrial Park Boulevard Northeast in Covington, Georgia.
Taylormade
TaylorMade is the last company on my list. TaylorMade Golf Company was established in 1979. From the beginning, it was a financial risk. Its founder, Gary Adams, acquired the capital necessary to start the company by using his house as collateral to take out a $24,000 loan.
TaylorMade started out with just three employees and a 6,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The company’s first product was a 12-degree stainless steel driver.
TaylorMade released its first line of golf balls in 1999—the InerGel Pro. The company has since then maintained a small but steady presence on the market. Though it hasn’t threatened Callaway or Titleist (who remain giants in the industry), TaylorMade hasn’t been edged out of the market, either.
Some of the world’s top golf players have used TaylorMade golf balls in their championships! For a brief period of time starting in 2002 and ending in 2008, the firm purchased and owned the Maxfli brand (Maxfly was then sold to Dick’s Sporting Goods).
TaylorMade produces all of its golf balls in the United States. Its current facility measures 123,000-square-feet and is located at 565 Cartee Road in Liberty, South Carolina.
